Tier 1 Investor (Closed)

At Connaught Law, we have an established reputation for effective and efficient management and processing of Tier 1 investor visa applications. To speak with our business immigration solicitors in London call 0203 909 8399 or contact us online.

The investor category is designed to allow wealthy individuals who make a substantial financial investment in the UK to obtain permission from the UK to enter as an investor under the Tier 1 investor category.  An applicant for UK’s Tier 1 Investor visa category will invest £2 million into permissible investment classes.

However, there are numerous complexities around the Tier 1 (Investor) visa category, which if not correctly considered and worked through from the very beginning can lead to very significant difficulties and applicants not achieving their desired results. Forward planning is particularly important with this visa category and we reflect this in our advice and approach.

We can work with you, your family, your professional advisers and any family office throughout the process, from initially applying for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa, to ensuring on-going compliance with visa conditions, to applying for indefinite leave to remain and ultimately UK citizenship.

Requirements for an initial application for an investor visa

The initial application under the Tier 1 (Investor) immigration category is made from abroad at a British Consulate or the Visa Section of an Embassy or High Commission.

The basic criteria are:

  • you must be at least 18 years of age;
  • you must have a minimum of £2m;
  • that £2m must be:
  • your own money, or money under your control; or money you own jointly with your husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner to which you have unrestricted access; or
  • money owned solely by your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried or same-sex partner to which you have unrestricted access; and
  • held in a regulated financial institution; and
  • disposable in the UK (that is, in sterling and freely transferable); and
  • you must open a UK regulated bank account.

Visa extensions

To apply for an extension to your Tier 1 (Investor) visa, you must have:

  • money of your own;
  • under your control;
  • in the UK;
  • amounting to not less than £2m;
  • invested the money in specified ways (see our separate note “The UK investor visa: what investments qualify?”);
  • had portfolio reports produced by a UK regulated financial institution for every reporting period, showing information such as the value of the investments and when they were made;
  • made the investment within 90 days of either:
  • your entry into the UK (where there is evidence to establish your date of entry to the UK, that is passport with stamped visa on entry to the UK or flight tickets and boarding card);
  • the date of your grant of visa (where there is no evidence to establish your date of entry to the UK); or
  • the date of your grant of extension to your existing Tier 1 (Investor) visa as shown on your approval letter.

Once invested, all the capital must be maintained in the portfolio. In other words, once the Tier 1 (Investor) has purchased their initial £2m (or £5m or £10m – see below) of qualifying investments, all of the capital must remain invested for the duration of Tier 1 (Investor) migrant’s stay in the UK.

Evidence for extension

The following documents will be accepted as evidence of investment:

  • a portfolio of investments certified as correct by a UK regulated financial institution (this portfolio must meet specific requirements which we would be pleased to advise you on);
  • if your initial grant of leave was made under the former Tier 1 (Investor) category and you are unable to provide a portfolio because you manage your investments yourself; or you have a portfolio manager who does not operate in the UK and is therefore not regulated by the FCA or PRA, you must supply documentary evidence of your holdings (that is, certified copies of bond documents, share documents or the latest audited accounts of the organisation in which the investment has been made, if the organisation is not required to produce accounts, a certificate from an accountant may be considered).

Indefinite leave to remain

If you have a Tier 1 (Investor) visa, you can apply for ILR if:

  • you made a £2m investment within the required 90 day period and, maintained it for five years; or
  • you made a £2m investment within the 90 day period and have maintained a £5m investment for three years; or
  • you made a £2m investment within the 90 day period and have maintained a £10m investment for two years

Why Connaught Law?

Personal approach: We understand that immigration is intensely personal and we reflect this in our advice and strategy.

Scale: We are a full-service top London based law firm and with best immigration solicitors’ firms in the London Holborn. While one professional team member deals with many of our clients but where needed, we have the resources and scale to help and achieve our clients’ desired results in even the complex and most significant cases.

Breadth: As a full-service law firm we advise on all areas of UK immigration and EEA law. Our team have the expertise to advise on complex multi-practice area cases that are beyond the scope of specialist or ’high street’ teams that only advise on immigration law.

Flexibility: We have the flexibility to be able to advise an extensive range of individual clients and take pride in this. Our clients range from individuals to high-net-worth client, to professionals to businesses of relatively modest financial cases.

High stakes: Due to our approach, expertise, and ability to deal with the most complex and high-value immigration cases, we are often approached to assist individual clients in very high stakes scenarios.

Cost-effective: Our legal fees are most competitive than many of our competitors, and we maintain them at a level which is more accessible for individual clients for personal immigration clients of relatively modest means.

Globally connected: While our immigration team advises on UK and EU immigration law – which is our primary focus, but whenever our clients’ need advice in another jurisdiction, we can access our global network of trusted law firms.

Litigation team: Unlike many of our peers, one of our immigration specialists is challenging contrary UKVI/Home Office decisions for individuals, and businesses.

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