Breaking news! Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa closure: visa deadline for Entrepreneur visa applications is the 28 March 2019

On the 7 March 2019, the Home Office published its 294-page statement of changes to Immigration Rules. Perhaps with all the Brexit news even the best London immigration solicitors should not be surprised by how little publicity the statement of changes has received. However, the changes to the Immigration Rules will have a real impact on entrepreneurs and business owners.

The Home Office has given entrepreneurs just three weeks to submit an application for an Entrepreneur Visa. After the 28 March 2019, the Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa scheme will close. That means entrepreneurs looking to enter or stay in the UK need the top London immigration solicitors advice on whether to submit an urgent application for a Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa or look at other visa options, such as the new Tier 1 (Innovator) visa or Start-up visa, which replaces the Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa.

The Home Office 294-page statement of changes to UK Immigration Rules is compulsory reading for the best London immigration solicitors as changes to the Immigration Rules will affect non-EEA and EU citizens as well as individuals and businesses.

If you were planning to apply for an Entrepreneur Visa the application is now urgent. At London based OTS Solicitors our team of dedicated Immigration solicitors can help you with the paperwork needed to submit an urgent Entrepreneur Visa application or look at your alternative options.

If you need to apply urgently for your Entrepreneur Visa or you are worried about the status of a pending Entrepreneur Visa application or what happens when your current Entrepreneur Visa expires, please call Legal 500 law directory recommended OTS Solicitors for help on 0203 959 9123.

If you want to apply for a Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa, the top London immigration solicitors advise that you have less than three weeks within which to submit the application and all the supporting paperwork to the Home Office.

The Home Office will accept new applications for Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visas until the 28 March 2019.

The Home Office statement of changes document says that provided the Entrepreneur Visa application is made on or before the 28 March 2019, the Home Office will consider the Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa application and decide whether to grant the visa application using the Immigration Rules that were in force on the 28 March 2019.

If you are planning to apply for a Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa then you have a little more time to make your application or look at your alternative visa options. That is because the closure of the graduate Entrepreneur Visa scheme does not take place until the 5 July 2019.

Applicants for Entrepreneur Visas may question why graduate and non-graduate Entrepreneur Visa applicants are treated differently. The best London immigration solicitors advise that Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa applicants have been given until July 2019 to apply because if you apply for a Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa you have to have an endorsement letter from a Higher Education Institutions or the Department for International Trade.

An endorsement letter lasts or is valid for three months. The letters can continue to be issued until the 5 April 2019 and for that reason the Home Office has said that graduate Entrepreneur Visa applications can continue to be made until the 5 July 2019.

The top London immigration solicitors are expecting a large number of enquiries from worried Tier 1 (entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa holders. The Home Office has attempted to reassure migrants by saying that transitional arrangements will apply to visa holders in either the Tier 1 (entrepreneur) or (Graduate entrepreneur) visa categories.

In summary, the best London immigration solicitors advise that the new Home Office Immigration Rules say that:

• Extension applications for Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa holders can be made until the 5 April 2023;

• Settlement applications for Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa holders can be made until the 5 April 2025;

• Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa holders (and those who switch into the Start-up visa) will be able to transfer into the Tier 1 (entrepreneur) visa until the 5 July 2021. Furthermore, Tier 1 (entrepreneur) extension applications can be made by these visa holders until the 5 July 2025. Settlement applications can be made until the 5 July 2027.

• Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa holders can apply to the Home Office to switch to the new Start-up visa if the applicant has not already received the full two grants of leave under the Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) scheme. On a positive note, if an entrepreneur‘s Start-up endorsement is from the same body that endorsed their previous Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa application then the applicant and their business concept will not need to meet the new Start-up visa criteria in relation to innovation and scalability;

The best London immigration solicitors are recommending that anyone who is in the process of applying for or extending an Entrepreneur Visa application takes urgent and specialist legal advice before doing so. For example, for some new applicants the Start-up visa route may be a more attractive or easier option than applying for a Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) visa. The advice will depend on individual circumstances; including endorsements and funding but the 294 page statement of changes to the Immigration Rules should be used to an applicant’s advantage.

Our Legal 500 recommended central London OTS Solicitors can advise you on applying for an Entrepreneur Visa or help you look at your alternative options.

With a vast amount of experience in representing entrepreneurs and business owners our London immigration solicitors quickly respond to changes in Immigration Rules making sure that you have the most up to date Immigration advice tailored to your individual, personal and business needs.