Excerpt from Please visit the gov.uk site for more detailed information….

UK Gov Website

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

How long it will take

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.

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

How much you pay for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa depends on your situation, where you are and how you apply.

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.

Fees for applying and extending in person

You can use the super premium service to apply or extend in person.

It costs a one-off fee of £7,000, plus application fees for each person of:

• £1,900 for the ‘main applicant’
• £1,900 for each dependant

You can use this service for up to 4 ‘main applicants’ and a maximum of 10 people per visit. ‘Main applicants’ are the people with access to the investment funds.

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 can’t do

You can:

• invest £2,000,000 or more in UK government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies
• 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

You can’t:

• invest in companies mainly engaged in property investment, property management or property development
• work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
• get public funds

You also can’t 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 license 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

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 a UK bank account

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
• a student nurse
• studying, writing up a thesis or re-sitting an exam
• a postgraduate doctor or dentist
• an overseas qualified nurse or midwife
• a student sabbatical officer

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

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• a passport-sized colour photograph
• 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 lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years

You need a page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.

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 haven’t had the money for at least 3 months, eg 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

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

Read the guide for a full list of documents you can provide.

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

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

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’ll have to 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 can’t apply online if you’re living in North Korea.

To apply from North Korea you must:

• download the form and appendix
• read the instructions on how to apply

Apply in the UK

You can only extend your existing visa or switch to this visa if you’re already in the UK.

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 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 can’t 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 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

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 can’t prove your date of entry)

How to extend your visa

Download the form and apply by post – the address is on the form.

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.

You can also use the super premium service.

Biometric information

You must also provide your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo). This costs £19.20.

You can give your biometric information at certain Post Office branches.

You’ll get a biometric residence permit if your application to switch your visa is successful.

How long it takes

You should get your visa:

• within 8 weeks if you apply by post
• usually on the same day if you use the super premium 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, eg if you have a criminal conviction

You may be able to switch to a Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

You can apply to switch to this visa if you meet the eligibility requirements and you’re already in the UK under one of the following categories:

• Tier 1 (General)
• Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)
• Tier 1 (Post-study work)
• any Tier 2 category
• any Tier 4 category
• Highly Skilled Migrant Programme
• businessperson
• innovator
• student (under the rules in place before 31 March 2009)
• student re-sitting an examination
• student nurse
• students writing up a thesis
• work permit holder
• writer, composer or artist
• investor