Business Immigration Clients

1       Investor visa (Tier 1)

Overview

You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if:

• you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK
• you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
• you meet the other eligibility requirements

You must have access to at least £2,000,000 in investment funds to apply.

How long it will take

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

Example: You can apply from 16 March if you plan to travel on 15 June.

You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Check the guide processing times to find out how long getting a visa might take in your country.

Fees

You must pay £1,623 to apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa. The fee is the same if you’re extending or switching visas, or if you’re applying as a family member.

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

Get a faster decision on your application

If you’re applying to extend or switch in the UK you can pay an extra £500 for the priority service to get a decision within 5 working days.

How long you can stay

You can come to the UK with a Tier 1 (Investor) visa for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months.

You can apply to extend this visa for another 2 years.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• work or study
• apply to settle after 2 years if you invest £10 million
• apply to settle after 3 years if you invest £5 million
• apply to settle after 5 years if you invest £2 million

You cannot:

• work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
• get public funds

You also cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training unless one of the following applies:

• you have a primary degree at bachelors level or above in medicine or dentistry from a UK institution that holds a Tier 4 sponsor licence or is a UK recognised or listed body
• you worked as a doctor or dentist in training the last time you were in the UK
• neither of those conditions were part of the terms and conditions on a previous visa

Eligibility

You must have at least £2,000,000 investment funds to apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

You must:

• be 18 or over to apply for this visa
• be able to prove that the money belongs to either you or your husband, wife, unmarried or same-sex partner
• have opened an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your funds

Your funds must be:

• held in one or more regulated financial institutions
• free to spend (‘disposable’) in the UK

Your money can be in the UK or overseas when you apply.