Job creation is part of the Innovator Founder story from the first application, where endorsing bodies look for potential for job creation and growth. At settlement it becomes concrete. Two of the seven settlement criteria are about jobs, and the caseworker guidance sets detailed tests for which roles count. A founder with a busy office can still fall short if the roles are too new, too short or held by the wrong mix of people.
This article covers criteria (vi) and (vii) from the Home Office caseworker guidance "Innovator Founder" version 11.0 (4 August 2026): the thresholds, the four job tests, combining part-time roles, and the team rule.
The two thresholds
| Criterion | Jobs required | Salary condition |
|---|---|---|
| (vi) | Equivalent of at least 10 full-time jobs for settled workers | None stated |
| (vii) | Equivalent of at least 5 full-time jobs for settled workers | Mean salary at least £25,000 a year gross per job, excluding allowances |
Criterion (vii) trades headcount for pay: half the jobs, but each must meet the salary condition. Both are "equivalent of" full-time jobs, which is where the hours rules come in.
The four tests every job must pass
The guidance sets out tests that apply to each job relied on.
1. It has existed for at least 12 months. A role created recently does not count yet. If you plan to rely on jobs, the hiring needs to happen well over a year before you apply.
2. It complies with UK law. The guidance names the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Working Time Regulations 1998. Pay below the minimum wage, or working patterns that breach the regulations, put the job at risk.
3. It averages at least 30 paid hours a week. That is the guidance's measure of a full-time job for this purpose.
4. The worker was settled at the start and employed throughout. Settled-worker status is judged at the point the job started, and the worker must have been employed for the whole 12 months.
Who is a settled worker?
The criteria count jobs for "settled workers". This article does not attempt a full definition; check the current caseworker guidance and confirm with your endorsing body which of your employees qualify. The key timing point from the guidance is that status is judged when the job started, not when you apply.
In practice, keep a record for each employee you plan to rely on: start date, contract, hours, pay, and whatever evidence your endorsing body asks for about their status at the start date.
Combining part-time roles
The guidance allows part-time jobs to be combined to reach 30 hours, provided each of those part-time jobs has existed for 12 months.
A hypothetical example: two part-time roles of 15 paid hours a week each, both in place for more than 12 months with the same settled workers throughout, could together make up the equivalent of one full-time job. If one of those roles was created eight months ago, the combination does not work yet.
| Scenario (hypothetical) | Counts as one full-time equivalent? |
|---|---|
| One role, 32 paid hours, 14 months, same settled worker | Likely, if other tests met |
| Two roles of 15 hours, both 13 months, same workers throughout | Can combine to 30 hours |
| Two roles of 15 hours, one only 8 months old | Not yet, as each must have existed 12 months |
| One role, 25 paid hours, 2 years | Below 30 hours on its own |
The £25,000 mean salary in criterion (vii)
For criterion (vii), each job must carry a mean salary of at least £25,000 a year gross, excluding allowances. Two practical points:
- Allowances are excluded. Base the calculation on gross salary without allowances.
- It is framed per job. The wording says each job must carry the mean salary, so do not assume you can average one high salary against several low ones.
Model these costs well in advance. Our article on modelling job creation costs can help you test whether the payroll fits your plan, and the separate settlement confirmation that the business is sustainable for the next 12 months means hiring cannot outrun your finances. See the 12-month sustainability test.
The team rule: no sharing
The guidance says team members applying for settlement cannot share the same means. Its example is directly about jobs: two applicants relying on 10 jobs need 20 jobs. If you and a co-founder both expect to settle on the jobs criteria, plan for the combined total, or plan for one of you to rely on different criteria. See Innovator Founder teams and individual endorsements.
Fitting jobs into the two-of-seven requirement
Jobs are one or two of seven criteria, and the same criterion cannot count twice. Whether an endorsing body would accept both (vi) and (vii) from overlapping roles is not something to assume; plan as if your second criterion needs to be of a different kind, such as investment or revenue. The full list is in the settlement checklist.
Sources and further reading
- GOV.UK — Innovator Founder caseworker guidance
- GOV.UK — Indefinite leave to remain: Innovator Founder visa
- GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix Innovator Founder
Key takeaways
- Criterion (vi): equivalent of 10 full-time jobs for settled workers. Criterion (vii): equivalent of 5, each with a mean salary of at least £25,000 gross excluding allowances.
- Each job must have existed 12 months, comply with UK law including minimum wage and working time rules, and average 30 paid hours a week.
- Settled-worker status is judged at the job's start, and the worker must be employed for the whole 12 months.
- Part-time jobs can combine to 30 hours only if each has existed for 12 months.
- Co-founders cannot share jobs: two applicants relying on 10 jobs need 20.
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