Innovator Visa
8-week fast turnaround just in time before COVID-19 lockdown
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No Home Office interview
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Endorsement Body issued endorsement immediately after interview
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Matching with UK cofounder in proptech
What Our Clients Say
Mr Zhou
Managing Director, Easyinvest
The team at Invest and Consult provided practical and solid guidance. They worked both evenings and weekends. They developed my business idea into a much better business concept, one that would be accepted by the Endorsing Body. They also taught me a lot and provided total support on all aspects of the business.
Background
Mr Zhou is a well-connected entrepreneur with over 10 years of commercial and international trading experience. A postgraduate of a Russell Group university, he has developed a strong network of senior executives at leading property developers in Greater China as well as started a successful fine jewellery business. The former provided Mr Zhou with the impetus to focus on the property investment business when he decided to apply for the Innovator visa.
Problem
Time was literally running out for Mr Zhou on all fronts. Towards the end of Nov 2019, not only was he nearing the end of this studying stay in the UK, it also became increasingly clear that a COVID-19 global outbreak was taking shape.
While Mr Zhou was confident that he had the right business network and experience to successfully develop an innovative business in the UK, the clock was ticking fast, so he was under immense pressure to deliver a business plan that would satisfy the strict requirements of the Innovator visa.
Solution
Invest and Consult moved quickly to identify suitable projects that would closely match Mr Zhou’s business background and requirements. Thanks to the breadth and depth of our project database, we were able to successfully match him with an innovative project, Easyinvest, within a very short time frame.
As the first real estate e-commerce crowdfunding platform for Chinese residents in the UK, Easyinvest was on the search for a partner with strong connections in the property market in Greater China to join its team. Deploying blockchain technology, the platform aims to solve the difficulties that many investors currently face, such as the lack of professional knowledge of the UK property market, large capital consumption and poor risk control.
In less than three weeks, we helped Mr Zhou to develop his business plan, secure the meeting slots with the Endorsing Body and prepare for the meetings. His hard work eventually paid off as he received the endorsement immediately after the meetings and, a month later, the Home Office letter that confirmed his visa application was approved.
Outcome
From the moment Mr Zhou engaged Invest and Consult to the Home Office approving his visa, the entire application process took just under eight weeks. The timing was hugely critical for Mr Zhou, as he managed to obtain his visa just in time before visa offices around the world had to shut down down due to the pandemic.
As a result of Invest and Consult’s efficiency , Mr Zhou was fortunately able to already start working with his business partners before the lockdown began. This extra time gave their business a great opportunity to lay the foundation early, enabling them to be ready when the the property market reopens.
However, this is only the beginning of the story. Because our standard service package comes with a two-year post-visa service, Mr Zhou can rest assured that he will not only be able to rely on Invest and Consult’s total support at the subsequent review checkpoints by the Endorsing Body, but he will also be fully supported by our team of experts in accounting, operation, sales and marketing, supplier sourcing and so on.