UK business visa

 Entrepreneur visa route allows eligible applicants to set up or invest in an existing business in the UK by investing at least £200,000 of their own funds (or £50,000 in limited circumstances) and creating full-time employment for at least two British, European or settled workers.

The applicant must satisfy the English language requirement, the police clearance requirement, and to undergo tuberculosis (TB) testing depending on country of origin/ residency. The applicant also has to prepare a business plan to evidence how their background relates to the business they are proposing to operate. Their qualifications, work experience and previous business dealings are all part of this assessment.

If approved, the initial visa is granted for three years and four months, and further leave of two years is granted if the applicant complies with the various extension requirements. This route leads to settlement after five years or can be accelerated to three years in some circumstances.

If you are planning to start up in the UK and wish to send somebody from a non-EEA country, you should consider whether the Sole Representative visa route can be used. It is the simplest work visa available and can be obtained relatively quickly. It is an application prepared jointly by the parent company and the person lined up for the visa.

There are a number of requirements that need to be adhered to.

You can only extend your UK entrepreneur visa beyond 40 months if you invest the required level of funds (£200k or £50k) into a UK business, register as a UK director or as self-employed and create at least two full-time jobs for settled workers lasting at least 12 months each.