Tier 1 Investor Visa

The Tier 1 Investor Visa category of the Points Based System is for open to those migrants who wish to make a substantial financial investment in the UK. This route is attractive due to the fact that applicants do not need to show evidence of maintenance nor demonstrate that they meet the English language requirements. This route demonstrates the UK government’s desire to attract high net worth individuals to make substantial investments in the UK.

How we can help with Tier 1 Investor Visa application?

If you wish to apply for a Tier 1 Investor Visa we can help you with your application and queries. Our expert team of lawyers can assist you with the preparation of your Tier 1 Investor Visa application and ensure that you meet with all the requirements of the relevant Immigration Rules. We will ensure that all key points are substantiated with documentary evidence thereby leading to a successful a Tier 1 Investor Visa application and avoiding unnecessary expense of resubmitting your application to the Home Office.

What is Tier 1 Investor Visa?

The Tier 1 Investor visa is designed for high net worth individuals who want to relocate themselves and their family to the UK. Only a few hundred Tier 1 Investor visas are granted per year, and very few immigration firms have a consistent track record of success in tier 1 Investor visa applications. HS Legal Solicitors has been preparing Investor visa applications since 2004 with a high success rate.

Qualifying for a Tier 1 Investor Visa

To submit a successful Investor Visa application you must be able to satisfy the following requirements:

You must have a minimum of £1 million to invest in the UK. The money must be your own and must be held in a regulated UK financial institution. The money must also be disposable in the UK; or
You must have personal assets to the value of more than £2 million taking into account any liabilities. This must be under your control, held in a regulated financial institution and disposable in the United Kingdom amounting to no less than £1,000,000, which has been loaned to you by a financial institution regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Documents you must provide for Tier 1 investor visa

When you apply for tier 1 investor visa 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 page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.

Evidence of investment funds for tier 1 investor visa

You’ll need to provide evidence showing that you have the required investment funds.

Your own money for tier 1 investor visa

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 haven’t had the money for at least 3 months, 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 for tier 1 investor visa

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

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

Tier 1 Investor Visa Extension

When applying for an extension to Tier 1 Investor visa, you will need to demonstrate the following:

You must have invested a minimum of £750,000 in the UK. This must have been invested by way of either UK Government bonds or share capital or investment capital in active UK companies. This does not include companies whose main activities are property investment. Investment cannot be interpreted as placing deposits in a bank or building society.
The investment outlined above must have been made within three months of gaining the tier one visa and must be maintained throughout the duration of the visa.

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for an Investor Visa

There are three different routes to applying for indefinite leave to remain and we can advise you which one best suits your individual circumstances.

Investment of £1 Million. As an investor, you will qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years, provided that you have invested £1,000,000 in the UK.
Investment of £5 million. If you invest £5,000,000 you will be able to apply for ILR after the investment has been in place for three years.
Investment of £10 million. If you invest £10,000,000 you will be able to apply for ILR after the investment has been in place for at least two years.

For investors, you are not permitted to be absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 calendar months to qualify for settlement.

Why we provide the best legal advice for Tier 1 Investor Visas

We are a UK Solicitors law firm and are fully authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority(link is external) (SRA) and as a professional law firm are completely exempt from requiring authorisation by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner(link is external) (OISC). Many businesses offering immigration services are only OISC regulated and as such are not professional legal organisations such as Solicitors firms or Barristers’ chambers. OISC businesses are not allowed to do legal work before the Courts such as Judicial Review or statutory challenges of Home Office decisions. Also as a professional organisation our policy is not to employ sales staff to give you “advice” (all our telephone consultations are handled by lawyers). We are often instructed at immigration appeal stages in cases that ‘immigration businesses’ have dealt with and which were clearly hopeless applications at the outset. When you instruct us, qualified immigration solicitors or immigration barristers work on your case from the outset when it matters the most in order to ensure no time and money is wasted and more importantly that no mistakes are made.

Expert Immigration

As a law firm with a track record of success, you can be assured your immigration matter is in safe hands and that the best strategy for your case will be adopted. It is crucial that you seek specialist legal advice at the outset and prior to making any type of immigration application. We can assist you with your applications for any type of Visa including Tier 1 Investor visa or permit and any form of leave to remain (or for entry clearance) under the points-based system. We ensure our clients comply with the Immigration Rules and the strict requirements of the UKBA prior to making an application, thereby eliminating much of the stress of the Tier 1 Investor Visa application process.

Contact us for successful Tier 1 Investor Visa applications

Our team of experienced and professionally qualified solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through Tier 1 Investor Visa process step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of the law. Please always call us for a telephone consultation even if you wish to consider other advisers.

Our Immigration Experts are able to give specialist legal information and advice in this area of law. To contact one of our Immigration Solicitors or Immigration Barristers please complete our online Enquiry form and we will get in touch or call us now on 01206500181