Tier 1 Investor Visa is now closed to new applicants. If you already have this visa, you may be eligible to extend your investor visa or apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
Contact our
immigration lawyers for a free telephone consultation on 020 3744 2797 or
complete our enquiry form to discuss your options.
Note: UK investor visa is no longer open to new applicants.
The Investor visa UK is designed for high net worth individuals who are looking to make a sizeable investment of £2 million or more and provides the fastest pathway to permanent settlement in the UK of all visas. Investor visa holders can live, invest capital, work, study, and engage in business for an initial period of 3 years and 4 months. At this point, they can then choose to extend their visa or apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) (depending on the amount invested).
Applications under the Tier 1 Investor route are based on the applicant’s ability to invest the required amount into the UK. Unlike many other immigration routes, the English Language requirement is not mandatory for the Investor visa.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the investor visa is the ability to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after just 2 years with an investment of £10 million. As such, this provides the shortest route to permanent settlement of all UK visas. In addition, there is no English language requirement for the Investor visa.
The other UK Tier 1 Investor visa provides a wide range of benefits, including the ability to:
As a UK Tier 1 Investor visa applicant, you will need to show that:
Note: It does not matter whether the investment funds are located inside or outside the UK when you apply as long as you can show you will be able to transfer them to the UK.
The 2-year requirement for the UK Investor visa necessitates that applicants show the source of their funds if they have been held for less than 24 months.
The Home Office Investor visa guidance states, “If you have not held the funds for 2 years consecutively before the date of the application, you must also provide evidence of the source of the funds. We will contact the source of these documents to confirm the information as necessary” 1.
The Home Office will consider the following as valid sources of funds (note: this list is not exhaustive):
Other sources of funds are also eligible as long as you can show sufficient evidence these were lawfully obtained.
The Investor Visa route has 3 separate investment tiers, with higher amounts providing a faster route to permanent settlement in the UK, as follows:
Investment Amount |
When You Can Apply for Settlement (ILR) |
£10 million |
2 years |
£5 million |
3 years |
£2 million |
5 years |
You will need to invest at least £2m within 90 days of arriving in the UK. Qualifying investments for a UK Investor visa include the following:
This only applies if you gained your Investor visa under the old immigration rules prior to 29th March 2019. This also means that if you received your visa before this date and you wish to extend your visa, you will need to do so before 5th April 2023 if you are applying on the basis of your investment in UK Government bonds. The deadline for those applying for ILR in this situation is 5th April 2025.
This must be invested in active, and trading UK registered companies. Investments cannot be made in:
Your initial Investor visa will be granted for up to 3 years and 4 months if you apply from outside the UK. If you apply inside the UK, your visa will last for an initial period of 3 years.
At the end of this initial period, you will be able to apply for an extension if you plan to stay.
To make a successful application for an Investor visa extension, you will need to show:
To make an Investor visa extension application, you will need to:
Investor visa extension applications typically take around 8 weeks to process, however, you can continue to stay in the UK while you are waiting for a decision from the Home Office. There is also an accelerated application process for an additional cost of £500, which will lead to a decision within 5 working days.
One of the main benefits of the Investor visa is that it provides a pathway to settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain – ILR) in the UK of 2, 3, or 5 years depending on the amount invested (as shown above).
With ILR, you will be able to remain permanently in the UK without being subject to immigration control, and after a further year, you will be able to apply for British citizenship.
To qualify for ILR as an Investor visa holder:
Other points to consider when applying for ILR as an Investor visa are:
References:
1 UK Visa and Immigration: Tier 1 (Investor) of the points-based system – policy guidance
2 GOV.UK: Tier 1 (Investor) leave to remain