Can You Still Get British Citizenship by Investment in the UK?

Countries including St Kitts and Nevis, Türkiye and several other jurisdictions operate programmes that allow qualifying investors to obtain citizenship in return for a prescribed investment.

But does the UK offer the same opportunity?

The short answer is no.

The UK does not currently operate a direct citizenship by investment programme, and simply buying property, investing money in a UK company or placing funds into the UK economy does not give a person an automatic right to British citizenship.

However, entrepreneurs and business owners may still be able to use certain UK immigration routes to establish themselves in the UK, qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and, eventually, apply for British citizenship if they meet the separate naturalisation requirements.

Does the UK Have a Citizenship by Investment Programme?

No.

There is currently no UK visa that allows an individual to obtain British citizenship simply by investing a particular amount of money.

British citizenship by naturalisation is normally the final stage of a much longer immigration journey.

A person will generally need to:

1. obtain an appropriate UK visa;

2. live in the UK for the required period;

3. qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain or another form of settled status; and

4. meet the separate requirements for British citizenship.

Investment or business activity may form part of the immigration route used to reach settlement, but it does not buy British citizenship.

What Happened to the UK Investor Visa?

The UK previously operated the Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

This route allowed high-net-worth individuals to obtain permission to live in the UK by making qualifying investments in the UK economy.

The Home Office closed the route to new initial applications at 4pm on 17 February 2022, citing concerns including security, corruption and the source of investment funds. (gov.uk)

It is therefore no longer possible for a new applicant to obtain a Tier 1 Investor visa.

Was the Investor Visa a Direct Route to British Citizenship?

Not exactly.

It is sometimes described as a UK “citizenship by investment” scheme, but this can be misleading.

The Investor visa was an immigration and settlement route, rather than a system under which citizenship was granted immediately in return for an investment.

Qualifying investors could potentially obtain settlement after meeting the requirements of the route. They would then have to make a separate application for British citizenship and satisfy the relevant naturalisation requirements.

Closing the Investor visa therefore means the UK no longer has a passive investment immigration route of this type for new applicants.

Can Buying Property in the UK Lead to British Citizenship?

No.

Buying a house, flat, commercial property or other real estate in the UK does not give an overseas national the right to:

• live in the UK;

• obtain a UK visa;

• obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain; or

• become a British citizen.

There is no UK “golden visa” based simply on purchasing property.

The same principle generally applies to passive financial investments. Investing capital in UK property, shares or other assets does not in itself create an immigration right.

Are There Still Business Routes That Can Lead to British Citizenship?

Yes, although they are not citizenship-by-investment programmes.

For entrepreneurs and business owners, two possibilities commonly discussed are the Innovator Founder visa and, in appropriate circumstances, sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route through a UK business.

These routes have substantially different requirements and should not be viewed simply as alternatives to the old Investor visa.

1. Innovator Founder Visa

The Innovator Founder visa is the UK’s principal immigration route aimed specifically at people seeking to establish and develop an innovative business.

The Immigration Rules require the proposed business to be innovative, viable and scalable, and the applicant must obtain endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

The applicant must also have a genuine role in the day-to-day management and development of the business. (gov.uk)

Is There a £50,000 Minimum Investment Requirement?

No.

This is an important correction to older information about the route.

There is no fixed £50,000 investment requirement to obtain an Innovator Founder visa.

Instead, an applicant seeking to establish a new business must demonstrate that they have a credible business plan and that the venture is:

• innovative;

• viable; and

• scalable.

The endorsing body must also be satisfied that the applicant has, or is developing, the skills, knowledge and market awareness necessary to operate the business. (gov.uk)

The £50,000 figure becomes relevant later because qualifying investment is one possible criterion for settlement, rather than an initial visa requirement.

How Quickly Can an Innovator Founder Obtain ILR?

The Innovator Founder route can potentially lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain after three years.

However, simply spending three years in the UK on the visa is not enough.

At settlement stage, the applicant needs a new endorsement confirming, among other things, that:

• significant achievements have been made against the business plan;

• the company is registered and actively trading;

• the business appears sustainable;

• the applicant has played an active key role in its management; and

• the business satisfies at least two specified success criteria. (gov.uk)

Those criteria currently include:

• at least £50,000 invested into and actively spent on the business;

• customer numbers at least doubling within the most recent three years and exceeding the average for comparable UK businesses;

• significant research and development activity together with an application for UK intellectual property protection;

• annual gross revenue of at least £1 million;

• annual gross revenue of at least £500,000, including at least £100,000 from overseas exports;

• creating at least 10 full-time jobs for settled workers; or

• creating at least five full-time jobs for settled workers, each with a mean annual salary of at least £25,000.

