After announcing the closure of the Tier 1 Investor Visa, the Home Secretary took immediate action by shutting it down. This instantly affects all new applicants from all nationalities with immediate effect.
The Tier 1 Investor route was set up for foreign nationals to gain entry to the UK following an investment of £2M in share or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies. Despite constant review and reforms, this continued to attract people who obtained their wealth through unlawful means or were found to be linked to some form of corruption. In order to prevent abuse, the Home Office has acted to close it immediately.
Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed zero tolerance for abuse of UK’s immigration system and committed to “stopping corrupt elites who threaten our national security.” This step is part of a renewed crackdown on fraud and illicit finance to protect British taxpayers.
Although new applications will not be accepted from now, current Tier 1 Investor holders and their dependents will still be able to apply for extensions of their visa until February 17, 2026 and may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain until February 17, 2028. The Home Office has confirmed that “settlement will now be conditional on applicants executing an investment strategy that can show genuine job creation and other tangible economic impacts” and that “passively holding UK investments will no longer be enough to obtain settlement.”
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