Home Secretary Announces New Start-Up Business Visa Route for 2019

Yesterday, during London Tech Week, the Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced that a new visa route is to be opened up in Spring 2019. The new Start-Up Business Visa will likely replace the existing Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur category and will widen the applicant pool of talented entrepreneurs and business founders. It was also announced that the visa process would be made faster and smoother, although no details as to how this would be achieved have been revealed.

What is the new Start-Up Business Visa route?

Home Secretary Sajid Javid revealed yesterday, during London Tech Week, that there is to be a new visa category available from Spring 2019. The new Start-Up Business Visa will likely replace the current Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa route and will target a wider range of individuals. The new Start-Up Business Visa, unlike the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur route, will be open to those who are not just graduates. Applicants will still be required to have an endorsement from a university or approved business sponsor.

Entrepreneurs are highly important to the UK as they create jobs and drive economic growth. The Home Secretary said that he is:

“…pleased to announce a new visa for people wanting to start a business in the UK. This will help ensure we continue to attract the best global talent and maintain the UK’s position as a world-leading destination for innovation and entrepreneurs”.

The Home Secretary has sought to distance the department from Theresa May’s immigration policies, telling parliament in his first Commons speech in the job that he disliked the term “hostile environment”, calling it a “phrase that is unhelpful and does not represent the values as a country”. The UK is one of the most popular destinations for entrepreneurs and start-ups. Unfortunately, the UK’s visa and immigration rules can be stringent and difficult to understand, therefore turning away talented individuals. It is said that this new visa category is being created following the advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and feedback from the tech sector. It is obvious that the Government is taking steps in order to attract more overseas talent, as has also been demonstrated by increasing the number of Tier 1 Exceptional Talent allocations to 2,000. It now remains to be seen how this proposed new Start-Up Business Visa will operate and whether it will be successful. 

What are the requirements for the current Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa route?

In order to apply for a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa, applicants must be a graduate who has been officially endorsed as having a genuine and credible business idea and be a non-EEA national. The endorsement must be from either the Department for International Trade (DIT) as part of the elite global graduate entrepreneur programme (Sirius) or a UK higher education institution (HEI) if it’s an authorised endorsing body. Applicants must meet the English language requirement and demonstrate they have £945 in savings if applying from inside the UK, or £1,890 if applying from outside the UK. These funds must be held in the applicant’s account for 90 days Applicants will also have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of the application.

The Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa gives applicants leave to stay in the UK or up to 1 year, and then this may then be extended for a further year. This visa route does not lead to settlement in the UK. Applicants wanting to apply for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa will also have to meet all the other Home Office requirements and should consider instructing a specialist immigration law firm, such as LEXVISA, in order to help prepare the application thoroughly and ensure that all of the requirements are met.

Using Legal Representation to submit a successful Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa application

Legal representatives, such as our specialist immigration and visa law firm, are qualified to advise you on immigration law and your immigration matter. You can instruct one of our immigration and visa legal representatives to successfully assist you with an application to apply for a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa application. Our solicitors and Barristers will help you comply with the Home Office’s requirements and meet the Immigration Rules.

Caseworkers at the Home Office are trained to reject applications which are improperly prepared, for example by failing to provide the correct supporting evidence. In order to ensure your Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa application succeeds, our solicitors and barristers will ensure all specified documents must be provided.

The UK Immigration Rules are complex and a legal representative can help ensure that your application meets the Immigration Rules.

Successfully submit a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa application

Our team of solicitors and barristers are specialist immigration lawyers who act in your best interest. We offer a client-tailored approach from the outset. From the very first meeting, we will be able to advise you in respect of your prospects of submitting a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa application before your application even reaches the Home Office UK Visa & Immigration department. We can assist you with the preparation and submission of a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa application and ensure that you meet all the requirements of the relevant rules.

We are based in the legal epicentre of London, just across the road from the Royal Courts of Justice in order to ensure we get the best results for our clients.  We are minutes away from the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, the Royal Courts of Justice and other central London courts.

Preparation is the key to successful immigration applications. Our UK immigration and visa solicitors are here to guide you through the complex immigration rules and requirements. If you wish to meet one of our lawyers, please call our Immigration Team so we can assess your case and arrange your legal consultation to discuss a Tier 1 Graduate  Entrepreneur visa application.

Contact our London immigration solicitors on 02030110276 or complete our contact form.

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