The UK is one of the World’s most popular immigration destinations for people wishing to live and work in a new country with high standards of living.
United Kingdom offers Tier 1 innovator visa to foreign investors outside EU who have access to £50,000 in investment funds.
Note: UK entrepreneur visas has been replaced with Innovator visas effective from May 2019
Benefits
- Foreign investors qualify for UK residence permit
- Family and children allowed to immigrate to UK
- Permanent settlement after five years of living in the UK
Minimum Investment
Foreign investors must have invested £50,000 in a new or existing UK business and create two jobs during the initial period. Applicants must meet english language requirements and also must have no criminal record.
Innovator visa is issued for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months and can be extended for another 2 years. Permanent settlement is possible under this catory
The Innovator category is intended for more experienced businesspeople. Applicants will need £50,000 to invest in their business from any legitimate source (reduced from £200,000 for most applicants in the current Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category).
The funding requirement will be waived for those switching from the Start-up category who have made significant achievements against their business plans. The category may lead to settlement in the UK.
Tier 1 points based system
| Condition | Points |
Having access to at least £100,000 of disposable investment funds
|
25 |
| Having investment funds that are held in a regulated financial institution | 25 |
| Having investment funds that are free to spend | 25 |
| Having access to the required maintenance funds | 10 |
| Meeting the required level of English language proficiency | 10 |
Restrictions with this visa
- set up or take over the running of one business or more
- work for your business, including being self-employed, but you should check your work meets the conditions of being self-employed
- do any work outside your business, for example work where you’re employed by another business
- get public funds
Permanent settlement
You can apply for settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR) under Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) once you have reached five years continuous leave in the United Kingdom under the route. If you meet additional criteria such as £5 million business activity , you may be eligible to apply for accelerated ILR after a continuous period of 3 years. You should not have more than 180 days’ absence from the United Kingdom during any consecutive 12 months of the qualifying period.
UK Citizenship
After 6 years of legal residence in the United Kingdom.