Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa was closed to new applicants on 29 March 2019. You can consider other categories, such as Start-up, Innovator, Global Talent or a Skilled Worker visa. You can our UK A-Z list of UK Work visas here.  

This category remains open for extensions and Settlement to current Entrepreneur migrants. If you already have this visa, you can apply for extension before 6 April 2023 and for settlement before 6 April 2025 (or 2027 for those who held Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa). 

While you hold your Entrepreneur visa, initial or extension, you have to meet certain conditions, as specified in the UK Immigration Rules. Such conditions need to be met in advance, i.e. not just before your extension or settlement application. For example, when creating jobs for settled workers, each job must have existed for 12 months and that’s not counting the voids between workers if one leaves before working for a year. 

Our Tier 1 compliance service covers this: we will be acting as your point of advice before the time comes to apply for a further visa. Any question – just drop us a message, call, or schedule a meeting. One fixed fee covers a whole year of our qualified and experienced support! 

Compliance service includes: your queries re the Immigration Rules (related to this visa category) over the course of one year. Advice and reminder of the relevant deadlines, such as on the investing the funds of £200,000, creating employment for settled workers or making a new application. Advice and guidance relating to the requirement to employ at least 2 settled workers for a period at least 12 months each, including checking their immigration status. Advice on what to do if your circumstances change or if the Immigration Rules change. 

It is still possible to extend a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa and eventually qualify for settlement in the UK. If you already have this visa, you can apply for extension before 6 April 2023. Most ‘old’ rules are still relevant, such as investing GBP 200,000 in your UK business and creating 2 jobs for settled workers. The other requirements also apply, such as a genuineness test and a possibility of an interview. We do, however, see interviews being less frequent since 2019 to now while processing time varies from days (!) to more than 6 months. 

To discuss your extension application, please book a consultation with us here. 

Standard route 5 years: after 5 years on this visa, and having met the requirements for extension and then for settlement, you can qualify for Indefinite Leave. You still need to maintain jobs for settled workers, and adhere to the rules on time spent outside the UK as well as on criminality and driving offences. 

Accelerated route 3 years: all the requirements of 5-year route (except length of residency). To qualify under this route, you need to either have created 10 instead of the 2 compulsory jobs. 

Or you must have created a business that generated sales of £5 million during 3 years. If you joined an existing business, then your effort and your investment must have increased the company’s sales by £5 million during the 3 years, when compared to sales during the previous 3 years. There are also finer details, such as if the business had not existed for 3 years before you joined. This was a real case from our practice, and to make to more complex, our client had become a director before obtaining a Tier 1 visa. 

We can guide you on your individual situation, start from booking a consultation here.