The eligibility requirements were the same as for the Innovator Founder visa. Three main criteria were considered:
- Focus on innovation
- Liveness
- Scalability
Start-up visa was issued for 2 years, did not require initial investments and did not lead to citizenship in the UK through business. If the applicant planned to continue his/her stay in the country, he/she could apply for the Innovator visa UK, which further implied obtaining British citizenship.
Over time, the UK authorities recognized a flaw in the Start-up visa. This was expressed in low-qualified employees who opened fast-food establishments instead of IT-companies. Also the Home Office recognized its incompetence in terms of selection. Home Office employees did not understand the economy and the business environment, thus allowing a candidate with a hopeless business strategy to get a visa.