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Skip to content The Tier 1 Entrepreneur and Graduate Entrepreneur visas ended in April 2019. Replaced by Innovator Founder Visa and Start-up visas for business founders. Start-up visa is for less experienced entrepreneurs with less investment, while an Innovator visa requires more business experience and £50,000 investment.
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This is a UK business visa called the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa UK. It lets people who want to start their own business come to the UK. You can also get this visa if you want to come to the UK to take over a business that is already running.
To go this way, you need to be actively involved in running the business (or businesses) in the UK. People who want to start a business as a sole trader, in a partnership, or as a UK-registered company can use it. If you want to get a Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa, you need to get a total score of 95 points and meet all the other rules set out in the Immigration Rules. If you have at least £200,000 (or £50,000 if you are a graduate entrepreneur entering), that will help you get into the competition.
To let you know, this path will be replaced by the Innovator Visa path starting in April 2019. Call one of our experts to find out more if you’re not sure how this will affect your application.
To get the Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa, you will need to meet the standards in three main groups. These are the main groups:
Based on the points system, this is the most important requirement for the Tier 1 Entrepreneur group. It earns 75 out of 95 possible points.
No matter if you have £50,000 or £200,000 to invest, you must meet certain standards.
The £50,000 investment funds can help you apply for Tier 1 if you can get money from one of the following sources.
If you have already put £50,000 into a UK business in the last 12 months, you can also apply with £50,000 in investment funds.
Also, if you were last given leave as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and are now applying for leave to stay in the UK, you can use the £50,000 investment funds to support your application.
Your application for a UK Entrepreneur visa depends on having £200,000 to put in a UK business.
The investment funds you will need to show are:
For the Tier 1 visa application, you need to show that you can speak and write English well. Either of the following fits this.
People who want to apply from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA will not have to take the English test.
You could also meet the English language requirement in other ways. Your immigration lawyer at UK Immigration Solicitors can help you find other ways to meet your language needs.
Along with your investment funds, you will also need to meet the standards for the maintenance funds.
The purpose of the maintenance criterion is to guarantee that Tier 1 applicants can sustain themselves in the UK independently, without relying on public funds.
You will earn 10 points for meeting the maintenance money criteria. Never mix the funds with the investment points.
The amount of money you need to pay for maintenance varies on whether you are applying for entry clearance or more time to stay in the UK.
For dependents who want to come to the UK with you, there are extra steps you need to take to meet the maintenance standards.
To meet the above standards for the Tier 1 entrepreneur visa, you will need to send in a number of documents.
The documents you need to present will depend on your situation and how you meet the requirements, but in general, you will need to send the following items for your application to be accepted.
You will also need to send in a certified translation of any papers that aren’t written in English or Welsh. Unless otherwise stated, you will need to send all of the original copies of the papers.
Additionally, the UKVI will give you the “genuine entrepreneur” test. As part of the process, the UKVI can ask for more details to help them decide whether to accept the application.
You might also be asked to go through an interview to show that you really want to be an entrepreneur. Noncompliance without a valid justification may result in the rejection of your application; thus, you are obligated to fulfil the interview request.
You can read more about the test and how to prepare for it on our Genuine entrepreneur test help.
It’s important to follow these steps to get an entrepreneurial visa extension:
First, make sure you meet all of the requirements listed above.
After you finish the above processes, UKVI may contact you for more information, to verify your documents, to schedule an interview, or to enquire about your personal situation (such as a criminal conviction) (for example, if you have a criminal conviction).