Extending an Investor Visa

After you have resided in the UK for three years, you will be required to prepare an application to extend your Investor visa. At this stage, you will need to demonstrate that you have maintained the required investments consistently over the three years. 

The immigration solicitors at JMW will provide advice and assistance to ensure that you receive the desired outcome. Our team has been commended by the Home Office for the quality of our applications, so you can rest assured that your case is in the right hands.

To speak to a solicitor about extending an Investor visa, contact us today on 0345 872 6666, or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of the immigration team will get back to you.

How JMW Can Help

Our expert immigration solicitors have excellent knowledge of the law and the process involved to ensure the best results are achieved. We are fully dedicated and committed to your case to help you seek the intended outcome.

The process of applying for an Investor visa extension is highly involved, and you are required to submit extensive documentation to evidence your investment activity during the course of your stay. In many ways, an extension can be more demanding than the original visa application.

By employing JMW to help with your visa extension, you can feel safe and secure throughout the entire process, as you will be led by our professional and knowledgeable team through matters that are often complex in nature.

For more information on applying for a UK investor visa and how we can help you with the process, download our Investing in the UK brochure.

Making an Investor Visa Extension

On 29th March 2019, stringent new rules were brought in relating to investments, making it necessary to submit at least £2 million in investments to qualify for an Investor visa. However, if you have applied for and been granted an Investor visa prior to 29th March 2019, the previous immigration rules will continue to apply in regards to visa extensions and settlement applications until 5th April 2025.

If your investor visa was granted prior to 6th November 2014 when the threshold was £1 million, you are permitted to apply for an extension to your visa until 6th April 2020 and must apply for settlement before 6th April 2022. Any applications submitted after these dates will be subject to the new rules.

Our team of specialist solicitors can advise on the full extent of acceptable investment criteria in order to ensure you remain compliant with the conditions of your Investor visa.

Accelerated Settlement Routes

There are three qualifying periods for applicants on this visa route:

1. If you have invested £10 million or more in the UK through permitted investments, you would be eligible for permanent settlement after two years of residence in the UK
2. If you have invested £5 million or more in the UK through permitted investment, you would be eligible for permanent settlement after three years of residence in the UK
3. In all other cases, if you have simply maintained £2 million in permitted investments, you can extend your visa for a further two years. After completing five years of residency in the UK, you would be eligible for permanent settlement in the UK

At present, accelerated settlement does not affect naturalisation; therefore, you will still need to complete five years of residency to be entitled to apply for British nationality.

Processing Times

There are two options with respect to submitting your application for an extension of leave to remain:

1. A normal postal application - the average processing time is eight weeks, and you and your family would be unable to travel during this time
2. Priority service - this would ensure a five working-day turnaround on the case. You will be able to retain your passport throughout the entire process, although you and your family will not be able to travel until the application has been approved