Like most countries, the UK welcomes wealthy individuals. If you have the necessary funds, it is relatively simple to get a visa to come to the UK as an investor. You must:
- have a minimum of £1 million of your own money under your control in the UK ; or
- own personal assets of more than £2 million and have money (which may include loans from a FSA regulated institution) under your control of at least £1million;
- intend to invest at least £750,000 of your capital in United Kingdom Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading United Kingdom registered companies;
- intend to make the United Kingdom your main home, which means you can have other homes, but you must spend the majority of your time in the United Kingdom;
- are able to maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependants without taking other employment or recourse to public funds. However, you are allowed to be a non-executive director or consultant, or own your own business.
and you MUST NOT
- property companies, whose main function is to own or manage land or buildings. It does not include, for example, construction firms, manufacturers and retailers who own their own premises. However, once you have invested at least £750,000, you can invest the remaining £250,000 in property companies;
- offshore companies should not be invested in or through. You must invest your money in the United Kingdom, but you may invest your money in a wholly-owned subsidiary of an offshore company, although the investment must be in the form of loan capital. The subsidiary must be registered in the United Kingdom, active and trading, and directly benefit from the loan.
- banks and building societies must not be given all your capital to look after. Once you have invested at least £750,000 in the United Kingdom as required, you can keep the rest of your capital in a United Kingdom bank or building society.
You can re-invest shares in different companies as long as you can show that your personal investment in the United Kingdom is continuing at the required level of at least £750,000 and you meet the requirements of the UK immigration rules.
You may apply for your spouse and children to accompany you as your dependants.
Your children entering the UK as your dependants are entitled to the same free education as British children.
You and your family are eligible to free health care provided by the National Health Service.
Your initial visa will be valid for a period of 2 years. It will be based on your demonstrated assets and your stated plans, but no investment need occur before the visa is issued.
At the end of your first 2 years in the UK, you may apply for your visa to be extended for a further 3 years.
After a total of 5 years in the UK you may apply for indefinite leave to remain (Permanent Residence). A year after being granted indefinite leave to remain you may apply for naturalisation as a British citizen.
How do I Apply?
You can apply from inside or outside the United Kingdom.
We are here to assist you with all aspects of the application.
You will need to provide documentary evidence that you have the funds at your disposal to transfer and you will need to supply details of the investments you plan to make.
- a written statement of the terms on which you will join or take over the business;
- audited accounts from the business for previous years;
- evidence that your services and investment will lead to an overall increase in the employment the business provides and so create at least two new full-time jobs for people already settled in the United Kingdom.
If you are setting up a new business in the United Kingdom, you should also provide evidence that:
- you will bring enough funds of your own to the United Kingdom to set up the business;
- the business will create at least two new full-time jobs for people already settled in the United Kingdom;
- A business plan
Solicitors and law consultants setting up or entering into a partnership in an existing practice in the United Kingdom, and barristers setting up in chambers, can qualify as long as the following evidence is provided:
Barristers:
- you must produce a letter of admission from the General Council of the Bar (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland), or evidence of a place in chambers; and
- you must have enough funds to meet a share of the cost of renting chambers and paying staff salaries; and
Solicitors:
- you must produce a letter of admission to the roll of solicitors from the appropriate law society (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland); and
- you must have enough funds to either set up a new practice or enter into partnership with an existing practice from which you will receive a share of the profits.
The requirements for investment and job creation do not apply for people setting up in business within the legal profession in the United Kingdom.
