If you cannot imagine your life without mysterious moors, serene lakes, old castles and emerald woods or the vibrant life of big UK cities, you should think about how you can stay here for good. Permanent residence in the United Kingdom opens a lot of doors and gives you and your family a safety net. Besides, the British Isles are well known for their transparent legislation, excellent transport infrastructure, world-class education and high-quality healthcare.
You have fallen in love with the country of legendary Beatles, Charles Dickens and Queen Elizabeth and want to make it your second home as soon as possible? Well, you can do it 2-3 years after moving to the UK provided you meet certain criteria. Let’s see how you can do it without extending your visa. There are two types of long-term visas that give this option, and we have asked expert immigration lawyers to break down both of them.
Tier 1 visa to the UK – become British citizen without extending a visa
We will talk about two subcategories of this visa, investor visa and entrepreneur visa. Both of them have their pros and cons. For example, from 29 March 2019, entrepreneur visa applications are closed; however, if you had already obtained it before that, you can still extend it or apply for settlement without extension. To minimise the risk of refusal in both cases, you should not underestimate professional help from experienced immigration lawyers; they will double check if you comply with all relevant requirements.
Do I need to extend an investor visa in the UK?
Initially, a Tier 1 Investor visa is granted for 3 years and four months. If you invest in the UK economy £5 million and more, you can apply for permanent residence in 3 years. If you have £10 million to spare, you can become settled in 2 years.
There are other requirements that must be complied with by foreign investors irrespective of the invested amount.
1. If you invested in government bonds before 29 March 2019, you must apply for settlement before 6 April 2025 года.
2. If you had got your UK investor visa for £1 million before it was increased to £2 million, you must apply for indefinite leave to remain before 6 April 2022. If you cannot do it because of not being able to meet all relevant requirements on the £1 million route, you can still apply for ILR by increasing your investment to £2 million. However, the qualifying time for settlement (2, 3 or 5 years) will start anew once you top up your portfolio.
3. All financial operations and investments must be made legally – it applies to initial investor visa applications, extensions and UK settlement applications.
4. When extending your investor visa or applying for ILR, you must provide investment reports from your account.
5. You must invest the required amount and make sure that no money out of this amount has been spent or withdrawn for any purpose.
6. Investments in government bonds are not accepted from 29 March 2019. This does not apply to applications prior to that date
7. You must not invest via trusts and offshore companies.
8. Investor must pass due diligence checks before they can apply for a visa and later settlement.
9. When applying for ILR, you must prove that you have not spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months starting from the first entry.
At the same time, there are no additional requirements to education and job experience; English language test is not required either for initial application, but it must be passed for settlement applications.
How to settle in the UK on a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa without extension
As we have already mentioned, from 29 March 2019, it is no longer possible to apply for an entrepreneur visa to the UK. However, if you already have it and want to get permanent residence without extending the visa, here is advice from qualified lawyers on what requirements you must meet to do it:
1. Your company has been working for at least 3 years and its turnover exceeds £5 million or you have created 10 or more full-time jobs.
2. You have legally invested at least £200,000 into a UK business.
3. You have become director of the company where you invested the money within 6 months of the first entry to the UK.
4. You have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 months during the three years after arriving in the country.
5. You have successfully passed the Life in the UK test and English language test.
In some cases, if you switch from one visa to another, it is also possible to get permanent residence in the UK without extending your visa. For example, you spend 3 years on an entrepreneur visa and then 2 years on a work visa. After 5 years you get ILR and with it, high living standards, stability and new opportunities. Let yourself dream and plan big with the help of qualified immigration lawyers that will prepare a step-by-step immigration plan for you and support you all the way to settlement and British passport.
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