Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa – apply by 28 March 2019 to make it before the new rules!

By -
New rules for UK business visas will come in force on 29 March 2019 and apply if you are planning to apply for Entrepreneur visa for the first time.   
If you prefer the current Tier 1 Entrepreneur rules, you need to submit the online form and pay UK Government fees by 28 March 2019. You can submit the actual documents after that!


Summary of changes from 29 March 2019: 

#1 New categories:  Start-up and Innovator visas replace Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur and Tier 1 Entrepreneur respectively. Start-up is for those starting a business in the UK for the 1st time. Open to all, not just graduates on Tier 4 visas. 
Innovator visa is for experienced business people, and it will lead to settlement after minimum 3 years (or any time later when you have met the criteria). 

#2 Endorsement: is required for all applications, from initial visa to extension and ILR. The biggest change is your business plan won’t be assessed by the Government officials (who never run a business themselves) but by endorsing bodies, ‘business experts’. Who exactly - remains to be confirmed but they will be organisations like seed funding competitions. It is a logical development, although for the applicants it means working harder to ‘sell’ their business ideas. 
#3 Money: £50,000 for Innovators (down from £200,000 as was for Entrepreneurs) but cannot share within entrepreneurial team, i.e. need £50,000 per person. No minimum amount for Start-ups and potentially when switching from Start-up to Innovator. Of course, you still need enough funds to support your business plan. 

#4 English: up to B2 level.

#5 Business idea: the 3 criteria are as follows (they are not very specific, though): 
Innovation: genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage. 
Viability: necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness. 
Scalability: structured planning and potential for job creation and growth into national markets (‘and international markets’, in case of Innovator visa).   

If you think your business idea isn’t likely to fit – apply before 29 March 2019 under the current rules! 

More details on our blog:
Detailed comparison table old rules versus new rules
New extension rules for entrepreneurs under new Innovator visa
New settlement / ILR rules for entrepreneurs under new Innovator visa
Dates and deadlines for Tier 1 and business visas

1st4Immigration team
1st4Immigration is one of the most experienced and prominent UK immigration law companies, accredited by the OISC at the highest Level 3. We have been in business for over 10 years, our OISC reference is 200800152, in which 2008 stands for the year accreditation. Office address: 68 King William Street, City of London, London, EC4M 7DZ.

To book an individual consultation with our lawyers, face-to-face, over Skype, phone or email, visit https://www.1st4immigration.com
                                                                           
We also provide immigration training and CPD for lawyers and those preparing for OISC exam. We have classroom/livestream courses and online self-study courses, accredited by CPD Standards Office, ref 80001, and accepted by The OISC. Visit our OISC training page here. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Updated May 2020: UK visa work continues - latest update

By -
UK immigration authorities continue to process visa applications, albeit not as fast as they normally would. The visa centres are beginning to gradually re-opening from 1 June 2020 in the UK and abroad. Regardless of when your particular centre re-opens, it is still possible to submit your application online. If your visa expires soon, you can apply for your next visa "on-time", i.e. before your current visa expires, by making such an application online and then waiting for the further steps. This keeps you within the Rules and does not make you an overstayer.  Even better, the actual documents (supporting evidence) can be submitted later, thus giving you even more time to prepare while remaining within the Rule on visa expiry dates. We usually have 45 days to provide the documents (ie upload them online to the Government portal) after the online "submission" mentioned above. This is extended for as long as it will take to clear up the backlog.  If you
Read more

How long can a visitor stay in the UK? 6 months from each entry? In a year? In a calendar year?

By 1st 4Immigration - #1 UK Immigration Experts -
Visitors can come to the UK for purposes of tourism, visiting friends, business visits and similar. Visitors can stay for maximum 6 months in each 12 months . Not 6 months from each entry to the UK. Even if your visitor visa is for 5 or 10 years you can still stay for maximum 180 days in each of those years. How to count ‘6 months in 12 months’? A 12 months period starts from ‘now’, date in question or date of entry etc and you need to count backwards (not a calendar year). If you stayed in the UK for the whole 6 months then you have to stay away for the whole 6 months. If you come and go several times during a year then the total must be 180 days cumulatively in the last 12 months. Visitor rules are the same for all. Visitor visa rules aren’t. Visitor rules include: purpose of visits, no right to work, no right to use the NHS, no right to use the public funds (benefits), no right to switch to more serious visas inside the UK, ie no right to switch to a Spouse
Read more

💸 10 common mistakes when meeting the Financial Requirement £18,600 for a UK Spouse visa

By -
Image
#1 Most common - submitting “everything I have’.  Some payslips, a tax return, some savings plus a property deed for good measure. Surely, should work? It may sound logical to provide as much as possible, this is often a nightmare scenario for immigration lawyers and often a direct path to a visa refusal. Financial Requirement is strictly based on the ‘rules’: what income can be used, how various sources can be combined and what documents are needed. We often say there is 75-page office guidance just on the finances: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/636618/Appendix_FM_1_7_Financial_Requirement_Final.pdf  #2 Savings - it’s not £18,600 and not £16,000.  The real amount (for this purpose) is calculated using this formula: threshold you need to meet (such as £18,600) x 2.5 plus £16,000. If you are using savings alone, it would be £18,600 x 2.5 + £16,000 = £62,500!  #3 Employment -  the minimum is 6 months for the sa
Read more