Living in the United Kingdom remains a desirable destination for many people. It has one of the best and most desirable standards of living in the world; due to the widely spoken language, loaded business climate, excellent standard of education, and a stable currency.
Some individuals have misconceptions regarding the various routes to residency in the UK. Purchasing a residential property in the UK will not give the investors or them residency in the UK. Many countries worldwide offer residency and even citizenship through buying properties, and assuredly, the UK is not one of these nations. Moreover, no matter what is the residential status of the applicant in the UK, it will continue the same regardless of purchasing any residential properties.
We will explain some of the immigration routes to residency in the UK to avoid misconceptions. The tier1 investor program, the sole representative visa, and the Innovator visa are some of the immigration routes for foreign investors in the UK. These programs will lead to settlement (permanent residence) and eventually to citizenship by naturalization.
The Tier1 Investment Visa
The UK tier1 investor visa is a route for wealthy individuals who can make a considerable investment in the UK economy. The processing time of the application is relatively fast, and it is one of the most straightforward visas to get. The investor must have access to at least £2 million available to be invested in the UK, and the investment has to be in either share capital or loan capital and in the UK registered companies.
The Sole Representative Visa
The sole representative visa, also known as the representative of an overseas business visa. This visa category allows individuals to relocate to the UK to set up a business and to establish a commercial presence through sending over a senior employee as its sole representative. The sole representative must be employed by a parent company in a full-time senior job role, with full authorization to make operational decisions on behalf of the overseas firm.
The Innovator Visa and The Startup Visa
The Innovator visa and the startup visa provide a route to enter the UK and work towards settlement and citizenship. This visa category is ideal for experienced entrepreneurs and business people. Both applicants are required to have an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea endorsed by an approved body that meets new or existing market needs, both nationally and internationally.
To sum up, you need to set your goal, and consider what you want, whether you are interested in living permanently in the UK, and travel the world with a British passport, then look no further than the above visa categories. Or you are interested in obtaining permanent residency that leads eventually to citizenship by purchasing a real estate (real estate investment option), you should check other EU counties such as Portugal, Spain, Malta, Greece, and Spain.