Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa requirements

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa

This route is intended for migrants who wish to establish, join or take over business in the UK.

The choice of business in which one can invest is wide and includes sole traders, partnerships or companies registered in the UK with Companies House.

Successful applicants can be accompanied by their dependents and they can also ultimately apply for settlement after residing in the UK for 5 years.

Eligibility:

You can apply for (Entrepreneur) visa if you have access to £200,000 in investment funds and you can prove that the money is either:

• your own

• made available to you by other people (‘third parties’), such as a spouse, partner or investor

• in a joint account with your spouse or partner but only if they are not applying for a (Entrepreneur) visa.

You must also:

• meet the English language requirement

• be able to support yourself during your stay

• be at least 16 years old

Documents you must provide

When you apply you will need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification

• evidence of the investment funds available to you

• a business plan

• evidence that you can support yourself during your stay

• proof that you meet the English language requirement

• 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 will need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

How long you can stay

You can come to the UK with a (Entrepreneur) visa for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months.

You can apply to extend this visa for another 2 years.

You may be able to apply for settlement (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) once you have been in the UK for 5 years.

For further details, please contact our immigration team.