No. The UK investor visa, formally the Tier 1 (Investor) route, closed to all new applicants on 17 February 2022 and has not been replaced. You can no longer obtain UK residence by placing £2 million in government bonds or company shares, and any firm advertising a “UK golden visa” in 2026 is selling something that does not exist.
What Britain offers instead are routes based on what you will do rather than what you can deposit: build an innovative business (Innovator Founder), bring recognised talent (Global Talent), or open a UK branch of an established overseas company (UK Expansion Worker). Each has different rules on money, endorsement and settlement.
This guide explains what happened to the investor route, compares the realistic alternatives, and sets out how indefinite leave to remain (ILR) timelines are changing. It is general information, not legal or financial advice; for a decision of this size you should speak to a regulated immigration adviser.
Is the UK investor visa still available in 2026?
It is closed. The Tier 1 (Investor) visa required at least £2 million invested in qualifying UK assets and offered accelerated settlement for larger sums. The government shut it overnight in February 2022, citing concerns about security and illicit finance, and said any future investment-linked route would be built around genuine business activity.
People who already held the visa were given transitional deadlines to extend and to settle, the last of which fall in the period up to 2028. If you are in that group, check your personal deadline with a regulated adviser without delay, because missing it cannot be fixed later.
For everyone else, there is no passive investment route into the UK at the time of writing.
What are the alternatives? A side-by-side comparison
| Route | Who it suits | Minimum investment | Key gatekeeper | Leads to settlement? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innovator Founder | Entrepreneurs with a new, innovative business idea | None fixed; funding must be credible for the plan | Approved endorsing body | Yes, historically from 3 years |
| Global Talent | Leaders or emerging leaders in tech, science, research, arts | None | Endorsing body or eligible prize | Yes, historically from 3 or 5 years |
| UK Expansion Worker | Senior staff sent to set up a UK branch of an overseas company | None fixed; company must be established abroad | Home Office sponsor licence | No, but you can switch later |
| Skilled Worker | Employees in graduate-level jobs, including directors of a licensed UK company | None | Licensed sponsor | Yes, historically after 5 years |
“Historically” matters here. Settlement rules are being reformed, as explained below.
How does the Innovator Founder visa work?
The Innovator Founder visa replaced the old Innovator and Start-up routes in April 2023. It is the closest thing to an entrepreneur visa the UK has, and the earlier £50,000 minimum investment requirement was removed when it launched. You still need enough money to make your business plan believable, but there is no set figure.
Core requirements
- An endorsed business idea that is innovative (genuinely new, not another restaurant or import firm), viable (you have the skills and funds to run it) and scalable (planned job creation and growth into national or international markets).
- Endorsement from an approved body. At the time of writing these were Envestors, UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International and the Global Entrepreneurs Programme. Confirm the list on the official Innovator Founder pages.
- A founding role: you must have created or significantly contributed to the plan and be involved in running the business day to day.
- English at B2 and personal savings of £1,270 held for 28 days.
What it costs
Endorsing bodies charge an assessment fee of about £1,000 and around £500 for each of at least two progress meetings. The visa application fee is roughly £1,300 from outside the UK, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per adult per year. Check current figures on gov.uk. Professional fees for a business plan and legal advice come on top and vary widely, so ask for written, fixed quotes.
How to apply: step by step
- Test the idea against the three criteria. If it is a conventional business, it will be refused however well funded it is.
- Prepare a full business plan with market research, financial forecasts, evidence of funds and proof of your own track record.
- Apply to an endorsing body and attend its interview or pitch. If successful you receive an endorsement letter, valid for a limited time.
- Apply for the visa online, pay the fee and surcharge, and give biometrics. Decisions from outside the UK usually take around three weeks.
- Arrive, incorporate if you have not already, and trade. You will meet your endorsing body at roughly 12 and 24 months, and it can withdraw endorsement if the business stalls.
- Apply to settle or extend at the three-year point, depending on whether the business has met the growth criteria in force at that time.
The visa lasts three years. You may also take other employment at skilled level alongside your business, which helps while revenue builds.
Could Global Talent be a better fit?
If you have an established reputation, Global Talent is more flexible than any business route. It has no investment, salary or English requirement. You may found companies, sit on boards, consult or take employment, and change between them freely.
You need an endorsement from the body for your field, such as Tech Nation for digital technology, the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering or British Academy for research, UKRI for certain funded researchers, or Arts Council England for arts and culture. Winners of listed international prizes can skip endorsement. Details are on the Global Talent pages of gov.uk, and our UK tech visa guide explains the technology criteria.
