Citizenship by Investment in the UK – What Is It and How to Get It

The United Kingdom stands out as one of the best destinations for migrants. The reason for this is not far to see: a better standard of living, friendly work and school environment, wide acceptability of the English language, reasonable ease in acquiring residency status, and the powerful British passport which grants visa-free travel to about 139 countries!

Meanwhile, as a migrant in the UK, you may be wondering how you can become a citizen without naturalization or marriage. Well, there are several ways to achieve this. And one of such is citizenship by investment.

So, what is citizenship by investment and how can you get it? These and many more questions will be answered in a jiffy. Read on!

What is Citizenship by Investment?

Citizenship by investment is a pathway towards acquiring the citizenship of another country through monetary investment in the economy of your desired country.

This scheme is available to high net-worth individuals who desire to pursue alternative citizenship with little or no stress using their investments. Depending on the municipal legislation, such investment may include staking a specific amount in the real estate, capital, and/or stock market, amongst other sectors of your intended country.

Today, it is estimated that over one hundred (100) countries in the world have one form or the other of investment migration law in place, with about thirty (30) residence and/or citizenship by investment schemes successfully ongoing.

The good news is that, for as low as two million pounds (2,000,000.00) and above, you and your family might just be on your way to acquiring citizenship here in the UK within two (2) to five (5) years! But prevent any hitch; seek proper guidance from a reputable lawyer for investors UK.

Why do you need to Consider Citizenship by Investment in the UK?

In the wake of the recent exit of the UK from the EU, there have been projections from economic pundits that the UK economy would not withstand the economic shock from such exit.

These projections have been swallowed up as the economy has emerged relatively unaffected with the increase in retail sales, falling unemployment rates, amongst other key positive economic growth indicators. What is then clear from the above is that there is a huge prospect for gainful return on investment for the UK economy.

What other way to invest your fund than by citizenship by investment? Investing through this scheme affords you the benefit of reaping from your investment as well as enjoying the rights accruable to the UK citizens.

Unlike the other ways of acquiring UK citizenship, citizenship by investment procedure is almost effortless.

Besides, it creates a long list of exceptions like dispensing with the requirements; for Basic English proficiency, or education and experience, amongst other UK immigration authorities criteria. Some other benefits include:

  • Quick visa processing and unambiguous visa requirements.
  • Permission for the Investor’s close family members, including spouses, and children who are below 18 years to come into the UK.
  • Depending on the amount invested, you can apply for an extension of your visa for an extra 2 years, or you can apply to settle at once.
  • Absence of individual maintenance requirements.

Requirements for Citizenship by Investment in the UK

Since you cannot get citizenship by investment through a schengen visa, therefore, you must apply for the UK investor visa (Tier 1). Before you can apply for this visa type, you must have at least two million British pounds sterling (£2,000,000.00) investment fund. Apart from that, you are expected to:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Provide a criminal record certificate capturing your entire record in the last 10 years and all the countries where you stayed for more than 12 months.
  • Already open an account at any UK regulated bank to save funds and transacts.
  • Be able to prove that the funds belong to either you or your partner.

Your funds are expected to be:

  • Free to be spent in the UK.
  • In one or more licensed financial institutions.

 Final Thoughts

One thing you should realise while applying for an investor visa in the UK is that it does not come for free. To be eligible, you must have put in place certain things in the country. Besides, consulting an immigration expert before your application is not a bad idea anyway.




Comments

Be the first to commment on this article.

Post a Comment