It is worth being completely clear at the outset: owning or running a UK company gives you no right to live in the United Kingdom. UK immigration is a separate system from UK company law. You do not get a visa by forming a company, and you choose an immigration route based on your own circumstances, not on the company.

The UK runs a points-based immigration system. To live and work in the UK you need permission under a specific visa route, and each route has its own eligibility conditions, its own cost, and its own rules about whether it can lead to permanent settlement. The right route depends on what you intend to do: start a business, be sent by an overseas employer, or take up a skilled job. The routes most relevant to founders and businesses are set out below.

The Innovator Founder visa is the UK's route for an entrepreneur who wants to build a business in the UK. It is aimed at a genuinely new, innovative and scalable business idea, rather than at joining a company that is already trading. Its defining feature is endorsement: before applying, you must secure an endorsement from a Home Office-approved endorsing body, which assesses whether the business idea is innovative, viable and scalable. There is also an English language requirement. The route can, after a qualifying period, lead to settlement in the UK. It is the route most often relevant to a founder who genuinely intends to relocate and build a business in the UK.

The Expansion Worker visa, part of the UK's Global Business Mobility routes, is for a senior or specialist employee sent by an established overseas business to set up that business's first presence in the UK. It is designed for the specific situation where an overseas company is expanding into the UK and needs a key person on the ground. It is time-limited, and it does not by itself lead to settlement, though the person may later move to another route. It is relevant where a company already exists abroad and is opening a UK operation.

The Skilled Worker visa is the main route for employing someone in the UK who needs a visa. It requires the UK company to hold a sponsor licence, and the role and salary to meet the route's thresholds. It is relevant once a UK company is established and wants to hire from abroad.

Cosmos helps you understand which route fits your situation and how it lines up with your company setup, so the company and the immigration plan are designed together rather than separately. Immigration applications are detailed and the rules change often, and Cosmos is clear about its limits: it is not a law firm and does not give immigration advice. Where your application needs specialist immigration advice, and most do, Cosmos will introduce you to qualified immigration counsel. Tell Cosmos early if UK residency is part of your plan, because it can shape how and when the company is set up.