UK Tier 1 (Investor) Visa

1. Residence permit40 months
2. Permanent residencyafter 5 years
3. Citizenshipafter 6 years

• Permanent residency 5 years
• Citizenship 6 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship B1

Country

United Kingdom

Program

UK Tier 1 (Investor) Visa

Type

Investor visa

Status

Discontinued (ended Feb 17, 2022)

Initial duration

40 months

Closed to new applicants at 16:00 on 17 February 2022. It was a residence route for people who invested at least £2 million in active and trading UK companies. Larger investments shortened settlement to three years at £5 million or two years at £10 million. Extensions had to be filed before 17 February 2026. Settlement applications must be filed before 17 February 2028.

Tax regime

Worldwide

Regime name

2026-27 main rates 20%, 40% and 45%

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online

Apply from abroad

No

The route closed to new initial applications, including switches from other routes, at 16:00 GMT on 17 February 2022. An application made after that time is void and the fee is refunded. Caseworker guidance updated on 11 November 2025 says a further entry clearance or extension for someone who already held the visa had to be made before 17 February 2026, and that a settlement application must be made before 17 February 2028. The public overview, read on 9 October 2026, no longer offers an extension. It still says someone who has the visa, or whose last visa it was within the past 12 months, can apply to settle and for family members to join. The extension deadline has passed. `renewable` is false for that reason. The initial grant of entry clearance was 3 years and 4 months. A later grant for someone who already held the visa was 2 years. The last rules for a new grant, from 29 March 2019, required at least £2 million of the applicant's own money in share capital or loan capital of active and trading UK-registered companies. Companies principally engaged in property investment did not qualify, and the applicant's own home or other property was not investment funds. UK government bonds were not a qualifying investment for those grants. People granted before 29 March 2019 had legacy rules that could include bonds, with a requirement to move the money into qualifying companies. Those legacy rules are not separate investment options. The £2 million, £5 million and £10 million tiers are alternatives. The dollar figures convert the historical sterling amounts at the Bank of England rate of 8 October 2026, £1 = 1.3226 USD, so they can be compared with other records. They are not the 2022 cost. The visa did not require English. Settlement requires knowledge of life and language in the UK unless an exemption applies. Citizenship proof starts at B1. Ordinary naturalisation is five years' residence plus 12 months of indefinite leave, so the £2 million path is six years to citizenship. A £10 million investor who settled at two years can still be caught by the five-year naturalisation residence period. A spouse of a British citizen uses the three-year route once they hold indefinite leave. Entry clearance applicants and adult dependants had to provide an overseas criminal-record certificate for each country where they had lived for 12 months or more in the previous 10 years. The applicant had to be over 18. Work was permitted but not required. Partners and children could apply. Parents were not dependants on this route. No current main-applicant fee is stored. The 8 October 2026 fee table still lists a £2,000 dependant fee and a £0 change, while the explanatory memorandum for the fees instrument of the same date says the entry-clearance fees for this closed route are being removed. A UK resident is taxed on worldwide income at the 2026-27 main rates of 20%, 40% and 45%, with the optional four-year foreign income and gains claim available to a qualifying new resident. The UK allows dual citizenship.

1. Oct 10, 2026

   Added

   added the closed Tier 1 (Investor) route. New applications ended on 17 February 2022. The last minimum was £2 million, with settlement at 5, 3 or 2 years for £2 million, £5 million and £10 million (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tier-1-investor-caseworker-guidance/tier-1-investor-caseworker-guidance-accessible).