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Tier 1 Investor Visa
Our expert immigration lawyers offer excellent consultation services for foreign nationals looking to invest in the UK.
Contact our immigration lawyers for a free telephone
consultation on 020 3951 8832 or complete our enquiry form
to discuss your Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa.
What is the Tier 1 Investor Visa?
The Tier 1 Investor Visa is one of the UK business visas, this visa types allows investors to enter and live in the UK providing that they invest at least £2 million into active and trading UK businesses.
The Tier 1 Investor Visa is a high-value migration route, this means that you are not required to have a job offer before you can apply for an Investor Visa and your application will not need to be sponsored. The application is almost entirely based on your ability to invest the required amount within the first three months of your visa being granted.
With the Tier 1 Investor Visa you can live in the UK for up to 3 years and 4 months, if you wish to remain living in the United Kingdom after this time you can also apply for an extension of your Investor Visa for a further 2 years.
There is no English Language requirement and no expectation to show sufficient maintenance funds. For investors who have £2 million or more available, this is a great route to entering the country and securing UK citizenship by investment.
How can I apply for a Tier 1 Investor Visa?
You must apply online for the Tier 1 Investor Visa, you can do this using the application form available on the gov.uk website.
When applying you will need to submit the following documents:
- A current passport or other valid travel identification
- Your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
- A criminal record certificate from any country you have stayed in for a total of 12 months or more over the last 10 years
You will also need to submit supporting documents to prove that you have the investment funds available and that you have a UK bank account. If using your own money you must show how much money you have and where it’s being held, where the money came from if you’ve had the money for less than 2 years and that the money can be transferred to the UK and converted to sterling.
If you are using your partners money you will need to submit a certificate of marriage or civil partnership, or proof of a long-term relationship (at least 2 years), a statement from your partner confirming that they will allow you to control the funds in the UK and a letter from a legal adviser stating that the declaration is valid.
To prove that you have a bank account at a UK regulated bank you will need to submit a letter which must:
- Be issued by an authorised official
- Be dated within 3 months of your application
- Be on the official headed paper of the bank
- State your name and account number
- Confirm you’ve opened an account with the bank in order to invest £2,000,000
- Confirm the bank is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
- Confirm checks for money-laundering have been carried out
As well as completing the online application process, you will also need to book an appointment at a visa application centre to have your biometric information taken, this is your photograph and fingerprints. This will be used for you Biometric Residence Permit which you must collect within 10 days of your entry into the UK.
Who is eligible for the Tier 1 Investor Visa?
Unlike most other points-based visa applications, there are few requirements for the Tier 1 Investor Visa UK. To meet the eligibility for this visa you must have £2 million available to you, your spouse or your long-term partner, the only other requirements that you need to meet are that you must:
- Be at least 18 years old or over
- Be able to prove that the money belongs to either you or your husband, wife, unmarried or same-sex partner
- Have opened an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your funds
Your funds must be:
- held in one or more regulated financial institutions
- free to spend (‘disposable’) in the UK
You will not need to pass an English Language test, be sponsored by a UK business or institution or prove you have adequate maintenance.
This type of Tier 1 Visa requires you to invest all £2 million into UK businesses within the first three months of your visa being granted, so it is important that the money you use for your application is freely available for you to invest with before you apply for your visa.
What can Investor Visa holders do?
Investor Visa holders can live, work and study in the UK for 3 years and 4 months, they can also apply for an extension of their Tier 1 Investor Visa.
Investor Visa holders can make the UK their permanent home by applying for settlement. As an Investor Visa holder you could apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain quicker than most other visa holders depending on how much money they invest in the UK.
You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 2 years if you invest £10 million, after 3 years if you invest £5 million and after 5 years if you invest £2 million.
Although Investor Visa holders can live work and study in the UK they cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach or get public funds.
Investor Visa holders also cannot work as doctors or dentists in training unless they:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or above in medicine or dentistry from a UK institution that holds a Student sponsor licence
- Worked as a doctor or dentist in training the last time they were in the UK
How can Qualislaw help?
Our specialist immigration lawyers offer premium consultation services for those looking to invest in the UK on a Tier 1 Investor Visa. We will work around your busy schedule; our consultations can be conducted via Skype, telephone or in person. We will also advise you on your investment options and qualifying investments, ensuring you are eligible for this type of visa.
Instructing Qualislaw to complete your Tier 1 Investor Visa application will give you the best possible chance of receiving your visa and starting your investments in the UK economy. For an in-depth discussion of your personal circumstances, call 020 3951 8832 or make an enquiry online.