UK immigration rules have changed this month as a result of international tensions between Russia and the West in Ukraine. Learn more about these most recent changes below.
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The Closure of the Tier 1 Investor Visa
In recent weeks, the UK Home Secretary – Priti Patel – has taken bold steps to close the Tier 1 Investor visa route to new applicants from all nations.
The Tier 1 Investor Visa route permitted applicants to enter and stay in the UK provided they invested a minimum of 2Million GBP of their own money into active and trading UK-registered enterprises as share capital or loan capital.
Even though the visa route has been one of the most lucrative and reliable immigration paths for high net individuals to place themselves on a path to achieve indefinite leave to remain in a matter of years, it has come under criticism and scrutiny as well as it is seen to enable persons who have amassed wealth illegally or in a corrupt way to seek a path to residency in the UK.
Since its inception, the Tier 1 Investor visa route has been changed several times to improve its value to the UK economy and to decrease the route’s exposure to illegal funding and corrupt money stream. To counteract the impact of stopping this particular route, the Home Secretary has said that improvements will be made to the Innovator visa path to allow settlement for those applicants who can implement not only an investment strategy but also create jobs in the UK and provide sustainable economic advantages to the economy.
Immigration Concessions for Ukrainians living in the UK
Ukrainians in the UK who are here to work, study, or visit will be granted temporary visa extensions by the Home Office, as well as assistance in switching to new visa pathways.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has stated that Ukrainian nationals on an existing points-based system route can extend their stay in the UK, and Ukrainian nationals on an existing visitor visa can convert to a points-based system immigration route without having to leave the country. Moreover, Ukrainian nationals on existing seasonal worker visas, as well as those working in temporary HGV and pork butcher positions, will have their stay in the UK extended until December 31, 2022, and will be able to apply for the skilled worker program as well.
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Armen Andonian is the CEO of Solicitors Marketing, a London-based legal marketing agency. He is a legal content marketing expert who writes on UK individual immigration, business immigration, family law, finance, employment law and intellectual property. He has a passion for researching and communicating complex legal concepts and ideas in a clear and engaging manner and has developed a reputation as a highly skilled and versatile author on UK law-related issues. He has written for numerous publications, both online and offline, and his work has been featured in a variety of high-profile media outlets.
