The Investor Visa UK (Tier 1) Investments For Foreign Nationals

UK Tier 1 investment visa offers travelers the ability to enter the United Kingdom and easily fast track their way to British residency, and potentially citizenship.

The United Kingdom is very close to Europe and has a booming economy, stable government, corruption-free, and effective legal system. There are also world-class high schools and universities, a thriving housing market, and a wealth of recreational and cultural activities. These attributes make the UK a very attractive country to live and, and people from all over the world seek to reside here. Obtaining British citizenship can be very difficult, but with the Tier 1 Investor Visa it is much easier for those that qualify for it.

How do I qualify for a Tier 1 Visa?

You must score 75 points on the Tier 1-based application to be eligible for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa. Furthermore, Proof of your portfolio invested in a regulated bank is mandatory.

Tier 1 investor visa suits high net-worth individuals planning to invest in government bonds, loan capitals, share capitals, or registered companies in the UK. To qualify, you must have:

  • A minimum investment of £2 million, and after five years, you could be eligible for settlement.
  • £5 million for which the Indefinite Leave Settlement is available for three years and British Citizenship after that.
  • £10 million to settle for two years and then obtain British Citizenship.

Documents Required

Tier 1 Applicants must submit several documents, including:

  • Passport and other proof of travel
  • A separate photo of the passport
  • Clear TB test results if the applicant is from a country in the home office testing list.
  • A Certificate of Good Conduct from any nation in which they have been staying for more than a year in the last ten years
  • Proof described in above Tier 1 Investor points

Who can apply for a Tier 1 Investor Visa?

Tier 1 (investor) visa provides an easy, if relatively expensive, way to British residency. It enables people with a high net value from outside the EU (and Switzerland) to invest large amounts of money in the UK in exchange for residency, and potentially Citizenship. This visa must be requested within three months of the date of travel to the United Kingdom.

When you arrive, funds must be deposited within three months in eligible investments. You can apply for settlement and get Indefinite Remain Leave (ILR) after two years if you have spent £ 10 million as a visa holder. Alternatively, if you invest£ 15 million after three years, you can still settle and get an ILR. You would otherwise have the right to stay for up to 3 years and four months.

Changes To The Tier 1 Investor Investor

Here is a video of some recent changes to the tier 1 investo visa (UK);

Extending Your Investor Visa

Your visa expires after three years and four months and can be extended to 2 years. If your original investment of £ 2 million is held for five years and you don’t leave the UK for more than six months a year, you can apply for a permanent residency.

By increasing your investments, you will reduce the time it takes to settle in Britain. Investments of £5 million and £10 million would enable you to qualify for settlement after three and two years, respectively.

The time spent on this visa class will count towards qualifying for residency in the UK and to remain indefinitely.

Applying from outside UK

You need to apply online if you reside outside the UK. To receive a bio-residence card, which is part of your application, you must get your fingerprints and photos taken on a visa application. After this, within 10 days of your original stated arrival in Britain, you have to obtain your biometric residence permit.

Visa restrictions

You can’t pursue some occupations, and you are not eligible to invest in certain businesses if you want to secure a UK investor visa. One cannot be a sports coach or athlete for example. Furthermore, the law prohibits applicants from investing in real estate businesses or property investment ventures.

Finally, you cannot access public financing as with all Tier 1 visas.

Conclusion

The criteria of Tier 1 (Investor) are complicated. Therefore, the applicant and the asset manager (if they use one) must be familiar with the immigration laws regarding investment requirements.

If an investment error happens, investors can run the risk of breaching immigration laws. It is very hard to fix “any mistakes,” and you will have to wait further for an ILR response or an extension authorized by the immigration department.