The business must meet at least two separate criteria. Investing £100,000, for example, does not count as satisfying the £50,000 criterion twice. (gov.uk)

Applicants also have to satisfy the continuous residence and other settlement requirements.

Does ILR After Three Years Mean Citizenship After Four Years?

Not necessarily.

This is another important distinction between settlement and British citizenship.

A person applying for naturalisation under the standard route normally needs to have lived in the UK for at least five years before applying for British citizenship.

They will also normally need to have held ILR for at least 12 months, unless they are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen. (gov.uk)

Therefore, an Innovator Founder who obtains ILR after three years will not ordinarily be able to naturalise immediately after completing a fourth year in the UK.

They must still satisfy the qualifying residence requirements for citizenship.

2. Can You “Self-Sponsor” Through Your Own UK Company?

The phrase “self-sponsorship visa” is commonly used in immigration marketing, but there is no immigration route formally called the Self-Sponsorship Visa.

Instead, some business owners may establish or operate a UK company that obtains a Skilled Worker sponsor licence. That company may then be able to sponsor the business owner for a genuine qualifying role, provided all the relevant requirements are met.

This is essentially an application under the Skilled Worker route, not a separate entrepreneur visa.

How Does UK Self-Sponsorship Work?

A typical structure may involve:

1. establishing or acquiring a genuine UK business;

2. the company applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence;

3. identifying a genuine role within the business that meets the Skilled Worker requirements;

4. the business assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship where permitted; and

5. the individual applying for permission as a Skilled Worker.

However, incorporating a UK company does not automatically give someone the ability to sponsor themselves.

The Home Office requires the sponsored job to be genuine. Sponsorship can be refused where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the role:

• does not exist;

• is a sham; or

• was created mainly so that the person could obtain immigration permission.

The Home Office can also revoke a sponsor licence where a Certificate of Sponsorship has been assigned for a non-genuine role. (gov.uk)

What Requirements Apply to Self-Sponsorship?

Because this is really the Skilled Worker route, the normal Skilled Worker and sponsor licence requirements apply.

Depending on the circumstances, these can include:

• establishing that the UK business is genuine and operating lawfully;

• obtaining a sponsor licence;

• having appropriate HR and compliance systems;

• identifying an eligible occupation;

• demonstrating that the vacancy is genuine;

• meeting the relevant skill requirements;

• paying the applicable minimum salary;

• assigning a valid Certificate of Sponsorship; and

• satisfying the applicant’s other Skilled Worker requirements.

The rules surrounding eligible occupations and salary requirements have changed substantially in recent years, so businesses should assess the proposed role against the rules in force at the time of application. (gov.uk)

Can Self-Sponsorship Lead to ILR?

Potentially.

Under the current rules, a Skilled Worker can generally qualify for settlement after five years of continuous lawful residence on the Skilled Worker route or another qualifying combination of eligible routes, provided the settlement requirements are met. (gov.uk)

Obtaining ILR does not automatically make somebody British.

A separate naturalisation application is required.

How Do You Go From a Business Visa to British Citizenship?

In broad terms, the process may look like this:

UK immigration permission → Indefinite Leave to Remain → British citizenship

At the citizenship stage, the applicant must satisfy the requirements that apply to naturalisation.

For many applicants this includes:

• being aged 18 or over;

• meeting the relevant UK residence period;

• being physically present in the UK at the beginning of the qualifying period;

• staying within permitted absence limits;

• having ILR or another qualifying settled status;

• usually having been free from immigration time restrictions for at least 12 months;

• meeting the English-language requirement;

• passing the Life in the UK Test;

• satisfying the good character requirement; and

• meeting any applicable future-intentions requirement.

Naturalisation is a separate application and is not guaranteed simply because somebody has successfully established a UK business or obtained ILR. (gov.uk)

What Is the Fastest Business Route to British Citizenship?

There is no single visa that guarantees the fastest route to British citizenship.

The Innovator Founder route can potentially lead to ILR after three years, which is considerably faster than the standard five-year Skilled Worker settlement period. (gov.uk)

However, Innovator Founder applicants face demanding endorsement and business-performance requirements.

The ability to obtain ILR after three years also does not remove the usual five-year residence requirement for naturalisation where the applicant is not married to a British citizen.

A person’s quickest lawful route therefore depends on their immigration history, business plans and personal circumstances rather than simply on how much money they are willing to invest.

Can a Wealthy Investor Get a UK Visa Without Running a Business?

There is currently no direct replacement for the Tier 1 Investor visa that allows a new applicant to obtain UK residence simply by placing a prescribed amount of money into passive investments.

The Innovator Founder route requires genuine entrepreneurial involvement.

Likewise, a Skilled Worker application through a business requires a real qualifying job and compliance with the sponsorship rules.

Someone whose intention is simply to invest capital without actively running or working in an eligible UK business should therefore not assume that either route will be suitable.