UK Tier 1 Investor Visa Review 2022 – what are the pros and cons? That will be the topic of this article.
Explore the pros and cons of the UK Tier 1 Investor Visa for 2022 alongside insights into HSBC Expat.
Nothing written here should be considered as legal or any other form of advice, and the facts might change over time, such as the suspension of this scheme and new ones opening up, but we have done our best to ensure it is accurate.
If you are looking to invest, don’t hesitate to contact me, email ([email protected]) or use the WhatsApp function below.
Often the best time to invest is before you move, and there are many good qualifying investments which can be accessed through this scheme.
What are the pros and cons?
The UK is a group of islands off the Northwest coast of Europe, which includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. A constitutional monarchy steeped in history, the UK had a powerful political, financial and cultural influence around the world.
Despite the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, which formally took place at midnight from January 31 to February 1, 2020, the Kingdom’s economy remains one of the largest in the world, the local currency is quite stable and the British feel confident about the future.
Moreover, the flow of labor migrants, foreign entrepreneurs and just foreigners planning to live in British territory is only growing.
The UK population exceeds 67 million. Moreover, more than 85% live within England. The capital London has about 9.2 million inhabitants, making it the largest city in the European Union.
In 2021, the population of the UK will increase by 427,883 and will be 68,562,151 at the end of the year. Natural population growth will be positive and will amount to 235,063 people. Over the entire year, approximately 859,854 children will be born and 624,791 people will die.
If external migration will be the same as on the previous year level, the population will be increased by 192,820 due to the migration reasons. So the total number of migrants entering the country for the purpose of a permanent stay will be bigger than the amount of people leaving the country.
Level of life in the UK
Living in the UK comes with a unique combination of bustling modern cities, little towns, gorgeous countryside, magnificent natural landscape, and many famous historical landmarks.
According to the latest research, in terms of education, environment, prices, wages and health care, the best city to live in the UK is Glasgow, and the Scottish capital Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Birmingham is in second place, and English Oxford is in third place. London is only on the tenth line. However, every British city has both positive and negative sides to immigration and permanent residence.
The pros of living in the UK:
- A strong economy with a developed industrial and financial sector allows you to run a profitable business in the UK and build a successful professional career.
- Great Britain has great history and traditions, amazing architecture and world famous museums. The largest sports and music events are held here, and local pubs are famous far beyond the borders of the Kingdom.
- The British are very tolerant and polite people.
- English is the official and native language for most British residents, which makes life much easier for any foreigner.
- Quality infrastructure, education and medicine.
We will talk further about one of the Immigration Programs that UK offers people from all over the world. In fact, Tier 1 Investor visa option is for individuals who can make considerable financial investments in the United Kingdom. To be qualified for the Tier 1 Investor Visa, you must have access to strictly £ 2 million and be ready to invest in actively trading UK companies.
What is a Tier 1 Investor visa?
Tier 1 Immigration Program will give you an opportunity to enter one of the top economies and most influential finance centers in the world.
This investor visa has been created to make wealthy investors, entrepreneurs, and other high-net-worth individuals pay attention. These are people that will be able to drive business and prosperity in the UK, through variety of citizenship by investment programs.
It is one of the fastest and safest ways to obtain UK residency, as the experience of many investors showed that you can be approved in up to 10 weeks. The UK Tier 1 Investor visa requires an investment of minimum £2 million in British share capital, corporate bonds or loan capital in either active or trading UK-registered companies.
The Tier 1 investor visa provides an opportunity for wealthy people to enter the UK and accelerate their journey to settlement. The UK has always been extremely attractive to citizens by investment.
The UK is in close proximity to Europe with a market of 500 million, has a stable government, is free from corruption and enjoys a robust rule of law. In addition to all this, it boasts world-renowned private schools and universities, a thriving real estate market, and many sports and cultural events.
So this is a great way for investors with free capital, to securely invest their funds and become a UK citizen in a very short timeframe.
UK Tier 1 Investor Visa Requirements
To qualify for a Tier 1 Investor Visa, you need to meet the following requirements to obtain a UK Investor Visa:
- You have at least £ 2 million in funds owned by you, your partner, or the two of you jointly;
- The money is held in a regulated financial institution;
- Money is freely transferred to the UK and can be converted into pounds sterling;
- You have opened a bank account with a UK regulated bank with the intention of investing at least £ 2 million in the UK.
If you hold your investment funds for less than 2 years, you will need to prove their source, and in each case the Ministry of the Interior will need to verify the origin of your funds.
If you are applying for a UK Investor Visa from overseas, you and any dependent adult will need to provide an overseas criminal record for any country in which you have resided for at least 12 months in the past 10 years.
