UNITED KINGDOM

Residency & Citizenship by Investment

Looking for a diverse, prosperous and perfectly located place to call home? Look no further than the U.K., an economic and cultural hub boasting one of the best and most sought-after standards of living in the world.

The program has been suspended for new applicants. Contact us for more details.

WHY CHOOSE THE UK?

Residency or citizenship status in the U.K. provides investors with access to a world of exclusive benefits:

  • Diverse and multicultural society represented by large cultural and ethnic communities.
  • Superior standard of education, a broad network of state and private schools, and more than 150 universities and higher education institutions.
  • One of the best free health care services in the world.
  • Member of the G8.
  • Unrivaled financial business center (London).
  • Attractive tax regime for high net worth investors classed as U.K. resident, non-domicile.
  • The travel mobility and security of a U.K. passport.

Qualifications

Offered through our joint venture with a U.K.-authorized financial institution, the U.K. Immigrant Investor Program is a three-tiered system enabling those who invest at a higher level to be granted residency sooner. To qualify for the program, applicants must fulfill one of the investment options below in addition to meeting the following criteria:

  • Maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependents without taking employment (outside of self-employment or business).
  • Make the U.K. your main home. Investors will need to spend at least 50 percent of their time in the U.K. (six out of 12 months) to maintain visa status.

INVESTMENT OPTIONS

Applicants must invest no less than 75 percent of the specified investment amount in the U.K. by way of U.K. government bonds, share capital or loan capital in active and trading U.K.-registered companies. The remaining 25 percent must be invested in the U.K. either by purchasing assets or by depositing the funds in a U.K.-regulated financial institution.

As shown in the table below, the higher the investment (and therefore the net personal assets required), the faster the applicant will obtain their stay for settlement (ILR).

INVESTMENT OPTIONS

FULL INVESTMENT: £2 million
STAY FOR SETTLEMENT (ILR): 5 years

FULL INVESTMENT: £5 million
STAY FOR SETTLEMENT (ILR): 3 years

FULL INVESTMENT: £10 million
STAY FOR SETTLEMENT (ILR): 2 years

CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Individuals who have lived in the U.K. for five or more years are eligible to apply for U.K. citizenship as long as they meet the following residency requirements:

  • Be absent from the country for no more than 90 days (three months) in the 12 months preceding the application. The total number of days spent outside the U.K. for the entire five-year qualifying period should not exceed 450 days (i.e. three months of every year, or 75 percent of one’s time).
  • Be of good moral character and not in breach of any immigration laws.
  • Demonstrate a good knowledge of U.K. life and culture, as well as a basic level of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic languages.

FAQ 1: I want to apply as an investor with my spouse and child. If I don’t feel that I can meet the residency requirements, can I make my spouse the main applicant in my Tier 1 Investor application?

Yes. Even if the assets are in one person’s name only or are held jointly, they are marital assets and as such can be used as part of the application. It should be noted that further into the process of settlement, if you are not living in the U.K. permanently with your family, ILR may not be issued for your child, with only one parent being qualified to apply for settlement.

FAQ 2: If my child is over 18 when we are eligible to apply for ILR, can s/he still be included in the application?

Yes, depending on individual circumstances, and as long as the child is still dependent and part of the family unit and was included with the family in the initial Tier 1 Investor visa application.

FAQ 3: Does a U.K. investor undergo a medical check as other countries require?

No. There is no medical testing required for UKIIP applicants.

NEXT STEPS:

ARTON INDEX SCORE

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Updated yearly, the Arton Index is an overall assessment and comparative benchmark of the country and its investment program.


United Kingdom

64,430,428

Population Growth: 0.53%

42,500 USD

GDP (per capita)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

2.788 trillion USD

0

Visa free countries


LOCATION

Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France

CAPITAL

London

DIFFERENCE

UTC 0

TOTAL AREA

243,610 sq. km.

AGE DEMOGRAPHICS

0-14: 17.44%, 15-24: 12.15%, 25-54: 40.74%, 55-64: 11.77%, 65+: 17.9%

LANGUAGE

English

RELIGIONS

Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist): 59.5%, Muslim: 4.4%, Hindu: 1.3%, Other: 2%, Unspecified: 7.2%, None 25.7%

GOVERNMENT TYPE

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm

CURRENCY

British pound (GBP)

EXCHANGE RATE

1 USD = 0.7391 GBP

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