Introduction to UK Investor, Innovator, Business visas

The UK has multiple immigration pathways, specially designed for entrepreneurs who plan to set up a business in the country. As a country and its immigration policies, the UK is such that it turns out to be a thriving ground for innovative ideas and start-up firms from around the world, dealing with a diverse product range.

Let’s know more about the various immigration pathways a business owner can consider to either establish a firm or expand an existing firm in the UK.

UK Innovator visa

UK Innovator visa is an ideal route for entrepreneurs who have a business/business idea that is Innovative, Viable & Scalable.
They must receive an endorsement from an approved endorsing body in the UK.
It is mandatory to have £50,000 as investments, to fund the set up of the new firm in the UK.

UK Start-up visa

The UK Start-up visa is a replacement for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa.
This visa focuses on new entrepreneurs who strive to start a business in the UK for the first time.
The business idea must be Innovative, Viable, and Scalable.
Also, foreign entrepreneurs can start a business with ZERO investments.

UK Sole Representative visa

A UK ‘Sole Representative’ visa or ‘Employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency, broadcast organisation’ visa allows the holder to act as a representative of a foreign company to establish a registered branch or a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent company in the UK.

It is an attractive option amongst business owners because it allows the holder to open a branch of their overseas business in the UK with ZERO investment.

UK Sponsor Licence

A UK Sponsor Licence is essentially needed for UK-based employers who are looking to hire overseas professionals for their business.
It is mandatory for the UK company to possess a valid Sponsor Licence to do so, or else the firm won’t be able to provide sponsorship to the employee they want to bring to the UK.

UK Global Talent visa:

Update
The UK Global Talent visa replaced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa category in the month of February 2020.

The UK Global Talent visa is for talented and promising professionals in sectors such as Science, Medicine, Humanities, Engineering, Arts, and Technology, who are planning to work in the UK.
This visa leads to settlement in the UK after 3 years if the applicant has been considered a talented candidate, or 5 years if you have been considered a promising candidate.
Upon completing the settlement application, and the required stay duration in the UK, the applicant then gets eligible to apply for British citizenship.

UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa

Update
The UK’s Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa is permanently closed down.

The UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa category is for overseas business owners, who want to come to the UK to start a new business or join and invest funds into an existing business.

UK Investor visa

Update
The UK’s Tier 1 Investor visa, known as the ‘Golden visa’ is permanently closed down on February 17, 2022.

The UK Investor visa is a part of the UK’s Points Based System, which caters to high-net-worth individuals, who are willing to invest a minimum of £2 million in the UK.
The higher the amount of money invested, the faster the applicant can apply for Settlement in the UK.
This visa eventually leads to British citizenship.

How can The SmartMove2UK be of help for your UK Investor, Innovator, Business visa application?

The SmartMove2UK’s business immigration lawyers are well-versed to assist overseas firms to expand to one of the biggest international markets, which is, the United Kingdom.

Be it a small business or a large multinational company in any sector, even a niche category firm, we have achieved positive results for many business owners around the globe.

We have been assisting clients from all over the world and our clientele is spread across 26+ countries, with 1,000 success stories.

The SmartMove2UK is a UK immigration law firm, established in 2009. As a UK Investor, Innovator, Business visas consultant in India & UK, our firm has a team of UK immigration solicitors and experts.

Our UK-qualified solicitors have the expertise of over 2 decades in providing Legal Advice for all UK immigration-related assistance. We also offer Full Representation service and Filing Appeals for Refused applications.

Our law firm was announced as the winner of the IAE Corporate Immigration Law (India) award, in 2016.
We are recognized by Who’s Who Legal (WWL) as a Corporate Immigration Firm in 2016.
We take pride in being members of prominent institutions like The Law Society and Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa.

Our offices are located in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru.
You can get in touch with our UK immigration lawyer to book a consultation!

Get the help you need today!