The MAC Talent Review and the Innovator Founder visa explained

In March 2026 the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) asked the people who use the Innovator Founder route, and the bodies that run its endorsements, about their experience of it. The call for evidence on the Global Talent and Innovator Founder routes closed on 1 May 2026. The committee has since discussed the evidence, but as of 22 October 2026 it has not published a final report.

This article explains what the review is, who it heard from, how the process works, where it has reached, and why founders should pay attention even though nothing has changed yet.

What the MAC is

The Migration Advisory Committee is an independent body that advises the government on migration. It is independent of the Home Office, which runs the immigration system. When the MAC reviews a route, it gathers evidence, analyses it and publishes a report. Its recommendations are advice: changes to the Immigration Rules still come through a Statement of Changes.

That independence matters for founders. It means the review is a chance for evidence about how the route actually works — for applicants, endorsing bodies and the UK — to be considered outside the day-to-day running of the system.

What the review covers

The call for evidence was part of a review of "how best the immigration system could be used to attract international global talent to the UK". It covered two routes together:

Grouping the two routes suggests the MAC is looking at how the UK attracts high-skilled people through routes that do not depend on a job offer. That is an interpretation of the scope, not a statement from the MAC.

Who it heard from

According to the call for evidence, respondent categories included:

• endorsing bodies, which assess business plans and monitor endorsees through contact point meetings;
• individuals on Innovator Founder visas, who have direct experience of applying and running a business on the route.

The questions asked about experience of the route, its impact on the UK, and whether it targets the right people. The MAC has said aggregated and anonymised findings will be published in its final report.

The process and timeline so far

We do not know when the final report will be published, and we have not seen a published date. Check the MAC's GOV.UK page for updates; our guide to tracking Innovator Founder rule changes includes it in a monthly routine.

Why it matters to founders

It is a structured, independent look at whether the route works. Practitioner commentary from Free Movement reports that many specialists say these routes largely fail to work in practice, and that repeated amendments have made them harder to obtain. Practitioner analysis of Home Office statistics for the year ending June 2026 reports grant rates of 79.2% out-of-country and 74.8% in-country, both lower than a year earlier. These are reported views and analysis, not MAC findings — but they are the kind of question a review of this sort exists to examine.

It sits alongside other open questions. The May 2025 Immigration White Paper reportedly said the Innovator Founder route was under review with the objective of increasing its use and effectiveness. The earned settlement consultation, which closed on 12 February 2026, is also unresolved. The MAC report could be one of several inputs into future changes. See Innovator Founder and the White Paper and Earned settlement: where it stands.

It could recommend change — or not. We do not know what the MAC will recommend, and recommendations are not decisions. For clearly labelled scenarios, framed around what the call for evidence asked, see What the MAC review could change.

What the current route looks like while the review runs

For context, the route the MAC is reviewing currently works like this:

• Endorsement: from one of three Business Endorsing Bodies — UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International, Envestors Limited — or the Global Entrepreneurs Programme for invited founders. Endorsement costs £1,000 plus £500 per contact point meeting, excluding VAT.
• Points: 70 required — 50 from new-business or same-business criteria, 10 for B2 English, 10 for funds.
• Monitoring: at least 2 contact point meetings, normally after 12 and 24 months.
• Permission: 3 years, extendable for further 3-year periods with a new endorsement.
• Settlement: possible after 3 years, subject to the settlement criteria including 2 of 7 growth criteria.
• Fees: £1,357 outside the UK, £1,693 inside, from 8 April 2026.

What founders should do

• Keep planning on the current rules.
• Watch the MAC's GOV.UK page for the final report.
• When it is published, read the recommendations alongside any government response; the two are different things.
• If you are early in the process, focus on what is within your control: a business plan that is innovative, viable and scalable. Run a free assessment to check yours.

For the full year of changes in sequence, see the Innovator Founder changes timeline.

Sources and further reading

• GOV.UK — Migration Advisory Committee
• Free Movement — MAC call for evidence on Global Talent and Innovator Founder
• GOV.UK — Innovator Founder visa
• GOV.UK — Innovator Founder caseworker guidance
• GOV.UK — Endorsing bodies: Innovator Founder and Scale-up visas

Key takeaways

• The MAC's call for evidence on Global Talent and Innovator Founder ran from around 5 March to 1 May 2026, as part of its Talent Review.
• Respondents included endorsing bodies and Innovator Founder visa holders; questions covered experience, impact on the UK and targeting.
• June 2026 minutes record roundtable evidence and discussion; no final report had been published as of 22 October 2026.
• The MAC is independent of the Home Office, and its recommendations are advice, not rules.
• Nothing in the current Innovator Founder rules has changed because of the review; plan on the rules in force.

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