I have always wanted to study at a university and chose the UK. During my studies here, I understood that I wanted to stay and work in the country. I thought of setting up my first business. I was confident about it but did not know where to start. I quickly realised that the most important thing was to choose the correct immigration route and experienced advisors. I was lucky to contact Imperial & Legal.
Femia Avor is from Uganda. She relocated to the United Kingdom to get higher education. After graduating from one of the leading British universities, she decided to stay in the UK and develop her career here. Her UK Student visa was due to expire in two months, so she needed to switch to another visa category. She contacted Imperial & Legal for support.
Our immigration advisors suggested Femia apply for a UK Start-up visa since she had planned to launch her own IT project. She was happy to proceed, especially since the immigration route did not require any initial investment. She also met one of the main requirements for start-up entrepreneurs – setting up their first business ever.
An advantage of a UK Start-up visa is that even though an applicant must devote most of their time to developing their start-up, it is not forbidden to work elsewhere to support themselves while the business is growing.
Femia Avor, a 24-year-old. She went to school in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Her teachers praised her good analytical skills and memory and were adamant about her continuing her education at a university.
Femia talked to her parents and decided to go to the UK, where her aunt lived. She enrolled in graduated from one of the best Scottish universities.
Whenever she was free, Femia attended seminars and workshops for career and business development where entrepreneurs exchanged their experiences. That was where she learnt that initial capital was not necessary to set up a business. All she needed was an innovative idea that could attract investors. So, after graduation, Femia decided to stay in the country and launch her IT company.
To draft a business plan and prepare the documents for a UK Start-up visa.
Imperial & Legal’s business team talked to Femia to find out that she had been an intern in an engineering company that developed solutions for visually impaired people and made augmented reality glasses. After that, she continued learning more in this field, kept up to date with the latest developments, and even started creating simple applications.
It was not difficult to develop a business idea; Femia would focus on developing products for visually impaired users to make their adaptation and socialisation easier to make them self-sufficient in their lives.
As part of the application process for a UK Start-up visa, Femia’s idea had to be supported by a relevant endorsing body, including accelerators, funds, and universities.
Femia was lucky because her alma mater agreed to assess her application. With Imperial & Legal’s help, she recorded a short video presentation about her project and submitted a business plan that was endorsed in no time.
After Femia got an endorsement letter for her business plan, she submitted documents to the Home Office and obtained her UK Start-up visa.
A year later, Femia came to us again. She contacted Imperial & Legal to help her get a UK Innovator visa and shared her success with us. The young businesswoman had managed to raise funds and significantly expand her business. She had reported on her progress to the endorsing body six and twelve months after getting her visa and retained her endorsement.
Femia’s application for a UK Innovator visa was processed without delays, and now she is a happy holder of a UK Innovator visa. She proudly calls herself Imperial & Legal’s regular customer and plans to contact us again when she needs to apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
We will work with you to find a customised solution for your immigration, second citizenship, business, tax and other needs.
Visa for entrepreneurs
Business plan drafting
Appeal your UK visa refusal