The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route is closed
The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa let people who invested in, and ran, a business in the UK live here. It closed to new applicants in March 2019. People who want to set up or run a business now use the Innovator Founder visa, which needs the endorsement of an approved body. See also closed UK visa routes and what replaced them.
If you already hold Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) permission
- You can no longer extend the visa.
- You can still apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain), if you meet the requirements.
- Your family can still apply to join you.
That makes the timing of a settlement application important, and the evidence the heart of it.
What settlement on this route requires
You must show that you have spent the qualifying period in the UK on the route, and that you established, joined or took over a genuine business and have been actively engaged in running it. The Home Office looks at the business’s accounts, its trading, the jobs it created, and your role. The qualifying period was five years, with a shorter period for those who met the job creation or turnover tests. Absences from the UK are limited in the same way as for other settlement routes, and you must meet the English language and Life in the UK test requirements. See indefinite leave to remain and the absence calculator.
Where applications go wrong
- The business has not traded genuinely, or the evidence of trading is thin or inconsistent.
- The applicant has not shown that they were actively involved in running it.
- Accounts, tax returns and bank records do not agree with each other.
- An absence that takes the applicant over the limit.
If your permission is about to expire
Because extensions are closed, an expiring permission means either settling, if you qualify, or switching to another route, such as Innovator Founder, Global Talent or Skilled Worker. Take advice well before the date, because a gap in lawful stay is hard to put right.
How we help
We review the business evidence against the settlement requirements, prepare the application and, where settlement is not open, advise on the best alternative route. A consultation costs from £99.
