United Kingdom Tier 1 (Investor) Visa (closed)
The UK no longer sells residency for money, and the alternatives reward building a business or having world-class talent, not writing a cheque.
Overview
The United Kingdom does not have an investor visa. The Tier 1 (Investor) Visa, which for years let wealthy applicants secure residence by placing GBP 2,000,000 or more into UK shares and bonds, was closed to new applicants without warning on 17 February 2022. The closure came amid heightened scrutiny of illicit finance, and the government was explicit that the route had given rise to security concerns, including people who had acquired wealth illegitimately or were linked to corruption. A promised reformed investment route, intended to fold into the Innovator framework with a focus on active rather than passive investment, was floated for autumn 2022, slipped repeatedly, and never materialised. As of June 2026 there is no UK residence-by-investment programme and none is planned. If your goal is to buy residency, the UK is simply not on the table.
That leaves the honest question: what should an internationally mobile person actually do about the UK now. There are three credible alternatives, and which one fits depends on who you are rather than how much money you have. The Innovator Founder visa is the closest thing to a business-migration route: it requires an approved endorsing body to back a genuinely new, innovative, viable and scalable UK business, and it offers a direct path to permanent settlement in just three years if you hit growth or job-creation milestones. The Global Talent visa is for leaders and emerging leaders in science, engineering, the humanities, medicine, digital technology, or arts and culture, carries no investment requirement at all, and also reaches settlement in three years for several endorsement categories. Both are real, both lead to British citizenship, and neither can be bought.
The other routes are narrower than they first appear, and the page should be blunt about it. The UK Expansion Worker visa under Global Business Mobility lets an overseas company send people to set up a UK branch, but it is capped at two years, is not a route to settlement, and forces a later switch into another visa to stay. The old Sole Representative visa that some advisers still reference closed in April 2022. The Skilled Worker route does lead to settlement but now generally takes five years and needs a sponsored job, not capital. For an applicant whose only real objective was passive residence in or near Europe, the candid recommendation is to look at countries that still run investment-migration programmes: Portugal, Greece, Italy, and Malta all remain open, and several reach EU citizenship that the UK, outside the bloc since Brexit, can no longer offer.
On the upside, what the UK does deliver is genuinely first-tier once you are in lawfully through one of the talent or business routes. The British passport sits around sixth to seventh on the Henley index in 2026 with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 183 destinations, settlement (ILR) is permanent, and naturalisation is possible after holding ILR for twelve months given the residence and good-character tests are met, with dual citizenship permitted. Tax is the serious caveat. The UK taxes residents on worldwide income and gains, the long-standing non-dom remittance basis was abolished from 6 April 2025, and the replacement is a four-year Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime that shelters overseas income and gains only for new arrivals who have not been UK tax-resident in the prior ten years. For a wealthy global family that is a meaningful planning constraint, and it should be modelled with UK counsel before anyone moves.
Qualifying routes
Tier 1 (Investor) Visa
CLOSED 17 February 2022. Listed for reference only. No new applications accepted and no replacement exists.
GBP 2,000,000+ (~USD 2,540,000)
Innovator Founder visa (alternative)
The closest thing to a business-migration route. Requires endorsement of a new, innovative, viable, scalable UK business. Direct path to settlement in 3 years if growth or job milestones are met.
No fixed sum; an endorsed, scalable business plan
Global Talent visa (alternative)
For leaders or potential leaders in science, engineering, humanities, medicine, digital technology, or arts and culture. Settlement in 3 years for several endorsement categories. The cleanest fast route for genuinely high-calibre individuals.
No investment; endorsement in your field
UK Expansion Worker visa (alternative)
Sponsored Global Business Mobility route to set up a UK branch. Important caveat: it is NOT a settlement route, capped at 2 years total, and requires switching into another route to stay.
No investment; an overseas business expanding to the UK
Skilled Worker visa (alternative)
Mainstream employment route with a settlement path, now generally 5 years. Relevant if you intend to actually work in the UK rather than invest.
