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United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Why choose the UK?

Residency or citizenship to the United Kingdom provides investors with access to a world of benefits which include:

  • Excellent standard of education of free state and private schools with more than 150 top-class universities
  • One of the best free health care services in the world
  • The strength and security of a U.K. passport for you and your family
  • Allowing ease of travel across the world
  • The UK is a great power with a high-income economy
  • A diverse and multicultural society with large cultural and ethnic communities
  • Member of the G8
  • One of the best financial and business-friendly hubs in the world
  • The attractive tax regime for high net worth investors classed as U.K. residents, non-domicile

Different types of UK visa

Investor Visa

The Innovator visa category is for businesspeople outside the EEA and Switzerland who have £50,000 to invest in their business from any legitimate source. All applicants for entry clearance or leave to remain must have been endorsed in this category by an endorsing body. The applicant does not need to be the sole founder of the business and maybe a member of an entrepreneurial team.

Endorsement Criteria

The endorsement letter must confirm both of the following:

The applicant’s business venture meets all of the requirements in the table below:

Innovation, Viability, Scalability, The applicant has a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage. The applicant has or is actively developing, the necessary skills, knowledge, experience, and market awareness to successfully run the business. There is evidence of structured planning and of potential for job creation and growth into national markets.

The endorsing body is reasonably satisfied that the applicant will spend the majority of their working time in the UK on developing business ventures.

The requirement in (a) does not apply if the applicant’s last grant of leave was in Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) category, and the endorsement is from the same endorsing body as the endorsement which led to that grant of leave. Instead, the endorsement letter must confirm that the applicant’s business venture is genuine and credible.

Investment funds

The applicant must have at least £50,000 available to invest in their business. This may include funds that are already invested in the business. However, if the endorsement letter confirms that funds are already invested no further evidence for investment funds is required. The funds can be from;

  • Applicant’s own investment funds
  • A UK organization that employs at least 10 people
  • An overseas or UK organization which employs less than 10 people or;
  • A third party

Maintenance funds

The main applicant must have at least £945 and £630 for each dependant available in a regulated financial institution listed in Appendix P for 90 days period.

Visa extension

An endorsement letter is required at both extension and settlement stage. The following requirements must be met in order to apply for an extension of stay:

  • Applicants must remain running a UK business or intend to incorporate a new business
  • Applicants must have an existing established business accompanied with a relevant endorsement for the earlier visa
  • Applicants must have at least £50,000 investment funds in order to start a new business venture, and the new business model must be assessed by an Approved Body
  • Applicants must have sufficient funds to support themselves without reliance on public funding
  • Applicants may include any dependents included within their current visa on the application to extend, including children who have reached 18 years of age during their stay in the UK

Settlement

The applicant’s business venture meets at least two of the following requirements:

  1. At least £50,000 has been invested into the business and actively spent furthering the business plan assessed in the applicant’s previous endorsement.
  2. The number of the business’s customers has at least doubled within the most recent 3 years and is currently higher than the mean number of customers for other UK businesses offering comparable main products or services.
  3. The business has engaged in significant research and development activity and has applied for intellectual property protection in the UK.
  4. The business has generated a minimum annual gross revenue of £1 million in the last full year covered by its accounts.
  5. The business is generating a minimum annual gross revenue of £500,000 in the last full year covered by its accounts, with at least £100,000 from exporting overseas.
  6. The business has created the equivalent of at least 10 full-time jobs for resident workers.
  7. The business has created the equivalent of at least 5 full-time jobs for resident workers, which have an average salary of at least £25,000 a year (gross pay, excluding any expenses).

English language requirements

An applicant of Innovator visa cant meet the Secure English Language test listed in Appendix O if ;

  • The applicant has passed an English language test at CEFR Level B2
  • The applicant is a national of majority English speaking country or;
  • The applicant has a degree taught in English evidenced by UK NARIC equivalence

Switching to this visa

The applicants from the following categories may be able to switch into the Start-up or innovator visa provided they meet the criteria.

  • Start-up
  • Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur
  • Tier 1 Entrepreneur (No closed)
  • Tier 2

Short-term
Study Visa

If you are studying a short course in the UK you can apply for a short-term study visa. This visa will allow you to study in the UK for 6 months, or 11 months if you are studying an English language course.

UK Student
Visas

The UK is one of the best places to study. Securing a place at a university and the UK visa to go with it can be a confusing process. In this article, we look at the process of applying for a visa to study as an international student. There are 2 types of UK student visas. These are

  • Short-term study visa.
  • Tier 4 (General) student visa.

If you are looking at studying for longer than 6 months then it is likely you will require a Tier 4 (General) UK Student Visa.

Tier 4
(General) UK
Student Visa

The majority of international students from outside the EU will need a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK. You can apply for this if you are 16 or over and:

  • You have been offered a place on a course.
  • You can understand English, including reading, writing and speaking.
  • You can prove you have enough money to pay your course fees and support yourself for the duration of your studies.

You can arrive in the UK up to 1 month before your course starts if the course lasts more than 6 months. On a Tier 4 (General) Visa you can work most jobs and also apply to extend your stay. You may also be able to bring family members.

UK Visitor Visa

The UK visitor visa which is also known as the Standard Visitor Visa is a UK short stay visa that allows its holder to stay in the UK for up to 6 months. However, the embassy has the right to issue visas for a shorter period of time. This visa is established for those that wish to travel to the United Kingdom for purposes of:

  • Tourism.
  • To visit family members.
  • Medical treatment.
  • For professional reasons.

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