UK INVESTOR VISA EXTENSION

Before your initial UK Investor Visa expires, you may be eligible to apply to extend your stay as a UK Investor visa holder. The requirements that you will need to satisfy in order to qualify for a UK Investor visa extension will depend upon whether your initial UK Investor visa was granted before 6 November 2014, between 6 November 2014 and 28 March 2019 or on or after 29 March 2019. Applications for further leave to remain as a Tier 1 Investor can be made until 17 February 2026.

UK Investor Visa Extension: Initial UK Investor visa granted before 6 November 2014

If you successfully applied for your UK Investor visa before 6 November 2014 and wish to extend your stay as a UK Investor visa holder, you will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

• You have money of your own, under your own control, in the UK amounting to not less than £1 million;
• You have invested not less than £750,000 of your capital in the UK by way of UK Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies other than those principally engaged in property investment; and have invested the remaining balance of £1 million in the UK by the purchase of assets or by maintaining the money on deposit in a UK regulated financial institution;
• You made the investment either (i) within 3 months of your entry into the UK, if you were granted entry clearance as a Tier 1 Investor and there is evidence to establish your date of arrival in the UK; (ii) within 3 months of the date of the grant of entry clearance or leave to remain as a Tier 1 Investor; or (iii) no earlier than 12 months before the date of the application which led to your 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.

You will need to submit your UK Investor visa extension application before 6 April 2020.

UK Investor Visa Extension: Initial UK Investor visa granted between 6 November 2014 and 28 March 2019

If you successfully applied for your UK Investor visa between 6 November 2014 and 28 March 2019, you will be able to extend your stay as a UK Investor visa holder 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.

UK Investor Visa Extension: Initial UK Investor visa granted on or after 29 March 2019

If you successfully applied for your UK 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.

Whichever route you apply under, the exact requirements you will need to satisfy will vary depending on your circumstances. You may want to speak to an immigration lawyer for expert advice.

When should I apply for an extension of stay as a UK Investor visa holder?

You can apply for a UK Investor visa extension at any time prior to the expiry of your leave. However, we recommend that you apply to extend your UK Investor visa not more than 1 month before your current leave expires. If you apply for a UK Investor visa extension earlier than this then you may have a shortfall in your leave when you apply for settlement. This is because the Home Office will grant an extension of stay as a UK Investor visa holder for 2 years from the date of decision, not the date when your current leave expires. This would necessitate a further application for an extension of stay as a UK Investor before becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain. Advice from an immigration lawyer will ensure the correct timing of your UK Investor visa extension application.

Applications for further leave to remain as a Tier 1 Investor can be made until 17 February 2026.

How long will it take for my application for a UK Investor visa extension to be decided?

If you apply for a UK Investor visa extension via UK Visa & Immigration’s standard service, you can normally expect to receive a decision within 8 weeks of your extension application date. If you apply for an extension of stay as a UK Investor visa holder via the priority service, you will normally receive a decision on your extension application within 5 working days of your UKVCAS appointment.