No investment; a sponsored job offer
Look elsewhere (alternative)
For pure passive investment migration into Europe, Portugal (fund route), Greece, Italy, and Malta remain open. The honest answer for many wealthy applicants who simply wanted EU-adjacent residency.
Varies by country
Tax
The UK taxes its residents on worldwide income and capital gains, which makes it a high-tax destination for globally diversified families and a very different proposition from the territorial or remittance-friendly jurisdictions many investment migrants target. The defining recent change is the abolition of the non-domiciled remittance basis from 6 April 2025. In its place sits the four-year Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime: new arrivals who have not been UK tax-resident in any of the previous ten consecutive tax years can claim 100 percent relief on foreign income and gains for their first four UK tax years and remit those funds without a UK charge, but claiming it generally costs you the income-tax personal allowance and the capital-gains annual exempt amount. A transitional facility for tax years 2025/26 and 2026/27 lets some individuals bring pre-2025 foreign income and gains onshore at a reduced flat rate. UK residence itself is determined by the Statutory Residence Test, not by holding any particular visa, and inheritance tax exposure also shifted to a residence-based test from April 2025. None of this is do-it-yourself territory. Because the FIG window is short, the allowances trade-off is real, and inheritance-tax and trust rules changed at the same time, anyone considering a move should coordinate with specialist UK tax counsel before establishing residence.
Strengths
- British citizenship is a genuinely top-tier outcome, with a passport ranked around 6th to 7th globally and visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 183 destinations
- The realistic alternatives (Innovator Founder, Global Talent) can reach permanent settlement in just 3 years, faster than many European investment routes
- No money can buy it, which means the routes that exist are merit-based and carry far less reputational and compliance baggage than the old cash-for-residence model
- The UK permits dual citizenship, so you need not renounce your existing nationality
- World-class universities, healthcare, legal system, financial sector, and English-language environment
- The 4-year FIG regime can fully shelter foreign income and gains for qualifying new arrivals, softening the worldwide-tax hit at the outset
Trade-offs
- There is no investor visa at all: if your goal is residence by passive investment, the UK cannot serve it and none is planned
- The promised reformed investment route was announced, delayed repeatedly, and quietly abandoned, so do not wait for one
- The alternatives demand active effort: an endorsed scalable business or recognised world-class talent, not capital
- The UK Expansion Worker route is a common trap: it is capped at 2 years and is NOT a path to settlement
- Worldwide taxation on income and gains, with the non-dom remittance basis abolished from April 2025 and only a short 4-year FIG shelter for newcomers
- Outside the EU since Brexit, so unlike Portugal, Greece, or Malta, the UK gives no route to EU citizenship or Schengen free movement
- Real physical presence is required (no more than 180 days outside the UK per year) to keep the clock running toward settlement
Questions
Does the UK have a golden visa or investor visa in 2026? +
No. The Tier 1 (Investor) Visa closed to new applicants on 17 February 2022 and there is no replacement. As of June 2026 the UK has no residence-by-investment programme and none is planned. Residency cannot be obtained through passive investment.
Why was the UK Tier 1 Investor Visa closed? +
The government cited security and illicit-finance concerns. The route had been under review and was associated with cases of people who acquired wealth illegitimately or were linked to corruption. It was closed abruptly, without the usual notice period, on 17 February 2022.
Will the UK bring back an investor visa? +
There is no sign of it. A reformed investment route built on the Innovator framework was floated for autumn 2022, then spring 2023, and never launched. The policy direction has shifted firmly away from residence based on wealth alone, so do not plan around a relaunch.
What is the closest alternative to the old UK investor visa? +
For business-minded applicants, the Innovator Founder visa is the nearest equivalent, though it requires an endorsed, innovative, scalable UK business rather than passive capital. For exceptional individuals, the Global Talent visa needs no investment at all. Neither can be bought.
