Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa

Applying for a Tier 1 Visa for Entrepreneurs is quick and simple with UK Immigration Help.  Every day individuals and businesses rely on UK Immigration Help to obtain their Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa. We are one of UK’s most trusted Immigration Service providers and take great pride in our 100% success rate.   

The Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa enables migrants to come to the UK or stay in the UK to invest in or set up a UK based business(es) with a substantial investment of his or her own money.

What are the requirements?

• You have access to £200,000 or
• You have access to £50.000 from a registered venture capital firm regulated by the (FSA) or a UK entrepreneurial seed funding competition endorsed by (UTI),  or from the UK government  specifically for establishing or expanding the a business or
• You have access to £50,000 and hold a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa or
• You have access to £50,000, hold a Tier 1 Post Study Work visa and are registered with HMRC as self-employed, or a registered director of a new or existing business which you are currently running 
  and;
• The funds are held in a regulated bank(s) and are disposable (free to spend) in the UK
• You pass an approved English Language test at level C1 or equivalent or you hold a degree taught in English at or above degree level or you are a National of a majority English speaking country.
• You have held £900 (applying inside UK) or £2800 (applying outside the UK) held in your account for 90 consecutive days before the date of application.

Applications for Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa can be made by entrepreneurial teams of a maximum two people. In this case you must both have equal level of control over the investment funds and/or business(es) formed.

Duration and conditions of Leave

The Entrepreneur visa or initial leave to remain is granted for an initial period of three years, near the end of the initial 3 year period you may apply for a two year extension, bringing your total time in the UK on a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa to five years.

Candidates applying for a Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa will not have permission to take paid employment in the UK. They must only work for the business(s) that they are running.

Extension requirements

You will need to show that you have met the following requirements:

• The initially proposed investment of either £200,000 or £50,000 has been invested in the UK business;
• You must have (within six months of their initial grant of leave) registered with HMRC as a self-employed person, registered a new UK business with the applicant as a director, or registered as a director of an existing business. If the applicant initially applied under the Post study work this does not apply.
• You must be engaged in business activity at the time of the extension application, and must evidence that you are currently registered as self-employed with HMRC or registered as a director.
• You must have created the equivalent of 2 full time positions for employees in the UK. The employees must be settled in the UK or be British citizens. The employees in these positions must have filled these positions for at least one year. This can either be 2 employees for a year full time, 1 employee for 2 years full time or even 4 employees for 6 months full time .

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Once you have completed a total of 5 years in the Tier 1 Entrepreneur category you will be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, which will allow you to remain in the UK without any time limits or restrictions. The government has an accelerated process for qualifying for ILR after only 3 years. For this the Tier 1 Entrepreneur migrant will need to demonstrate that the business has created 10 new full jobs for a settled person, or evidence that the business had a turnover of £5 million during the initial three year period.

You must pass the Life in the UK Test prior to making your application for Indefinite Leave to Remain and must not have travelled outside the United Kingdom for more than 180 days (6 months) in every calendar 12 months.

British Citizenship

Once you have held indefinite leave to remain for one year you are eligible to apply for British citizenship.  You must spend no more than 90 days outside the UK in the 12 months before you apply for citizenship.

Can your dependants apply for settlement?

The dependant of an entrepreneur migrant can apply for settlement at the same time as the entrepreneur, if they have lived together in the UK for at least 2 years (dependants with leave under the rules in place before 9th July 2012) before applying for settlement or otherwise for 5 years.

Contact Us Today

Speak to one of our specialist UK accredited immigration advisors who will work with you on a one to one basis to ensure you are relieved of the stress and worry inherent with immigration applications. Our team of experienced advisors will manage your application quickly and easily from start to finish.