UK Tier 1 Investor Visa Numbers Soar 65% YoY in 2017, Chinese Lead the Way

Recent figures from the Home Office reveal that 2017 was the best year on record for the UK’s Tier 1 Investor Visa program since the investment requirement doubled from one to two million in 2014. 

355 main applicants received approvals in 2017, up from 215 in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 65%.

Accounting for 116 applications (144 if you count Hong Kong), China remains the greatest source of Tier 1 investors. Russians made up 13.5% of the total, Turks 6.8%, and Americans 5.1%.

Related: Russian Tier 1 Investors in UK to Have their Visas “Reviewed” In Wake of Diplomatic Rout

Approaching four digits for the first time since 2014, the UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa also saw a considerable 20% rise in application volume in 2017 as compared to the year before. 

Farzin Yazdi, Head of Shard Capital Investor Visa, a UK Tier 1 specialist, commented on the data:

“As we have seen in trends of previous releases, applications from Iranian and Turkish applicants continue to rise. Also interesting to note is the sudden increase in Investor Visa applications from Americans and Canadians. Moving forward, we expect the Investor Visa category to remain of interest, despite the dependent requirements changes. In addition, the complexities with the Entrepreneur Visa may help those applicants who can afford the Investor Visa route.”