As an investor visa applicant for the UK, you will not need to meet any English language or support requirements.
The exact requirements you will need to meet will depend on your circumstances. You might want to speak with an immigration lawyer for expert advice.
How to apply for a Tier 1 investor visa?
You must apply for a Tier 1 Investor Visa online (if you are not from North Korea). When completing your application, it is imperative that you submit the correct documents supporting your application. Failure to do so could result in your application being immediately rejected, resulting in the loss of valuable time.
Once your application is received, the UK Visa and Immigration Service (UKVI) may ask you to provide your biometrics. This can be done at the Visa Application Center in your country.
After receiving your biometric data, your application will be considered in full. Decisions are usually made within three weeks.
When applying for a Tier 1 investor visa, you will be required to provide evidence of the following (this is not an exhaustive list):
- A valid passport or other travel document
- Tuberculosis test result, if required.
- A criminal record from any country in which you have lived for 12 months or more in the past ten years.
- You have at least £ 2 million in funds to invest in the UK for free.
- If your partners own the money, you will need to provide proof that they agree to let you use the money and provide a marriage certificate or proof that you are in a long-term relationship.
UK Investor Visa: 2 years required
The immigration rules for a Tier 1 investor visa do not require investment funds to be held for 2 years.
If you have held your investment funds for less than 2 years, you can still apply for a UK Investor Visa if the source of funds was:
- a gift received by you (and / or your husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner) 2 years before the date of application; or
- proceeds from the sale of assets, such as a business or property, within 2 years prior to the date of application; or
- money held in your business (and / or the business of your husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner); or
- inheritance by will, received within 2 years before the application was submitted; or
- divorce income earned within 2 years immediately prior to the date of application; or
- financial reward or winnings; or
- any other source, provided that the source can be independently documented and verified.
If you have owned investment funds to obtain an investor visa to the UK for at least 2 years, you will not need to provide specific proof of the source of your funds.
In particular, it is not currently required to conduct an independent audit of financial and business interests as part of a Tier 1 investor visa application. However, you will still need to convince the Home Office that your investment funds were obtained legally.
UK Investor Visa Application Processing Time
Most Visa Application Centers abroad suggest a special service that allows applicants to have their travel clearance applications resolved within 5 business days.
Tier 1 Investor visa applicants for further UK residency can apply for either the 8-week compensation or 5-day priority consideration. Tier 1 investors applying for indefinite stay in the UK can apply for either the 6 month standard remuneration or the 10 working days priority remuneration.
How long is a Tier 1 UK investor visa valid?
Your initial Tier 1 investor visa will be valid for 3 years and 4 months (if applying from abroad) or 3 years (if applying from the UK).
You will have to invest about £ 2 million in UK companies within 3 months of entering the category. Then you will need to save your attachments.
You will be able to extend your stay as a Tier 1 investor visa holder for another 2 years before becoming eligible for an indefinite residence permit (settlement) after 5 years. There is also a fast track to settlement as a Tier 1 migrant investor, either after 3 years (if you are investing at least £ 5 million) or after 2 years (if you are investing at least £ 10 million).
To settle in the UK as a Tier 1 investor, you need to spend no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 month period and, if you are under 65 years of age, have sufficient knowledge of the English language and life in the country. United Kingdom.
Tier 1 Investor visa ILR
You may be eligible to apply for UK Perpetual Residency as a Tier 1 Investor after having spent 2, 3 or 5 years in the UK. The requirements you will need to meet in order to qualify for ILR as a Tier 1 investor visa holder will depend on when your initial Tier 1 investor visa was granted. You can find more information on our Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR investment visa page or contact an immigration lawyers for advice.
Applying for ILR
Depending on your investment (see table above), you can apply for ILR in the United Kingdom after 2, 3 or 5 years of continuous residence here. All members of your family who originally applied with you, including your spouse / partner, minor children and children who have turned 18 since then, can pay at the same time with you, provided that they still depend on you financially. respect.
Exceptions are:
- If you made your investment before March 29, 2019 and your portfolio includes state bonds, you must apply for a settlement no later than April 6, 2025.
- If you invested £ 1,000,000 before November 6, 2014 and have renewed it several times under the old rules, you must apply for ILR by April 6, 2022. If you do not do this for any reason, you can still apply for a settlement, but only if you increase your investment portfolio to £ 2,000,000. Please note that in this case the ownership period (2, 3 or 5 years) will renew.
ILR Application Requirements
- You must prove that you have been in the UK permanently – your absence cannot exceed 180 days in any 12-month period from the date of your first entry.
- You have not decreased your portfolio by withdrawing funds.
- You and all dependent adults have taken an English test at a B1 level or higher.
- You and all adult dependents have passed the Living in the UK test.
