Tier 1 Categories
Tier 1 Entrepreneur
The UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa is for people who want to set up or take control of an existing business in the UK. This Entrepreneur Visa is a potential route to permanent settlement in the UK.
The Business Entrepreneur Visa for UK is granted for an initial period of 3 years and 4 months for people applying from outside the UK and 3 years for people applying from within the UK upon the expiration, the applicant is granted a further extension of 2 years.
Types of Entrepreneur Visas
- Your have access to £200,000 – this money can be in your own account or any third parties account.
- Access to £50,000 – from venture capital firms regulated by financial services authority, seed funding competitions listed as endorsed on UK trade and investment or funds made available by UK government department.
- Access to £50,000 if you are present in the UK on Tier 1 Post Study Worker Visa, (Switching from Tier 1 Post Study Work to Tier 1 Entrepreneur category is restricted from 11 July 2014) The £50,000 should be from venture capital firms regulated by financial services authority, seed funding competitions listed as endorsed on UK trade and investment or funds made available by UK government department. You will be allowed to switch in this category if your business was operational before 11 July 2014. The category also requires the applicant to be registered as a director of the company or self employed 3 months before they make an application. In relation to registration proof certain documents need to be provided by the applicant.
Entrepreneurs are required to meet both the English language requirement and the requirement to provide further proof of the ability to support themselves and any dependants.
Genuine Entrepreneur Test
The ‘genuine entrepreneur’ test will be conducted by the caseworker at Home Office taking into consideration the facts in deciding whether or not you are genuine applicant.
Compliance Services for Entrepreneurs
We provide advice to entrepreneurs on how to continue to comply with the Immigration Rules during the period of the visa that has been granted, three years. We believe it is important especially if you intend to extend your visa as you will need to meet certain requirements such as the creation of two jobs.
Our compliance service will include:
- We will send out reminders so that you meet deadlines such as creating jobs that must have lasted minimum of 12 months
- Provide guidance on how to invest your £50,000 or £200,000.
- Advice you on what to do if your circumstances change
- Provide you with an updates of Immigration Rules and policy that may affect your future plans
- Advice you of the conditions and restrictions on working in the UK
You can elect to use the service per year or for a three year period. During that time you may ask as many questions as you wish relating to the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Immigration Rules.
This service is not related to the application service. That is a separate service which has a separate fee.
Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur
This category is for graduates who have been identified by participating Higher Education Institutions as having developed world-class entrepreneurial ideas or skills to extend their stay in the UK after graduation in order to set up a business in the UK.
The business can be as a self-employed – sole trader, a partnership or a company registered in the UK.
A Graduate Entrepreneur is granted leave for a period of 1 year and will only permitted to work for the business the applicant has established.
The Graduate Entrepreneur will need to show:
- You are Endorsed by an approved UK Higher Education Institution
- The Endorsement confirms that your business idea has been assessed
- You have been awarded the a graduate or postgraduate degree
- You meet the English language requirement
- You meet the Maintenance requirement
Each year the UK Visas and Immigration place a limit on the number of applications it will grant. Between 2015 – 2016 the limit is 1,900 applications.
Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)
The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) is aimed at non – EEA citizens who are considered to have exceptional world class talent and are acknowledged as being world leaders in their particular field in science or the arts.
The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) migrants are granted 3 years and 4 months leave under this category.
An applicant will need to show the following:
- Have an endorsement (confirmation) from a ‘Designated Competent Body’. Essentially, this is an organisation that the Home Office trusts as being able to identify an applicant as being a world-leader in their particular field. So for example if an artist wanted to apply under this route they would need to get an endorsement from the Arts Council of England.
There is not maintenance requirement to be met (unless you were previously benefitting from a scholarship at a UK University) and there is no English Language requirement to be met (unless you are applying to extend your leave under this category).
Tier 1 Investor Visa
Tier 1 Investor Visa is specifically designed for wealthy foreign nationals who wish to relocate to the UK and invest a minimum of £2,000,000 in the UK economy. Successful applicants are granted 3 years stay in the UK with the possibility of an extension of a further 2 years if all essential requirements are met.
The Investor will need to show either:
- You have at least £2,000,000 of disposable funds that you can invest in the UK or
- You have £2,000,000 or more in personal assets and a loan of over £1,000,000 which you can invest in the UK.
Investors are exempt from both the English language requirement and the requirement to provide further proof of the ability to support themselves and any dependants.
Compliance Services for Tier 1 Investors
We provide advice to investors on how to continue to comply with the Immigration Rules during the period of the visa that has been granted, three years. We believe it is important especially if you intend to extend your visa as you will need to meet certain requirements such as the creation of two jobs.
Our compliance service will include:
- We will send out reminders so that you meet deadlines such as creating jobs that must have lasted minimum of 12 months
- Provide guidance on how to invest your £2,000,000
- Whether the investment meets the Immigration Rules
- Recommending a registered FSA Financial Advisor/Bank if required
- Advising you on what to do if your circumstances change
- Provide you with an updates of Immigration Rules and policy that may affect your future plans
- Advising you of the market changes that could potentially affect your business
- Advising you of the conditions and restrictions on working in the UK
- Advising you of any tax and capital issues relating to the minimum investments
You can elect to use the service per year or for a three year period. During that time you may ask as many questions as you wish relating to the Tier 1 (Investor) Immigration Rules.
This service is not related to the application service. That is a separate service which has a separate fee.
