UK Work Visa Tier 1 (Investor) visa

1. Overview

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

• you want to invest £2,000,000 (Rs.19,77,29,784.85) 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 (Rs.19,77,29,784.85) in investment funds to apply.

How long it will take
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.

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

How much you pay for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa depends on your situation, where you are and how you apply.

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. 

Fees for applying and extending in person

You can use the super premium service to apply or extend in person.

It costs a one-off fee of £7,000 (Rs.6,92,054.25), plus application fees for each person of:

• £1,900 for the ‘main applicant’
• £1,900 for each dependant

You can use this service for up to 4 ‘main applicants’ and a maximum of 10 people per visit. ‘Main applicants’ are the people with access to the investment funds.

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 can’t do

You can:

• invest £2,000,000 or more in UK government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies
• 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

You can’t:

• invest in companies mainly engaged in property investment, property management or property development
• work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
• get public funds

You also can’t 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 license 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

2. 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 a UK bank account

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.

Students with financial sponsorship

You may be able to apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if you’re already in the UK and you’re:

• a Tier 4 (General) visa holder
• a student nurse
• studying, writing up a thesis or re-sitting an exam
• a postgraduate doctor or dentist
• an overseas qualified nurse or midwife
• a student sabbatical officer

You must have unconditional agreement in writing from your financial sponsor to re-enter or stay in the UK if your course fees and living costs were paid by either:

• a government
• an international scholarship agency

3. Documents you must provide

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• a passport-sized colour photograph
• your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
• a criminal record certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years

You need a page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.

Evidence of investment funds

You’ll need to provide evidence showing that you have the required investment funds.

Your own money

If you’re using your own money to invest, you should be able to show:

• how much money you have and where it’s being held
• where the money came from if you haven’t had the money for at least 3 months, eg you inherited it from a relative
• that the money can be transferred to the UK and converted to sterling (if it’s not already in the UK)

Your partner’s money

You’ll need to provide:

• a certificate of marriage or civil partnership, or in the case of unmarried or same-sex relationships, proof that you are in a long-term relationship (at least 2 years)
• a statement from your partner confirming that they will allow you to control the funds in the UK
• a letter from a legal adviser stating that the declaration is valid

You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.