What is the UK Expansion Worker visa?
This route, part of Global Business Mobility, is for an overseas business that has been trading for some years and wants to open its first UK branch or subsidiary. The company applies for a sponsor licence, then sends a senior manager or specialist employee to establish the operation.
- The worker must usually have been employed by the business overseas for at least 12 months, and the role must meet a salary requirement higher than the standard Skilled Worker threshold.
- Permission is granted for up to 12 months at a time, to a maximum of two years.
- It does not lead to settlement. The usual plan is that once the UK entity is trading, it upgrades its licence and the worker switches to the Skilled Worker route.
Can you get residence by investing in UK property or a company?
No. Buying a house, a buy-to-let portfolio or shares in a British company gives you no immigration status at all. Overseas buyers can purchase UK property, usually with larger deposits and a stamp duty surcharge, but ownership only supports visits under the visitor rules. If you later hold a work visa and want to buy a home, our guide to first-time buyer mortgages in the UK covers how lenders treat visa holders.
You may see “self-sponsorship” marketed as a workaround: you set up a UK company, it obtains a sponsor licence and sponsors you as a Skilled Worker director. This can be lawful, but the business and the vacancy must be genuine, the role must be graduate level and paid at least £41,700 or the going rate, and the Home Office examines such arrangements closely. It is a job for a regulated professional, not a package bought from an overseas agent.
If a pure capital-based route is what you want, other countries still run them. The US EB-5 programme is one example, described in our guide to securing a US EB-5 investor visa.
How long until settlement, and what is changing?
Until now the timelines have been: Innovator Founder from three years if growth criteria are met; Global Talent from three years (or five for some endorsements); Skilled Worker after five years; UK Expansion Worker never, unless you switch. ILR has also required passing the Life in the UK test, meeting English requirements and limits on absences from the country.
The government is now reforming settlement under an “earned settlement” model. The proposals include a longer default qualifying period, with shorter periods for people judged to make a high contribution. Entrepreneur and talent routes are expected to stay relatively favourable, but the details and transitional arrangements are still being finalised. Confirm the current rule on gov.uk before you commit funds.
How do you choose an adviser, and what else should you budget for?
In the UK it is a criminal offence to give immigration advice unless you are regulated. Use an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC) at the right level for your case, or a solicitor or barrister regulated by their professional body. You can search the official register through gov.uk. Be wary of overseas “consultants” who promise endorsement, offer ready-made business plans or guarantee approval. Endorsing bodies reject templated plans, and nobody can guarantee a visa.
Beyond visa costs, plan for these:
- Tax advice. The old non-domiciled regime ended in April 2025 and was replaced by a residence-based system with a time-limited relief for qualifying new arrivals. Take advice before you become UK resident, not after.
- Business banking. UK banks apply strict source-of-funds checks, and opening an account for a new company with overseas directors can take weeks.
- Moving capital. On large sums, the exchange-rate margin matters more than the transfer fee, so compare specialist currency brokers with your bank.
- Insurance. The health surcharge gives NHS access, though many founders add private medical cover. Your company may need employers’ liability and professional indemnity cover; see how to choose business insurance for a start-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the UK bring back a golden visa?
There have been political suggestions of a new route for high-value investors or entrepreneurs, but no scheme is open at the time of writing. Treat any announcement as unconfirmed until the rules and an application form are published on gov.uk.
How much money do I need for the Innovator Founder visa?
There is no fixed minimum investment. You need £1,270 in personal maintenance funds, the fees described above, and whatever capital your business plan realistically requires. An endorsing body will not back a plan whose funding does not match its ambitions.
Can I run a franchise or buy an existing business on this route?
Generally no. The business must be new and innovative, and joining a business that is already trading does not qualify. A franchise or a standard retail, hospitality or trading company will not meet the innovation test.
Can my family come with me?
Partners and children under 18 can apply as dependants on the Innovator Founder, Global Talent, Skilled Worker, Scale-up and Expansion Worker routes. Partners can work without restriction in almost all occupations.
Bottom line
The Tier 1 Investor visa is gone, and money alone no longer buys a path to British residence. If you are an entrepreneur with a genuinely new idea, look at Innovator Founder. If you have a recognised record, Global Talent offers the most freedom. If you own an established company abroad, the Expansion Worker route can open a UK base. Whichever you choose, check the current settlement rules on gov.uk and hire a regulated adviser before you move capital.