There is a great opportunity for those living outside the UK and EEA area to enter the UK and do study, work, business, and join families, and so on. For all these purposes however one needs an appropriate UK Visa. Based on requirements there are multiple categories of UK Visa. So there is a UK Tier 1 Visa category under which you can apply to enter the UK for some purposes. So, what is the UK Tier 1 Visa, and where it can be applied? You can apply for UK Tier 1 visa applications in the following circumstances.  As an entrepreneur, you can apply for a Tier 1 entrepreneur visa based on your investment of £200,000 in the UK or £50,000 in certain limited circumstances. Other than the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa you can also apply for a UK Tier 1 investor visa to enter and invest in the UK based on investment funds of £2 million.  In addition, a small number of people can also apply under Tier 1 in the exceptional talent visa category.

Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa

There are many non-EEA nationals who want to do business in the UK for the opportunity and growth available in the UK. Such people can apply for UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa. However, they need to meet certain requirements which are given below:

• They must have access to a minimum disposable fund of £200,000 or they must have a minimum £50,000 from one of the following sources:
  • Registered venture capital firm/s.
  • UK Entrepreneurial seed funding competition/s.
• UK government department/s
• They must have this fund free to spend in the UK
• They also must have funds for their own maintenance during the stay in the UK.
• They must meet the English Language requirements.

Once the visa application is successful the applicant can stay in the UK for up to 3 years and 4 months initially, and up to 6 years and 4 months in total with extensions. 

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa

You can apply for Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa if you are from outside the EEA area and you are exceptionally talented. If you have been endorsed in your field which includes science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology, or arts as a recognized leader or as an emerging leader. Under this category, there are limited 2000 places every year. After the successful application, you can stay in the UK for up to 5 years and 4 months if you apply outside the UK and up to 5 years if you apply inside the UK.

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa

You can apply for UK Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa if you are a graduate of UK University and you have been officially endorsed by your university for having a genuine and credible business idea. You must be endorsed by either the Department for International Trade (DIT) or a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI) provided it is an authorized endorsing body. After the successful application, you can stay in the UK for up to 1 year and you can apply for 1 more year as an extension.

Tier 1 Investor visa

You can apply for UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK in government bonds, share capital, or loan capital in active and trading UK registered companies. You also must be from outside the EEA area and meet other eligibility requirements. After a successful application, you can stay in the UK for up to 3 years and 4 months, and then you can apply for further extension of another 2 years.

Tier 1 General Visa

You cannot apply for UK Tier 1 General Visa anymore. However, your family members can still apply to join you in the UK. Your family members who are dependent upon you can apply to join you or remain with you in the UK if they are from outside the EEA area. A dependent can be your husband, wife, or partner, a child who is under 18, and your child who is over 18 if they are currently living in the UK as a dependent. You must show that you have sufficient funds to support their stay in the UK. So, now you have a clear idea under which circumstances you can apply for UK Tier 1 Visa for different reasons.