United Kingdom – Tier 1 (investor) Visa
Tier1 Investor Visa is designed for those who plan to invest GBP 2 million into British economy, their spouses and children under 18. Its full duration is 3 years and 4 months, albeit limited to 3 years if applied for in the UK, subject to 2-year extension (if capital investments do not exceed GBP 2 000 000). A Tier1 Investor Visa holder is not allowed leave the UK for over 180 days per year; however, knowledge of English is not required.
The investments made have certain impact on the process of obtaining the permanent residence permit and the citizenship.
- GBP 2 000 000 investment gives the right to apply for permanent residence after 5 years of stay in the UK and also to become a citizen on the sixth year of stay.
- GBP 5 000 000 investment gives the right to apply for permanent residence after 3 years of stay in the UK and also to become a citizen on the fifth year of stay.
- GBP 10 000 000 investment gives the right to apply for permanent residence after 2 years of stay in the UK and also to become a citizen on the fifth year of stay.
Application conditions of Tier1 (investor) Visa
A score of 75 points is required for an investor’s visa, which is assigned if an applicant has at least GBP 2 000 000 of free funds and intends to invest in UK economy development by different means, such as investment of capital into enterprises incorporated in the UK, purchase of governmental or corporate securities and stocks of British companies.
A person conducting the investment activity is not allowed to work as a doctor, dentist or a sports coach.
Purchase of real estate or maintaining funds on bank accounts are not considered investment into state economy and do not give the right for investor’s visa application.
If the amount of at least GBP 2 million was kept on the applicant’s bank account for three months before application, it is not required to prove legal origin of funds. Otherwise, the corresponding documents shall be provided to evidence legal incomes.
An immigrant entering the UK under an investor’s visa has to make the corresponding investment within 90 days upon arrival or 90 days upon issuing the visa for those applying in the UK. However, if in the course of investment the nominal value of stocks drops resulting in a smaller amount of investment, the immigrant won’t be forced to make additional financial injections.
As the UK is a rather bureaucratic country, even minor details are taken into account when extending visas, such as:
- Whether the holder applied for financial aid.
- Whether the investor and his family registered with Overseas Visitors Records Office within 7 days upon arrival to the UK.