Extend Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa in the UK
Entrepreneur visa was an excellent solution for any talented and ambitious businessman trying their hand at the British market. Reasonable requirements and relatively low level of investments, compared to an investor visa, was what attracted foreign entrepreneurs to the UK. On 29 March 2019, however, the Home Office stopped accepting applications for this visa.

We can only envy those who obtained their visa in time because they have already set up their business and hopefully run it successfully. In 3 years and four months they will be able to extend it for another 2 years or apply for settlement. If extended, an entrepreneur visa will lead to permanent residence in 5 years. Here are our tips how to prepare for the extension.
Requirements to extend Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa
- First and foremost, apply for extension before your current visa expires. Do not put it off till the last day.
- If you came to the UK with a family, do not forget to apply for extension for them as well.
- Show again, the same as with the initial application, that you can support yourself and your family.
- Do not expect to extend a visa if you have been faking your business activity.
What indicates at a genuine business
- You have invested not less than £200,000 in one or several UK registered companies. It could be a new or an existing business.
- You have become director of at least one company within 6 months of arriving in the UK.
- You have created at least 2 full-time jobs, each of which existed for 12 months and more.
- You have paid all your taxes and all your transactions are transparent and clear.
- Your business has nothing to do with real estate.
- You are still taking an active part in your UK business.

UK permanent residence for entrepreneurs
Fast-track settlement
If your business has been super successful, chances are you will not need to extend your visa — you can apply for settlement straight away. Has your turnover in 3 years exceeded £5 million? Have you created 10 jobs or more? Then you can apply for an indefinite leave to remain in 3 years!
Standard settlement
In any case, to extend a visa, an entrepreneur must employ at least 2 settled workers full-time. Then the current visa will be extended for 2 more years, and in 5 years you can apply for permanent residence.
Other requirements for settlement
- £200,000 or more have been invested into a UK business which is up and running.
- You have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period prior to the ILR application since your first entry on the Entrepreneur visa. The same goes for your spouse, but children are exempt from this requirement even if they turned 18 while the visa was valid.
- All applicants aged 18 to 65 must pass an English language test to B1 Level. Generally, a certificate from the initial application is accepted, but you must be ready to prove you can still speak at the same level or better.
- Pass the Life in the UK Test. You will be given 24 questions and 45 minutes to do it. This test must be taken by you and all adult dependants.
Permanent residence in the UK gives you loads of benefits and advantages both for personal and business life. If it is still not enough, you can apply for UK citizenship and British passport in one year after settlement. Your settled family members can do the same.
It is impossible, unfortunately, to tell you about all factors that would affect the Home Office decision. To avoid any mistakes and omissions, we would recommend consulting a qualified immigration lawyer.
