ICS Legal will be live discussing about the current business and investment visas. The show can be viewed online: https://www.facebook.com/LB24TV. 

Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa

This route is for those who are internationally recognised as world leaders or potential world-leading talent in the fields of science and the arts and who wish to work in the UK. Applicants must be internationally recognised as world leaders in their field.

You can apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if you’ve been endorsed in your field in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts as:

• a recognised leader (exceptional talent);

• an emerging leader (exceptional promise).

There are 2 stages to this application, you will need to go to the Home Office for the endorsement and then apply for your leave to enter visa. ICS Legal is able to support both application process, as this is a complicated application process. 

To get a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa, you need to be endorsed as a leader (exceptional talent) or emerging leader (exceptional promise) in:

• science

• engineering

• humanities

• medicine

• digital technology

• the arts

Your application for endorsement is considered by:

• Arts Council England

• British Academy

• Royal Academy of Engineering

• Royal Society

• Tech City UK (Tech Nation)

Visa length

You can stay in the UK for up to:

• 5 years and 4 months if you apply outside the UK;

• 5 years if you apply inside the UK.

Switching your stay in the UK

You can apply to switch to a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if you’re already in the UK with any of these visa types:

• Tier 1

• Tier 2

• Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Government Authorised Exchange) on an exchange scheme for sponsored researchers

You must leave the UK and make your application from abroad if you’re in another category.

Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa

Tier 1 Entrepreneur is to attract people to invest in the United Kingdom by setting up or taking over, and being actively involved in the running of, one or more businesses. Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa is ideal for entrepreneurs with some money to invest in the UK. If you have at least £50,000 to invest, you may be able to apply for this visa. In practice, most people who apply will need to have £200,000 of available funds held in a regulated financial institution.

The Tier 1 Entrepreneur sub-category is perfect for those individuals wishing to start a business in the UK who can meet the criteria. Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) is for non-European migrants who want to invest in the UK by setting up or taking over, and being actively involved in the running of a business.

A 'business' means an enterprise as:

1. a sole trader

2. a partnership, or

3. a company registered in the UK

You can apply under the entrepreneur category if you are:

1. in the United Kingdom and want to make an initial application as an entrepreneur;

2. already in the United Kingdom as an entrepreneur and want to extend your permission to stay within your existing category;

3. already in the United Kingdom as a business person or innovator and want to extend your permission to stay in the entrepreneur category;

4. applying for permission to enter the UK (known as entry clearance) under the entrepreneur category.

Eligibility Criteria

For your application for a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa to be successful, you must score a total of 95 points and meet all the other requirements under the Immigration Rules.

Who Should Apply?

The visa is designed for foreign nationals who would like to play an active role in the UK’s economy, either by setting up or taking over an existing business.

If you are an EU national you will not need to apply for the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa. Commonwealth Citizens with UK ancestry and British Overseas Territories citizens are also exempt from the Visa requirement.

The Entrepreneur Visa  Requirements:

To qualify for the Entrepreneur Visa, you must fulfil certain requirements:

• Access to £200,000 – this can be your own funds or from a third party.

• English language requirement.

• Financial maintenance for yourself and any family members.

• Genuine entrepreneur- you must show that you genuinely seek to set up a viable business in the UK. This is subjective test, the Home Office will take into account, previous experience, qualifications and examine your credentials.

There are specific conditions and extensive documentation needed to satisfy each requirement. Extensive documentation is needed to prove each requirement; applications made with insufficient or wrong documentation will be refused. With ICS Legal you can be fully confident that you will receive highest quality service, you can be assured that we will handle all documentation required and assist in compiling an impeccable business plan to secure the visa. Your initial visa is then granted for 3 years and 4 months. 

You must score:

• 75 points for your attributes; and

• 10 points for the English language; and

• 10 points for available maintenance (funds).

Entrepreneur visa duration

Entrepreneur visas are initially granted for a period of three years and four months. This visa can be extended for an additional two years provided specific requirements are met. See the section below regarding Entrepreneur visa extensions for more information.