Tier 1 Investor visas provides a means by which the highest value migrants can come to the UK. The Tier 1 (Investor) route has been in existence since the introduction of the Points Based System (PBS) in 2008. The minimum level of investment has been set at £1 million since the early part of the 1990s. Currently Tier 1 investor visas must meet £2 million investment requirement.
There is no maximum limit on the amount which a migrant can invest in the UK. Indeed, higher investment levels can result in shorter periods of qualification for settlement in the UK. For example, an investment of £5 million provides a settlement qualifying period of 3 years rather than 5, whilst an investment of £10 million results in a settlement qualifying period of 2 years. The investor must have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 180 days per annum during the qualifying period. Investment levels have no impact on the qualifying periods for naturalisation as a British citizen. Most investors will be seeking naturalisation under section 6 (1) of the British Nationality Act 1981, which has a five year qualifying period of which at least the last year must have been spent with no conditions attached to the migrant’s leave. In practice, this means that investors who settle in 2 or 3 years can qualify for citizenship in 5 years, whereas those who settle in 5 years can qualify for citizenship in 6 years.
Existing research on the economic impacts of high net value migration in general, and the Tier 1 routes in particular, is scarce. This is not entirely surprising given the relatively small number of Tier 1 (Investor) migrants in particular.
In 2013, MAC called for evidence of the the economic impact of the Tier 1 (Investor) route through a public consultation on tier1 investor visa scheme in the UK.
There have been several responses from stakeholders to the call for evidence by the Migratory Advisory Committee (MAC) as part of a review of the economic impact of the Tier 1 (Investor) route in 2013.
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