Investor, Business, and Talent Visas

You can apply for an Innovator visa if:

•  you want to set up and run an innovative business in the UK - it must be something that’s different from anything else on the market
• your business or business idea has been endorsed by an approved body, also known as an endorsing body
• you meet the other eligibility requirements

Eligibility
You must be able to show that your business idea is:

• new - you cannot join a business that is already trading
• innovative - you must have an original business idea which is different from anything else on the market
• viable, with potential for growth

You must also:

• meet the English language requirement
• be at least 18 years old
• be able to prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you’re in the UK

If you want to set up a new business, you must have at least £50,000 in investment funds to apply for an Innovator visa if you want to set up a new business.

You’ll need to prove where you got your funding from.

You do not need any investment funds if either:

• your business is already established and has been endorsed for an earlier visa
• you’ve changed your business and already agreed it with your endorsing body

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• set up a business or several businesses
• work for your business - this includes being employed as a director, or self-employed as a member of a business partnership
• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
• travel abroad and return to the UK
• apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 3 years and meet the other eligibility requirements

You cannot:

• do any work outside your business, for example work where you’re employed by another business
• work as a professional sportsperson, for example a sports coach
• apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension

How long you can stay
You can stay for 3 years if you either:

• come to the UK on an Innovator visa
• switch to this visa from another visa while in the UK

You can apply for a Start-up visa if:

• you want to set up an innovative business in the UK - it must be something that’s different from anything else on the market
• you meet the other eligibility requirements

Eligibility
You must be endorsed by an authorised body that is either:

• a UK higher education institution
• a business organisation with a history of supporting UK entrepreneurs

You must be able to show that your business idea is:

• a new idea - you cannot join in a business that is already trading
• innovative - you must have an original business idea which is different from anything else on the market
• viable - it has potential for growth

You must also:

• be at least 18 years old
• meet the English language requirement
• be able to prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you’re in the UK

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
• work in another job, as well as working for your business
• travel abroad and return to the UK
• You can also switch to this visa from some other visa categories.

You cannot:

• apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
• work as a professional sportsperson, for example a sports coach
• settle in the UK on this visa

How long you can stay
You can stay for 2 years if you either:

• come to the UK on a Start-up visa
• switch to this visa from another visa while in the UK

You can apply for a Global Talent visa to work in the UK once you have successfully applied for an endorsement to prove that you are a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields:

• academia or research
• arts and culture
• digital technology

You must also be at least 18 years old.

If successful, you can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time.

There’s no limit to how long you can stay in the UK in total, but you will need to renew (‘extend’) your visa when it expires. Each extension can last from 1 to 5 years.

You may be able to get indefinite leave to remain so you can settle in the UK after 3 or 5 years, depending on the endorsement path you are applying for. This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.

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

• you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK

You must also:

• 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.

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)

If you’re using 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

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 Student 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

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.