Tier 1 Investor route is dead

We would like to announce the sad news that the Tier 1 (Investor) route is now closed to new entrants. Those who already hold visas in this category are in the same position as those who held Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visas when that route was closed to new entrants in 2019: they can still apply for extension or settlement, but those who aspire to enter the route have lost their chance. 

It seems possible that the Home Secretary closed the route (and incidentally very abruptly) because of current political events in Russia and Ukraine, which may have decisively triggered fears about illegally-obtained Russian money coming into the UK via the investor route, but these fears are not new: British Governments have been worrying about this for some years now. 

The Tier 1 (Investor) visa was a pure investment visa: visa holders are allowed to work but they do not have to. The only requirement was that they invested their funds (between £2m and £10m) into British companies and maintained the level of investment. For the richest investors settlement is available in only two years. 

If you were thinking of applying for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa and you hold funds you are prepared to invest, the fact is that there are now limited options: there is no other pure investment visa available. 

However, there may be other possibilities, and we at GSN Immigration can try and help you find the best way forward. 

Author

Oliver Westmoreland

OISC Level 3 Immigration Adviser