Want to know if international students like yourself can start a business in the UK? Here's our guide
For many people, starting their own business and becoming their own boss is a dream come true. But, so often, starting and setting up your own business is incredibly difficult, with a lot of challenges to overcome. For international students, there are often even more challenges than most to overcome. It can be confusing trying to figure out what you can and cannot do as an international student, especially where visas are concerned.
Can international students start a business in the UK? We take a look at what you can, and can’t do when trying to start a business in the UK.
So, can international students start a business?
If you are studying in the UK on a Tier 4 student visa you won’t be able to officially register your company with companies house. That being said, there is nothing stopping you from beginning to develop your business ideas and starting to put together a business plan. You can also take this time to talk to other entrepreneurs, potential customers and investors about your plans and seek out any advice.
How can I start my own business?
You’ll have to apply for a different visa. International students looking to start a business in the UK are required to have an innovator or start-up visa. For an innovator visa, you will need your business idea to be endorsed by an approved body, you can find more out about it here.
For a start-up visa, You must have at least £50,000 in investment funds if you want to set up a new business. You will also need to be endorsed by your higher education body in order to go ahead and apply for this visa. You can find out more about the start-up visa here.
This is how international students start a business in the UK
Once you have thought about your next steps in terms of your visa, you can begin to think of business ideas and begin to form a business plan. Be sure to check out our article on starting a business on our website.
