Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR

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TIER 1 INVESTOR VISA ILR

You can apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant after 5years of continuous residence in the UK. You may also be eligible for indefinite leave to remain as Tier 1 Investor Migrant after 2 or 3 years of continuous residence via an accelerated route if you meet certain additional requirements.

The qualifying period of 2, 3 or 5 years of residence in the UK will count from the date of grant of your initial Tier 1 Investor Visa. You will not be permitted to combine leave granted under a different category with leave granted under the Tier 1 Investor route in order to meet the continuous leave requirements.

The specific criteria you need to meet in order to qualify for ILR as a Tier 1 Investor will differ depending on when your initial Tier 1 Investor Visa was granted and when you are applying for ILR.

If you wish to apply for a Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR, speak to one of our specialised immigration lawyers for expert advice by completing our “Enquiry Form”.

Tier 1 Investor visa ILR: Initial Tier 1 Investor visa granted before 6 November 2014

If you were initially granted leave as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant before 06 November 2014 and you are applying for ILR prior to 06 April 2022, you will need to satisfy the UK Visas & Immigration that:

You have invested at least £1 million in the UK;
You have invested at least 75% of your investment funds in the UK by way of share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK-registered companies or UK Government bonds, and have invested the remaining balance in the UK through the purchase of assets or by keeping money on deposit in a UK regulated financial institution;
The investment was made no earlier than 12 months prior to the date of your application which resulted in the grant of the initial period of leave as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant;
You have maintained the level of investment throughout the period of your continuous residence in the UK as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant except the initial 3 months and you are able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the UK Visas and Immigration through specified documents;
You have been continuously resident in the UK for 2 years (if you have invested at least £10 million), 3 years (if you have invested at least £5 million) or 5 years (if you have invested at least £1 million);
You must have spent the relevant period of continuous residence in the UK lawfully and you must not have had absences from the UK of no more than 180 days in any 12 calendar months during the relevant period;

Unless you are aged 65 or over, you have sufficient knowledge of the English language and you have passed the Life in the UK Test.

Tier 1 Investor visa ILR: Initial Tier 1 Investor visa granted between 6 November 2014 and 28 March 2019

If you were initially granted leave as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant between 06 November 2014 and 28 March 2019, you will be eligible for ILR if you can satisfy the UK Visas & Immigration that:

You have investment funds of at least £2 million of your own in the UK and under your control;
You have invested your funds in the UK by way of UK Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies;
You made the relevant investment no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application which resulted in the grant of your initial Tier 1 Investor Visa;
You have maintained the level of investment throughout the period of your continuous residence in the UK as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant;
You have been continuously resident in the UK for 2 years (if you have invested at least £10 million), 3 years (if you have invested at least £5 million) or 5 years (if you have invested at least £1 million);
You must have spent the relevant period of continuous residence in the UK lawfully and you must not have had absences from the UK of no more than 180 days in any 12 calendar months during the relevant period;
Unless you are aged 65 or over, you have sufficient knowledge of the English language and you have passed the Life in the UK Test.

If you have investments in UK Government bonds, it will be beneficial for you to submit your application for ILR as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant prior to 06 April 2025. You will still be able to apply for ILR after 06 April 2025, but you will be required to take your investment out of the UK Government bonds and place them into other qualifying investments before 06 April 2025.

Tier 1 Investor visa ILR: Initial Tier 1 Investor visa granted on or after 29 March 2019

If you were granted leave to enter/remain as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant on or after 29 March 2019, you will be eligible for ILR if you can satisfy the following requirements:

You have investment funds of at least £2 million of your own in the UK and under your control;
You have invested your funds in the UK by way of UK Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies;
You made the relevant investment no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application which resulted in the grant of your initial Tier 1 Investor Visa;
You have maintained the level of investment throughout the period of your continuous residence in the UK as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant;
You have been continuously resident in the UK for 2 years (if you have invested at least £10 million), 3 years (if you have invested at least £5 million) or 5 years (if you have invested at least £1 million);
You must have spent the relevant period of continuous residence in the UK lawfully and you must not have had absences from the UK of no more than 180 days in any 12 calendar months during the relevant period;
Unless you are aged 65 or over, you have sufficient knowledge of the English language and you have passed the Life in the UK Test.

Tier 1 Investor visa ILR residence requirement

To qualify for ILR as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant, you will need to demonstrate to the UK Visas & Immigration that you have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 months period during your qualifying 2, 3 or 5 residence.

Tier 1 Investor visa ILR settlement processing times

You can submit an application for ILR as a Tier 1 Investor Migrant via the UK Visa & Immigration’s standard service or via priority service. If you apply through the UKVI’s standard service, you can expect a decision on your application within 26 weeks of the date of your application. If you submit your Tier 1 Investor ILR application via the priority service, you can expect a decision within 10 working days of the date of your UKVCAS Appointment.

How our lawyers can help you with your UK Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR Application

Our lawyers are specialists in UK immigration law with almost a decade of experience. We have assisted hundreds of UK Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR applicants to prepare and submit successful UK Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR applications.

Our immigration lawyers can provide you expert advice on meeting the requirements of the Immigration Rules, carry out a detailed assessment of your prospects of qualifying for a Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR and can assist you with the preparation and submission of your application.

Our lawyers combine creative energy with deep technical legal expertise to uncover innovative, out-of-the-box and unconventional strategies that help you succeed in your application even when you’re facing inherent challenges in meeting the requirements of a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR.

We do this by deploying the following:

Taking a holistic approach to analysing every facet of each case and formulating strategies to comprehensively address every element of the case;
Bringing deep technical and substantive legal expertise;
Collaborative strategizing among specialist lawyers, who operate at different levels of seniority, bringing a wealth of technical expertise, tactical know-how and diversity of perspective on your matter;
Using Design Thinking to reframe the challenges you face with a view to redefining value and opening up the scope of solutions;
Designing customised strategy to meet your specific challenges.

What this means for you?

If you instruct us to take on your case, our scope of work will comprise of the following:

Taking detailed instructions to carry out a thorough analysis of your case;
Assessing your eligibility for a Tier 1 Investor Visa ILR in line with the requirements as set out in the Immigration Rules, the accompanying Policy Documents and the wider case-law jurisprudence;
Notifying you of the strengths and weaknesses of your case;
Advising you on strategies, where possible, to remedy the weaknesses in your case and better evidence the strengths of your case;
Providing you detailed and customised advice on the documents you need to provide in support of your application;
Reviewing your documents to assess whether they meet the evidential requirements of your application and to advise you if further documents are required;
Drafting the application form to provide to you for review and, if required, amending the application in line with your observations;
Preparing a detailed letter of representations to be submitted in support of your application;
Submitting the application form online and arranging an appointment for the enrolment of your biometrics;
Responding to any queries from the Home Office regarding your application
Addressing any queries that you may have regarding your application and any issues arising relating to your immigration status;
Corresponding with the UK Visas and Immigration (Home Office) to ensure a timely decision on your application.