Businesses looking for investors may be able to take advantage of another avenue of finance, as a result of revised rules of access to the UK for overseas investors.
Tier 1 Investor Visas allow people from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland to live and work or study in the UK for up to three years and four months on certain conditions.
The visas are conditional on applicants investing at least £2 million in either UK Government bonds, share capital or loan capital in UK-registered active & trading companies. The money has to be held in a regulated financial institution such as a bank, building society or stock brokerage for 90 consecutive days before making a visa application.
Tier 1 Visa investors cannot invest in companies mainly engaged in property investment, property management or property development companies.
Investors can apply to settle in the UK if they make further significant investment, of £10 million after two years, or of £5 million after three years of living in the UK on a Tier 1 visa.
UK Government data has revealed that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of Chinese applying for the Tier 1 Visa doubled in 2014 compared with 2013, with 357 visas granted, while 184 Russians were granted Tier 1 visas in 2014.
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