The Tier 1 (Investor) visa category has made it possible for wealthy individuals to live in the United Kingdom by investing at least £2 million of their own money. These investments can be made in UK Government bonds, share capital, or loan capital in active and trading companies registered in the United Kingdom.

The Home Office made the shocking announcement that the Tier 1 (Investor) visa route would be closed without warning on February 17, 2022. As a result, the Home Office is unable to accept any fresh applications for first Tier 1 (Investor) visas at this time. Individuals who are currently on Tier 1 (Investor) visas have the opportunity to continue to extend their visas, and subsequently, apply for indefinite leave to remain (also known as settlement) in the UK to satisfy various requirements.

What are the eligibility requirements for a Tier 1 Investor visa extension?

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

If you successfully applied for your Tier 1 Investor visa between 6 November 2014 and 28 March 2019, you will be able to extend your stay as a Tier 1 Investor if:

You invested not less than £2 million in the UK by way of UK Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK-registered companies;
You made your investment either (i) within 3 months of your entry to the UK, if you were granted entry clearance as a Tier 1 Investor and there is evidence to establish your date of entry to the UK (unless there are exceptionally compelling reasons for the delay in investing); or (ii) within 3 months of the date of the grant of entry clearance or leave to remain as a Tier 1 Investor (unless there are exceptionally compelling reasons for the delay in investing); or (iii) no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application which led to the first grant of leave as a Tier 1 (Investor) Migrant;
You have maintained the level of investment for the whole of the remaining period of your leave.

If you invested in UK Government bonds you will need to submit your Tier 1 Investor visa extension application before 6 April 2023. You can apply for an extension after 6 April 2023 if you move your qualifying investments out of UK Government bonds.

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

If you successfully applied for your Tier 1 Investor visa on or after 29 March 2019, you will need to satisfy the following requirements in order to qualify for an extension of stay:

You must have invested not less than £2 million in the UK by way of UK share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK-registered companies;
You must have made your investment either (i) within 3 months of your entry to the UK, if you were granted entry clearance as a Tier 1 Investor and there is evidence to establish your date of entry to the UK (unless there are exceptionally compelling reasons for the delay in investing); or (ii) within 3 months of the date of the grant of entry clearance or leave to remain as a Tier 1 Investor (unless there are exceptionally compelling reasons for the delay in investing); or (iii) no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application which led to the first grant of leave as a Tier 1 Investor;
You have maintained the level of investment for the whole of the remaining period of your leave.

The burdensome supporting documents necessary for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa extension application depend on the investments made, such as investments in loan funds or in a pooled investment vehicle (after 29 March 2019).

How long will Tier 1 investor visa be extended?

Applicants granted a Tier 1 (Investor) visa by investing £2 million should have obtained permission to enter or remain in the United Kingdom for a period of 3 years and 4 months. Applicants can extend their visa for an additional two years, bringing the total length of their stay to approximately 5 years. The application for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa extension must be submitted before the 17th of February 2026 in order for it to be considered. You will no longer be able to make an extension application for your Tier 1 (Investor) visa in the UK after this date.

It is essential that you keep in mind that you might be required to submit your application before the 17th of February 2026 if you want to be eligible to extend your Tier 1 (Investor) visa. The amount of investment you have made and/or the types of qualifying investments you have made will determine whether or not you are eligible to have the deadline for extending your Tier 1 (Investor) visa pushed back. As a result, we strongly suggest that you are completely aware of the deadline that applies specifically to your application for an extension of your Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

Are my dependent family eligible to extend their visa?

Dependant family members who are on your visa should be included in your extension application. This includes children who reached their 18th birthday during your stay.

A dependent family member typically receives a visa that lasts for the same amount of time as the main visa holder. Even if they decide to join the main visa holder at a later date, their leave will end at the same time.

When should I apply for my visa extension?

At any point before the end of your current leave, you may submit an application to extend your status as a Tier 1 Investor. Nevertheless, we strongly advise that you apply to extend your UK Investor visa no later than one month before the expiry of your existing leave. If you seek an extension of your Tier 1 Investor visa earlier than this, you run the risk of having an inadequate amount of leave remaining when you make your settlement application.

This is due to the fact that the Home Office will grant an extension of stay as a Tier 1 Investor for a period of two years beginning on the date of decision rather than the date when your current leave will end. Because of this, a further application for an extension of stay as a Tier 1 Investor would be required before one could qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

If you apply for an extension of your Tier 1 Investor visa by standard service, you may normally expect to receive a decision within 8 weeks of the day you submitted your application. If you apply for an extension of stay as a Tier 1 Investor visa via the priority service, you will typically receive a decision on your extension application within five working days of your appointment with UKVCAS.

Eligibility to settle in the UK

Applicants who make an investment of £2 million are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom after 5 years of holding a Tier 1 (Investor) visa, provided that they satisfy the requirements. There is an accelerated route to indefinite leave to remain available for applicants who can contribute either £5 million or £10 million.

After the 16th of February in 2028, you will no longer be able to submit an application for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom if you hold a Tier 1 (Investor) visa. As with applications for extensions, the deadline for your settlement application could come earlier than February 16, 2028. Once again, this is something that depends on the amount of investment you have made, the types of qualifying investments you have made in the UK and a number of other factors.

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you are fully aware of the deadline that applies specifically to your application for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a Tier 1 (Investor) visa holder.

To be eligible to submit an application for indefinite leave to remain as a Tier 1 (Investor) visa holder, applicants must meet highly stringent standards. These requirements include a restriction relating to a set amount of days you can be absent from the United Kingdom.

There are numerous constraints on which investments qualify as lawful qualifying investments for Tier 1 (Investor) visa extension. Therefore, we advise you to seek legal advice to ensure that you have made investments that meet the Tier 1 (Investor) extension requirements.