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

• You want to invest £2,000,000 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 in investment funds to apply.

How long it will take

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.
Example You can apply from 16 March if you plan to travel on 15 June. 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

You must pay £1,623 to apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa. The fee is the same if you’re extending or switching visas, or if you’re applying as a family member.

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

Get a faster decision on your application

If you’re applying to extend or switch in the UK you can pay an extra £500 for the priority service to get a decision within 5 working days.

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 cannot do

You can:

• 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.
• apply to settle after 5 years if you invest £2 million.

You cannot:

• work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.
• get public funds.

You also cannot 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 licence 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.

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 an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your funds.

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.

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.

Documents you must provide

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification.
• 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 stayed in for a total of 12 months or more over the last 10 years.

You need a blank page in your passport for your visa.

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

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’ve had the money for less than 2 years, for example 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.

Evidence you have a UK bank account

You must provide a letter to prove you have an account at a UK regulated bank to use for your investment funds. The letter must:

• have been issued by an authorised official.
• be dated within 3 months of your application.
• be on the official headed paper of the bank.
• state your name and account number.
• confirm you’ve opened an account with the bank in order to invest £2,000,000.
• confirm the bank is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
• confirm checks for money-laundering have been carried out.

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

Apply outside the UK

You must apply online for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa. You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of your application.

You must collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of when you said you’d arrive in the UK (even if you actually arrive at a later date).

You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in - check with your visa application centre.

North Korea

You cannot apply online if you’re living in North Korea.

To apply from North Korea you must:

• download the application form and guidance read the guidance if you need help filling in the form.
• read the instructions to find out where to take your completed form. class="font600 colorRed2 mt-4 fontS22"> Apply in the UK

  Check if you can apply from inside the UK to:

  • extend your existing Tier 1 (Investor) visa.
  • switch to this visa from another visa.

  Extend your visa

  You may be able to extend your Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

  You should include any dependants who are on your current visa on your application to extend - including children who have turned 18 during your stay.

  You should apply before your current visa expires. Read the full guidance on the Tier 1 (Investor) visa before you apply.

  You successfully applied for your visa before 6 November 2014

  You can apply to extend your visa if you:

  • have at least £1,000,000 under your control in the UK.
  • have invested at least £750,000 (or 75%) of that in UK government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active UK companies.
  • invested this sum within 3 months of your 'investor start date'.

  Funds under your control in the UK

  This sum should include the £750,000 (or more) investment and £250,000 (or the balance needed) to bring it up to at least £1,000,000.

  These funds can be either:

  • your own money or your partner’s money.
  • money that has been loaned to you by a UK regulated financial institution, as long as you have personal assets with a value of £2,000,000 or more.

  You cannot mix the 2 sources of funds.

  You successfully applied for your visa on or after 6 November 2014

  You can apply to extend your visa if you:

  • have at least £2,000,000 under your control in the UK.
  • have invested those funds in share capital or loan capital in active UK companies.
  • invested this sum within 3 months of your 'investor start date'.

  If you successfully applied before 29 March 2019, you can also apply to extend if you invested your funds in UK government bonds.

  Funds under your control in the UK

  You must have invested the full amount made up of your own money or your partner’s money.

  Investment made within 3 months of your investor start date

  You’ll need to provide a series of investment portfolio reports produced by a UK regulated financial institution that show:

  • you invested at least £750,000 in UK government bonds or UK business within 3 months of your investor start date (if you first got your visa under the Immigration Rules in place before 6 November 2014).
  • you invested all £2 million (if you first got your visa under the Immigration Rules in place on or after 6 November 2014).
  • this level of investment has been maintained for the length of your visa

  Your ‘investor start date’ is either:

  • the date you came into the UK (if you have proof of this).
  • the date your original visa application or switch from a different visa category was approved (if you cannot prove your date of entry).

  How to extend your visa if you’re in the UK

  Fees

  For each person, you’ll need to pay:

  • £1,623 to extend this visa.
  • the healthcare surcharge check how much you’ll have to pay.
  • £19.20 to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken

  If you want to get a decision more quickly than the standard 8 weeks, you can pay an extra £500 for the priority service to get a decision within 5 working days.

  Providing biometric information and supporting documents

  When you apply, you’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide your biometric information (your fingerprints and a photo).

  You’ll also need to submit your supporting documents. You can:

  upload them into the online service
  have them scanned at your UKVCAS appointment You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

  How long it takes

  A decision will usually be made:

  • within 8 weeks of your application date if you use the standard service.
  • within 5 working days of your UKVCAS appointment if you use the priority service.

  You’ll be contacted if your application is complicated and will take longer, for example because:

  • your supporting documents need to be verified.
  • you need to attend an interview.
  • of your personal circumstances, for example if you have a criminal conviction.

  Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.

  Family members

  Your family members (‘dependants’) can come with you when you come to the UK on this visa. They must have a visa if they’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

  A ‘dependant’ is any of the following:

  • your husband, wife or partner.
  • your child under 18.

  Read the guidance on dependant applications vbefore you apply. Adult family members must provide a criminal record certificate from any country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

  Dependants applying from outside the UK

  Your family members must apply online. They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of their application. They’ll have to collect their biometric residence permit 10 days of when they said they’d arrive in the UK (even if they actually arrive at a later date).

  They may be able to get their visa faster or other services depending on what country they’re in - check with the visa application centre.

  North Korea

  Your family members cannot apply online if they’re applying from North Korea.

  Each family member will need to make their own application. They must:

  • download the application form and guidance - they can read the guidance if they need help filling in the form.
  • read the instructions to find out where they need to take their completed form.

  Dependants applying in the UK

  You can include dependants in your online application to extend or switch to a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if they want to do it at the same time as you.

  If they want to extend or switch their visa at a different time, they can:

  • apply online - dependant partner application.
  • apply online - dependant child application.
  • download the paper form.

  Family members cannot apply in the UK as your dependant if they hold a visitor visa.

  Providing biometric information and supporting documents

  When they apply, they’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide their biometric information (their fingerprints and a photo).

  They’ll also need to submit their supporting documents. They can:

  • upload them into the online service.
  • have them scanned at their UKVCAS appointment They must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. Their application will be withdrawn if they do.

  How long it takes to get a decision

  A decision will be made within 8 weeks of their application date if they use the standard service

  If they pay an extra £800 to use the super priority service a decision will be made:

  • by the end of the next working day after their UKVCAS appointment if their appointment is on a weekday.
  • 2 working days after their UKVCAS appointment if their appointment is at the weekend.

  Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.

  They’ll be contacted if their application is complex and will take longer, for example:

  • if their supporting documents need to be verified.
  • if they need to attend an interview.
  • because of their personal circumstances (for example if they have a criminal conviction).

  Once they’ve applied they can stay in the UK until they’ve been given a decision, as long as they applied before their last visa expired.

  Children born while you’re in the UK

  If you have children while you’re in the UK, you can apply for permission for them to stay.

  You must do this if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them.

  When you apply, you need a full UK birth certificate for each child showing the names of both parents.