The United Kingdom is circulating proposals for a new investor visa that would grant three years of residency to wealthy foreigners who commit at least £5 million (approximately US$6.7 million) to priority sectors of the British economy, according to Bloomberg.
Structured as invite-only, the program would target entrepreneurs and other globally mobile individuals, subject them to enhanced vetting, and open a direct path to permanent residency after three years.
Earlier this month, the Office for Investment, a cross-government unit housed under 10 Downing Street alongside the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade, sent the proposals to private wealth advisers to canvass their views.
Documents reviewed by the outlet describe qualifying investments as flowing into so-called priority areas such as fast-growing UK businesses.
What’s In and What’s Out
Property would be explicitly excluded as a qualifying asset. The restriction targets the speculative capital inflows that drew criticism under the now-defunct Tier 1 (Investor) visa, which the previous government shut down in February 2022 ostensibly to curb the influence of Russian money.
To further distance the new route from its predecessor, the government would carry out thorough due diligence processes to minimize money-laundering risks, according to people familiar with the matter. That earlier program required only £2 million and offered settlement in five years, with accelerated timelines at higher tiers: three years for £5 million and two years for £10 million.
At £5 million, the proposed entry point matches the old Tier 1’s accelerated settlement tier but eliminates the lower thresholds entirely. For comparison, Portugal’s golden visa starts at €500,000 for fund investments, Greece’s program ranges from €250,000 to €800,000, and the US EB-5 sets its standard threshold at US$1,050,000.
Farzin Yazdi, Head of Investor Visa at Shard Capital Partners, says that “fter more than four years of calling for a reformed UK Investor Visa through various means and channels, it is good to hear that the UK Government has realised now is the time to reintroduce the Investor Visa.”
He argues that “when we look at global Residency by Investment programs, they get introduced at a time when the country needs Foreign Direct Investment the most, and having looked after international investors in the UK, now is the perfect time to reintroduce the Investor Visa and give the message that Britain is open for business. “
Political Uncertainty
Whether the proposals survive the current turbulence is an open question. Advisers received the documents before Labour’s heavy losses in local elections put Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s premiership under severe pressure, and it remains unclear at what stage the plans have reached. If Starmer is unable to fend off a leadership challenge, the entire initiative could stall.
Several of his critics within the Labour Party have already challenged separate plans to link permanent residency to income levels. A fast-track residency pathway announced in November 2025 offered visa holders earning above £125,000 a three-year path to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) rather than the standard five.
Combating an Exodus
The government’s willingness to revisit a golden visa model it once rejected reflects mounting economic pressure. Abolition of the centuries-old non-domiciled tax regime, which took effect in April 2025, prompted billionaires including John Fredriksen, Nassef Sawiris, and Guillaume Pousaz to leave the country or reduce their ties.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle has publicly acknowledged that higher levies introduced under Labour led some ultra-rich residents to depart.
Nearly 11,000 millionaires left the UK in 2024, according to Henley & Partners, which projected an additional 16,500 departures by the end of 2025. The UAE, Italy, and now Turkey have all ramped up efforts to court the same pool of globally mobile capital that London is now scrambling to retain.
The UK began drawing up plans for a new investor visa last year, seeking to attract high-value entrants while tightening other visa programs amid concerns over migration levels and increased pressure on public services and housing.
Last year’s white paper outlined the government’s ambition to attract global talent as part of broader immigration reform, though the system has simultaneously moved in a restrictive direction: English language thresholds rose to B2 from January 2026, and an earned settlement model now extends the standard path to ILR from five to ten years for most migrants.
A government spokesperson said by email that the UK is “making every effort to attract investment” and that its Global Talent Taskforce “is keeping all options under review.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s second budget in November separately revealed plans for a “tax offer” to attract high-talent individuals, though few details have emerged since. Kyle’s acknowledgment that the tax changes drove wealthy departures may have accelerated the timeline.
The invite-only structure is unlike any current golden visa on the market, unless one considers Grenada’s citizenship by invitation route, which isn’t its standalone program. Rather than an open application pathway, the UK appears to be designing a curated channel with pre-selection, presumably to manage reputational risk and control who enters the pipeline.
