The investor route is closed
Investor & Employee Visas in the United Kingdom
There is no longer a UK investor visa. Buying your way in is not an available route, whatever you may have read.
GCC business setup specialists
Start from what actually exists
The investor visa route closed and has not been replaced. What remains is work-based and business-based: a sponsor licence allowing you to employ overseas staff, an expansion route for establishing a UK presence, and founder and talent routes for individuals who qualify on their own merits. Any adviser still offering a UK investor visa is selling something that does not exist.
- Advice based on routes that currently exist
- Sponsor licence treated as the gating item it is
- Honest assessment before you commit to a route
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Mainland, free zone and offshore jurisdictions we file in — so the recommendation is based on your activity, not on which authority we happen to be registered with.
7,000+
Companies successfully established.
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What is available
Business-related UK routes
Work and enterprise, not investment.
| Route | Who it is for | Gating requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Investor route | — | Closed; not replaced |
| Skilled Worker | Employees of a UK employer | The employer holds a sponsor licence |
| Sponsor licence | The employer itself | Granted to the business, before any hire |
| Expansion worker | Senior staff establishing a UK branch | An overseas business with no UK trading presence yet |
| Innovator founder | Founders with an endorsed business idea | Endorsement by an approved body |
| Global talent | Individuals with recognised standing | Endorsement in a qualifying field |
Immigration routes, salary thresholds, endorsement criteria and sponsor licence requirements are set by the Home Office and change frequently. Yours are checked against the rules in force when you apply.
How it works
From route to visa
The employer side usually comes first.
01
Identify the viable route
Your actual position tested against the routes that exist, with an honest answer where none fits.
02
Solve the employer side
Sponsor licence applied for where you intend to employ overseas staff, since no Skilled Worker visa is possible without it.
03
Apply and maintain
Certificates of sponsorship assigned, visa applications made, and sponsor duties and record-keeping set up so the licence is not at risk.
Typically required
What the applications need
Sponsor licence applications assess the business itself.
- Evidence the business is genuine and trading
- Registered office and operating premises evidence
- Appointed key personnel for the sponsor system
- HR systems capable of sponsor record-keeping
- Job descriptions and salary levels for each role
- Evidence salary thresholds are met
- Passport and immigration history for each applicant
- English language evidence where required
- Qualification evidence where required
- Maintenance funds evidence where required
- Tuberculosis certificate where applicable
- Endorsement letter for founder and talent routes
Scope
What is included, and what is not
Stated plainly, so nothing is added once the engagement starts.
Included in the service fee
- Route assessment against current rules
- Sponsor licence application support
- Key personnel and HR system guidance
- Certificate of sponsorship assignment support
- Visa application preparation
- Dependant applications
- Sponsor duties and record-keeping set up
- Renewal and compliance tracking
Not included, quoted separately
- Home Office fees and the immigration skills charge, paid at cost
- Health surcharge payments
- English language and medical test charges
- Endorsement body fees
- Home Office decisions
- Recruitment
- Legal representation on appeals
- Relocation and accommodation
Verify independently
Relevant UK authorities
We file directly with these bodies on your behalf.
Companies HouseHM Revenue & CustomsUK Visas and ImmigrationIntellectual Property OfficeInformation Commissioner’s OfficeThe Pensions Regulator
Questions
UK business immigration — FAQs
Is there a UK investor visa?
No. The route closed and has not been replaced. Anyone offering one is describing something that no longer exists.
Can I move to the UK by setting up a company?
Not by itself. You would need a route such as expansion worker, innovator founder or global talent, each with its own qualifying requirements.
What is a sponsor licence?
A licence the employer holds, allowing it to sponsor overseas workers. Without it no Skilled Worker visa is possible, so it is the first step, not the last.
How long does a sponsor licence take?
Weeks rather than days, and the application assesses whether the business is genuine and has adequate HR systems. Thin applications are refused.
What are sponsor duties?
Ongoing record-keeping and reporting obligations. Breaching them can cost the licence and with it the right to employ sponsored staff.
Go deeper
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For founders and business decision-makers considering paid business services. Not for job applications, employment searches or personal visa-only requests.
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At Black Swan Business Setup Services, our mission is simple: to empower entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes to establish and expand their presence in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and beyond.
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