Tier 1 Investor Visa

Tier 1 Investor Visa

The Tier 1 Investor visa enables investors to enter or remain in the UK in exchange for making a substantial financial investment to the UK economy.

Main requirements

Applicants must be able to demonstrate that:

  • they intend to invest at least £2 million in share capital or loan capital in UK companies;
  • the investment funds belong to them or their spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner;
  • they have held the funds for at least two years or, if not, meet the Home Office’s rules on the source of funds (for example, the funds are from a gift, the proceeds of the sale of assets, a business, inheritance, a financial award, a divorce settlement); and
  • they have opened a UK bank account with a regulated UK bank.
  • The investment funds must be held in one or more regulated financial institutions and freely available to spend and invest in the UK.

The Home Office may check that the funds are from a credible and lawful source and that the applicant has control of the funds.

Length and conditions of stay in the UK

Applicants can apply to come to the UK for an initial period of 3 years and 4 months. They can then apply to extend their stay in the UK for a period of 2 years subject to satisfying the following:

Under the extension criteria applicants must demonstrate that:

  • they have at least £2 million under their control in the UK;
  • they have invested those funds in share capital or loan capital in UK companies; and
  • they invested this sum within three months of the date they came into the UK, or the date that their original visa application was approved.

Indefinite Leave to Remain

An application for Indefinite Leave to Remain can be made once an applicant has held a Tier 1 Investor visa for a period of at least 5 years and demonstrated that they have invested £2 million by meeting the criteria above.

An application for accelerated settlement can be made after 2 years if the applicant has increased their investment to £10 million or 3 years if the investment has been increased to £5 million.

Contact Us:

We have considerable experience in preparing successful Tier 1 Investor applications. If you would like to discuss matters further please contact Charles Green, Consultant Partner, at cgreen@rooksrider.co.uk or by telephone to 07955112218

Consultant Partner - Immigration