Can You Get UK Citizenship Through Business?

Many people in this world dream of becoming British citizens. The British government has specific criteria for choosing citizens. Among many ways to accrue British Citizenship, investment can be one of the straightforward methods to get Citizenship in the UK. Since 1994, people can immigrate to the UK if they want to start a business or invest in a business.

Yes, you can indeed get Citizenship through business in the UK. However, there are specific rules and regulations that people wanting to invest in the UK must know to avoid complications while applying for a visa. In this article, we will talk about how people can get UK Citizenship through business.

British Investor Visas

In 1994, the United Kingdom began offering a path to citizenship for foreign investors. The United Kingdom introduced a new point-based system in 2008.  

The system includes Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas. British immigration authorities seized processing applications for Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas back in 2019, allowing only existing visas to be extended.

A new visa type named the Innovator visa was introduced for investors who wanted to start their own business in the UK.

You will finally be able to acquire legal residence if you spend a couple of years in the UK on Tier 1 Investor visas. Then, after almost a year, you will be qualified to apply for Citizenship as a permanent resident. But, first, let's list out things you need to do to obtain British Citizenship.

Why Invest In The UK?

The UK is a business hub and people from all over the world want to start a business there. It is one of the largest financial centers in the world. The British economy never lets a businessman down as it is among the top business and capitalists in the world. There are several benefits an investor in the UK gets apart from the financial ones, and some of them are:

- Comfortable and a specific condition of living.

- Children can go to a top school and also get the best higher education.

- The government has favorable taxation for UK residents.

- Social guarantees and high-quality health care.

- And yes, you will get a British passport and Citizenship for yourself and your family for 5-6 years.

Visa Requirements :

There are specific requirements to be fulfilled by the applicants who apply for the Tier 1 Investor and Innovator visas, and some of them are:

1. Applicants must be 18 years and above.

2. To avoid being rejected, some investors also need to pass a  tuberculosis test.

3. There should not be any criminal records or lousy immigration records of the Applicant.

4. Principal Applicants can also bring dependents such as wife and kids.

5. Investors must be comfortable English speakers, not native but at least read and write in English.

What about British Citizenship?

Since you all are here to know about the citizenship process rather than the visa process, here are some of the information you need on British Citizenship through Business; 

It is already clear that investors can get permanent residence in almost 3 years if the process is accelerated, but the families will only be able to proceed if they have lived in the UK for at least five years.

Sometimes the standard procedures even take six years or more to make all your family a UK citizen if you are a businessman in the UK. An investor can only make their family a UK citizen if they have stayed for over five years in the UK and an additional one year as a permanent resident.

However, here are some rules that an applicant must be aware of before applying for British Citizenship through business:

1. Applicants cannot spend more than 450 days outside the United Kingdom during the five years before applying for Citizenship. Also, the Applicant must not go out of the UK for a period greater than 90 days in the last 12 months of the past five years.

2. Applicants 18 and above must prove their knowledge of the English language and, most importantly, pass the Life in The UK Test.

3. The British government accepts no criminal or administrative offense.

So, anyone wanting to settle in the UK and with a good idea for business and investment funds can apply for a visa. Then, after five years, the investor can start the legal process of being a citizen.

After an applicant becomes a citizen, they can also apply to make their family members legal citizens of the UK. So, if you are an immigrant or investor and had a lot of questions, we hope this article made the process clear somewhat. So, you must follow all the guidelines mentioned above to acquire British Citizenship through business.