- An indefinite residence permit gives you almost the same rights as those of British citizens. Once you get settlement status, you can get your money back. After a year, you can apply for naturalization in the United Kingdom and then get your first British passport.
Pros and Cons of Tier 1 investor visa
Now to sum up all this information let’s see what benefits and disadvantages has this visa option. And we’ll start of course from pros:
- This is one of the fastest UK visa applications. The whole process – from submitting an application to obtaining a visa – takes no more than 3 months. The Home Office usually makes a decision on your application within 15 days. You can expedite this by paying an extra £ 500 for priority service.
- Your spouse and children can also benefit, they can be included in your UK investor visa application.
- You do not need to prove your work experience, provide proof of education, or take an English test.
- You and your family can work, do business, study or do nothing in the UK while enjoying the comfort and safety of everyday life in a modern European country. Your investment will provide you with access to high standards of healthcare, education and safety.
- It is profitable to invest in the shares of British companies. You will be the only one who will decide where to invest, and you will always be in control of the situation. Once your visa has expired or you have obtained an indefinite stay, you can sell the shares and get your money back (at a profit if you’re lucky).
- The UK investor visa is valid for 3 years and 4 months if you are applying outside the UK and 3 years if you are applying in the country. It can be extended for another 2 years or you can immediately apply for calculation, depending on how much you invested.
- If you invest over £ 5,000,000, you can apply for British citizenship after 5 years of residence in the UK. This makes a UK investment visa one of the fastest ways to obtain a UK passport.
And no doubt there are a few disadvantages that can bother you a little, but anyways, here they are:
- The cost of residence permit in the UK is starting from 2 million pounds, plus all this 10 thousand pounds for support from lawyers or other experts. This is enough big amount and consequently this visa is only for high-net-worth individuals.
- In 2014, a law was passed, according to which the amount invested by the applicant cannot be borrowed. This must be personal funds in a bank account at least 12 weeks prior to applying for a visa.
- Buying real estate, houses, castles is not considered as an investment and cannot be the basis for obtaining a residence permit in the UK under the Tier 1 program.
- Location of funds: in the country or abroad. If the investment amount is not in English currency (pounds sterling), the applicant, when applying for a residence permit, indicates the amount in pounds sterling at the exchange rate on the day of the application.
So here are some points that can be somehow considered as disadvantages.
What will British citizenship give you?
UK citizenship obtained by investment provides the investors the unique opportunity to build and settle a business in one of the most influenced cities in the world. Either citizenship or residency in the UK can give different but great advantages in different life aspects. Here are some of those advantages:
Lifestyle:
- One of the best free medical services in the world with excellent equipment.
- Excellent educational standards, a large network of public and private schools and many top universities, including Oxford. Moreover, public school education is free.
- Visa-free and visa-free access to 183 countries and territories.
- Stable democratic government.
- Diverse society with many cultural, religious and ethnic communities.
- London is one of the most famous cities in the world, home to the British royal family.
- London offers excellent public transport and a rich culture, including museums, art galleries, theaters, restaurants, shops and more.
- Many historic sites throughout the UK.
- Aside from cities, the UK has vast expanses of gorgeous villages and quaint villages.
Business:
- London ranks among the top ten cities to start a business and is home to the corporate headquarters of many large organizations and corporations.
- According to the World Bank, the UK has one of the highest rates of ease of doing business in the world.
- Private entrepreneurship is actively encouraged.
- A very large skilled workforce.
- Competitive labor costs.
Financial:
- London is a leading financial center in the world market.
- Established and stable banking system.
- Preferential tax treatment for wealthy investors outside the UK.
- The British currency is one of the stable currencies out there.
- London has the highest GDP among other European cities.
- UK has is the fifth largest economy.
- There is no requirement for the number of full-time jobs you must create.
If you are a high-net-worth individual with free funds, and ready to make a quite big investment, UK Tier 1 Investor visa is waiting for you. It is the fastest and safest way to storage you money and become a citizen of one of the powerful countries in these days. Happy investments!
Pained by financial indecision? Want to invest with Adam?
Adam is an internationally recognised author on financial matters, with over 262.2 million answers views on Quora.com and a widely sold book on Amazon
Further Reading
In the article below, taken from my online Quora answers, I spoke about the following issues and subjects:
- Why do people always get scared to invest? Are all of the reasons illogical and irrational, or are there some good reasons not to invest?
- Is Seoul, Tokyo or Hong Kong best for expat living? With the changes in Hong Kong, is it still a first-tier expat location?
- Is investing a game for the ultra rich, or do most people participate in the market?
- Which is the best place to start a business other than highly populated places like India and China? I break the question down into which industries you are in, skills, experience etc.
To read more click on the link below.
