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United Kingdom

Residency in Britain through your business, your skills or your children’s education.

Route: Residency & migration
Minimum investment: No fixed minimum; salary from GBP 41,700 on the Skilled Worker route
Time to residency: Visa decisions usually within 3–8 weeks once the file is ready; endorsement or a sponsor licence takes longer
Presence required: Live in the UK; no more than 180 days abroad in any 12 months for settlement
Citizenship: 12 months after settlement, which comes after 5 years (3 for Innovator Founder)
Requirements: Life in the UK test and English at B1 for settlement
Dual citizenship: Allowed
Reach status: Advisory & filing

Figures indicative as of September 2026. Amounts, fees and processing times change with each government’s rules. A consultant confirms the current terms for your family before anything is signed.

The United Kingdom no longer runs an investor visa: the Tier 1 (Investor) route closed in 2022 and nothing has replaced it. Residency today comes through what you do rather than what you deposit, and the routes we advise on all lead to indefinite leave to remain and, a year later, British citizenship.

For most of our clients the answer is a business route: opening a UK branch of an existing company, founding an innovative venture, or setting up a company that sponsors its own owner. Families with children often start with a student visa and build from there.

Assess my case Residency & migration

Why families choose it

01
Settlement in three to five years
Indefinite leave to remain after five years on most routes, three for Innovator Founder, with citizenship 12 months later.
02
Built on your business
Expand an existing company into the UK or found a new one; no passive investment is required.
03
Family from day one
Spouse or partner and children under 18 come as dependants, with the right to work and study.
04
Education and healthcare
British schools and universities and the NHS for the whole family.
05
A global business base
An English-language legal system, deep capital markets and direct flights to the Gulf.

Investment routes

UK Expansion Worker

A senior employee of an overseas company opens its first UK branch; up to two years, no direct settlement, but you can switch to a route that leads to it.

Innovator Founder

An innovative, viable and scalable business endorsed by an approved body; no fixed minimum investment, but realistic funding and B2 English. Settlement after three years.

fromGBP 41,700

Skilled Worker

A job offer from a licensed sponsor at or above the general annual salary threshold, with settlement after five years.

Self-sponsorship

Your own UK company obtains a sponsor licence and sponsors you as its skilled worker; you must show a genuine business with real work to do.

Student visa

For children and dependants at British schools and universities, often the family’s first step into the country.

Figures indicative as of September 2026. Amounts, fees and processing times change with each government’s rules. A consultant confirms the current terms for your family before anything is signed.

How it works

Who can be included

Spouse or partner and children under 18 can be included as dependants on every route above; they may work and study, and their time in the UK counts towards their own settlement.

A consultant reviews your business, profile and family and recommends the route with the strongest case.
The UK company is set up, or the endorsement, sponsor licence or job offer is secured, depending on the route.
We prepare the business plan, financial evidence and English-language results the Home Office expects.
The application is filed online and biometrics are taken at a visa centre in your home country.
The visa is granted, you enter the UK and collect your digital immigration status.
We manage extensions, then the settlement application and, twelve months later, citizenship.

Questions people ask

Talk to a consultant: Assess my case

Is there still a UK investor visa?

No. The Tier 1 (Investor) route closed in February 2022 and has no direct replacement. The way in today is through genuine activity: expanding your company, founding a business or a sponsored job.

Which route suits a business owner in the Gulf?

If your company has traded for some years, Expansion Worker or self-sponsorship is usually the strongest fit; if you have a new, innovative idea, Innovator Founder. We decide after reviewing the company and your profile.

Do I have to live in the UK?

Yes. These are genuine residence routes, and more than 180 days abroad in any 12-month period breaks the continuous period counted towards settlement.

Do I need English?

It depends on the route: B2 for Innovator Founder, B1 for Skilled Worker, and no test for Expansion Worker. Settlement requires B1 and the Life in the UK test.