JMA

The UK has established several visa types for foreign investors, business developers and talented persons. There are several UK visa types for these categories, as listed below:

Innovator visa:

This is a visa for foreigners who want to set up or run an innovative business in the UK, your idea endorsed by an approved body, have at least £50k in investment. This route has been reviewed in order to build a more competitive and simplified offer. Fast-track applications, lighter touch endorsement process. Building flexibility: where applicants will no longer be required to have at least £50,000 in investment funds to apply, provided the endorsing body is satisfied that there are sufficient funds to grow the business.

Start-up visa:

This is a visa for persons who want to set up a business in the United Kingdom. Endorsement by an authorized body is a must.

Global Talent Visa:

This is a visa for persons who work in a academia or research, arts and culture or digital technology and have been endorsed as a recognized leader or an emerging leader, can apply for this visa.

Investor visa (Tier 1):

This is a visa for investors that want to invest £2m or more in the UK and meet other requirements.

Representative of an Overseas Business visa:

To be eligible, applicants must apply to be the sole representative of an overseas business planning to set up either a UK branch or wholly owned subsidiary or an employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation posted on a long-term assignment to the UK.

High Potential visa:

This is a proposed visa aimed at highly skilled and academically elite migrants looking to share their talent and make contributions to the UK economy. This includes global innovators and entrepreneurs wanting to work or set up business in the UK. There will be no job offer requirement, giving visa-holders the flexibility to work, or to switch jobs or employers.

Scale-up visa:

This is another proposed visa that will allow talented individuals to come to the UK if they hold a highly skilled job offer from a qualifying scale-up at the required salary level. A ‘scale-up’ is defined as a business with an annual average revenue or employment growth rate over a 3-year period greater than 20%, plus a minimum of 10 employees at the start of this period.

Global Business Mobility visa:

This is another proposed visa will provide overseas businesses and innovative companies greater flexibility in establishing a UK presence or transferring workers to the UK. The plan is to create a single, sponsored route that will bring together, reform and expand a number of existing business routes. It’s proposed that the new route will incorporate, amongst other things, existing provisions for intra-company transferees and relax the rules for a single representative of an overseas business assigned to the UK to establish a branch or subsidiary. Essentially, this is likely to be a rebrand of the existing Intra-Company Transfer and Representative of an Overseas Business visas.