As a result, it is a visa category that will not be open to all individuals, only to those of significant financial means. However, in comparison to many other routes, the Investor route offers a high level of flexibility for those who have the required financial resources.
To obtain an Investor visa, applicants must be able to prove that they have personal access to a minimum of £2 million “disposable” income from a lawful source. The applicant’s money can be in the UK or overseas at the time of the initial application.
Following the grant of an Investor visa, the individual must invest the minimum £2 million funds into qualifying UK investments, such as share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies, a combination of both, or pooled investment vehicles which receive funding from the UK government.
UK investor visa
Investors have the flexibility to invest in one or multiple UK companies, whether publicly or privately owned, including companies where they are an existing shareholder. They are also able to invest in and run their own private UK companies.
Certain types of investments are explicitly prohibited under this route, for example, investments in companies mainly engaged in property sale, management or development. Investors also have the option of investing more than £2 million, which may consequently result in a quicker route to indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that any UK companies they choose to invest in fall within the definition of a “UK registered, active and trading company”, meaning that it has at least two UK-based employees who are not its directors, and various other criteria. Applicants who are interested in applying for the Investor visa must be vigilant as to the destination of their investments, the use of intermediaries, dealing with the investments and treatment of interest and/or dividends generated by such investments, as strict rules apply. It is strongly advised to seek professional legal advice to ensure compliance with the UK immigration rules.
Although it is not a requirement, as an Investor, individuals will be permitted to work or study in the UK. This is also applicable to their family members. It is important to note that on this route applicants cannot be employed as a doctor or dentist in training, sportsperson or sports coach and are not permitted to study certain subjects, unless they have obtained approval prior to their application.
Gherson has extensive experience with Investor visa applications. If you are a interested in applying for the this visa or switching to this category, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an: e-mail, or alternatively, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook to stay up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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