How much did the old Tier 1 Investor Visa require? +
The minimum was GBP 2,000,000 (around USD 2,540,000) invested in qualifying UK assets, with faster settlement at GBP 5,000,000 and GBP 10,000,000. That route is closed and these figures are historical only.
Can I still get UK residency if I have GBP 2 million to invest? +
Not through an investor visa, because none exists. Capital alone does not qualify you. If you genuinely want to build and run a UK business you might pursue Innovator Founder, but that is assessed on the business, not your bank balance. Many wealthy applicants are better served by Portugal, Greece, Italy, or Malta, which still run investment routes.
How long does the Innovator Founder visa take to settlement? +
It offers a direct path to Indefinite Leave to Remain in 3 years, provided your business meets at least two of the specified growth or job-creation milestones and you satisfy the residence and English-language requirements.
How long does the Global Talent visa take to settlement? +
Settlement can come after 3 years for applicants endorsed in science, engineering, humanities, social sciences, medicine, and for exceptional-talent endorsements in digital technology or arts and culture, as well as eligible prize holders. Exceptional-promise endorsements in tech and arts generally take 5 years.
Is the UK Expansion Worker visa a route to settlement? +
No, and this is a common misunderstanding. It is capped at 2 years total, can only be granted a year at a time, and does not lead to settlement. Holders must switch into another route, such as Skilled Worker, to remain in the UK longer term.
How long until I can get British citizenship? +
There is no investment path. Via Innovator Founder or Global Talent you can reach settlement (ILR) in 3 years, then apply to naturalise after holding ILR for 12 months, subject to residence and good-character tests, so roughly 5 to 6 years in total. Dual citizenship is allowed.
How is the UK going to tax me if I move there? +
As a UK resident you are taxed on worldwide income and capital gains. The non-dom remittance basis was abolished from 6 April 2025. New arrivals who were not UK-resident in the prior 10 years can claim the 4-year FIG regime, which fully shelters foreign income and gains for four tax years but typically costs you certain allowances. Model this with UK tax counsel before moving.
Does the UK passport give EU or Schengen free movement? +
No. The UK left the EU, so British citizenship does not grant EU citizenship or Schengen free movement. British citizens can visit the Schengen area visa-free for short stays, but cannot live or work there freely. If EU access is your aim, an EU-member investment route is the better fit.
I just wanted residency near Europe. What should I do instead? +
Be honest about the goal. If you want passive investment residency with a credible path to an EU passport, look at Portugal, Greece, Italy, or Malta, all of which remain open in 2026. Pursue a UK route only if you genuinely intend to build a business there, bring world-class talent, or take a sponsored job.
Sources
What this report is built on
The primary and official sources behind these figures, verified to current 2026 reality. We publish them so you can check the numbers yourself.
- 1 Tier 1 Investor visa route closes over security concerns · GOV.UK (Home Office)
- 2 Tier 1 (Investor) caseworker guidance (accessible) · GOV.UK
- 3 Innovator Founder visa: Overview · GOV.UK
- 4 Global Talent visa: Overview · GOV.UK
- 5 The Tier 1 (Investor) route: Review of operation between 30 June 2008 and 6 April 2015 · UK Parliament Written Statement HCWS492
- 6 Government confirms permanent closure of investor visa scheme · Payne Hicks Beach
Compare with
Other residency routes
Portugal
Golden Visa (ARI)
- From
- From €250,000 (cultural donation; €200,000 in low-density areas)
- Timeline
- 12 to 36 months to residence card
- Citizenship
- 10 years
- Tax
- No worldwide tax on non-residents; IFICI 20% flat rate possible if eligible
Greece
Golden Visa
- From
- €250,000 (conversions / restorations) to €800,000
- Timeline
- 2 to 6 months to approval; longer with property search
- Citizenship
- 7 years
- Tax
- €100k/year flat tax on foreign income (non-dom), optional
Italy
Investor Visa
- From
- From €250,000
- Timeline
- 1 to 3 months
- Citizenship
- 10 years
- Tax
- Optional €300,000/yr flat tax on foreign income (2026)