Tier-1 Investor Visa

TheTier-1 (INVESTOR) visa is designed for high net worth individuals who are willing to relocate themselves and their families to the United Kingdom. It is a passive investment and is based on an individual's wealth and willingness to invest money in the UK.  An individual must have access to at least £2,000,000 in investment funds to apply for this visa.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

For applying for the Tier-1 (INVESTOR) visa an applicant must meet the following basic requirements:

• Must be above 18 years of age
• Must be from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
• Must be able to prove that the money belongs to either him or his spouse or civil partner.
• Must have an account in the UK bank.
• Must have access to at least £2,000,000 investment funds, and these funds must be:
• free to spend in the UK (disposable).
• held in one or two regulated financial institutions.


An individual may be able to apply for this visa if he is already in the UK and is:


• a postgraduate doctor or dentist.
• a student nurse
• a Tier-4 (General) visa holder
• studying, writing a thesis or re-sitting an examination
• a student sabbatical officer

They must have unconditional written agreement from  their financial sponsor for re-entering or staying in the UK if their course fees of maintenance cost was paid by A Government or an International scholarship agency.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

The following documents are required at the time of application:

• A passport sized coloured photograph.
• A passport or another valid travel identification.
• A criminal record certificate from any country the applicant has lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
• A tuberculosis (TB) test if the applicant is from a country where taking this test is necessary.
• Evidence showing that the applicant has the required investment funds. If he is using his own money he should be able to show-
• the amount of money he has and the place it is being held.
• if he didn't have the money for at least 3 months, he must prove where the money came from. For instance, has he inherited the money from a relative.
• the money can be transferred to the UK and converted to sterling.
If he is using his partner's money then he must provide-
• a certificate of relationship or civil partnership
• a letter of validity of the declaration from a legal adviser
• a statement from the partner allowing him to spend the funds in the UK.

DURATION OF STAY

An applicant is given a leave of 3 years and 4 months initially and he can apply to extend his visa by another 2 years. After 5 successful years of staying the UK one becomes eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) that provides permanent residency. These individuals eventually become eligible to apply for British Citizenship provided that the meet all the criteria that is they must not have spent more than 450 days outside the United Kingdom during the 5 year qualifying period and not more than 90 days during the final 12 months.

FEES

It costs around £1,500 for the applicant and the same amount for each dependant he takes with himself.
DOs and DON'Ts

An individual can:

• invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK share capital, government bonds or loan.
• apply to settle in the UK after 2 years if the investment he makes is £10 million.
• apply to settle in the UK after 3 years if the investment he makes is £5 million.
• bring his dependants along


An individual can't:


• get public funds
• work as a professional sportsperson or coach
• invest in companies engaged in properties


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