UK residence permit: ways and possibilities of obtaining

” Turkish Entrepreneur visa in the UK: hurry up to participate in the program until the end of 2020

To get a residence permit (citizenship) of Great Britain is a privilege of few foreign citizens. The developed society is cautious about accepting “outsiders” into its ranks. However, it should be noted that the migration policy of the United Kingdom takes into account the different starting opportunities of applicants and provides several programs. But the “entrance ticket” of these programs is not cheap at all. Therefore, there are alternative ways to legalize the status of foreign citizens in the “land of lords”, for example, through the visa of “Turkish entrepreneur”.

The Turkish program of citizenship for investment was initially considered a failure. However, the demand for the state's passport has exceeded all expectations, despite the fact that Turkey does not grant its citizens the right to visa-free travel to Schengen countries, the UK and the US. One of the reasons for the excitement is the possibility for Turkish entrepreneurs to obtain legal status in the EU and the UK “bypassing” the main programs for investors.

Turkish citizenship investment program: advantages and prospects 

The state program “Passport for Investment” in Turkey was adopted in 2017, therefore it is considered quite young in the citizenship market. Despite the opinion of skeptics, it has shown good results. Let's consider the main benefits that were able to attract the attention of foreign investors:

1. The minimum amount of financial investment under the terms of the citizenship program is relatively small and depends on the chosen investment object. Registration of a deposit in a Turkish bank will cost foreign investors 500 thousand dollars. But obtaining a Turkish passport through the purchase of real estate will require half the cost. It should be noted that the prices for square meters in Turkey is quite democratic, which also attracts potential citizens. For 250 thousand dollars (the minimum amount of investment in real estate) the applicant will be able to become the owner of apartments in 100-200 square meters. meters.
2. The value of the Turkish passport increases due to a competent foreign policy. The state authorities have signed a number of international treaties, the norms of which significantly expand the rights of citizens:

• A bilateral cooperation agreement with the United States entitles Turkish citizens to apply for an E-2 business visa.
• The Ankara Visa Agreement, a unique document signed in 1963 between Turkey and the European Economic Community, “opened the way” for Turkish entrepreneurs to Europe (including the UK). According to the norms of the agreement, Turkish citizens are granted the right to engage in commercial activities in the territory of the UK and/or the European Union. If all conditions are met, visa holders can later apply for British/European citizenship.

The UK's place in the “no-hassle” scheme 

Business representatives often use the citizenship for investment program in Turkey as a transitional stage on the way to a higher goal, namely - registration of a UK residence card, followed by obtaining a British passport.

The applicant has a number of advantages already at the first stage of the “Turkish Entrepreneur” visa:

• There is no set amount of compulsory investment in the country's economy, as on the investor visa (Tier 1 Investor).
• There is no mandatory visa application fee.

However, an entrepreneur with a Turkish passport must demonstrate a willingness to develop his or her business or participate in the management of an existing enterprise in the UK, and support this intention with the availability of “necessary funds”. The legislation restricts the right of such foreign nationals to employment other than self-employment.

The Turkish Entrepreneur Visa has a good track record of granting permanent residence and citizenship to its holders. After 12 months the holder of a Turkish Entrepreneur visa can apply to extend the visa for a further 3 years (the visa can be extended more than once). After 5 years of residence in the United Kingdom, if all conditions are met, the applicant may apply for permanent residence, and after another year - for British citizenship.

Requirements for applicants for a residence permit card, in addition to those listed above:

1. language skills;
2. permanent residence in the UK with the right to leave the country for no more than 180 days a year for the last 5 years;
3. provision of a criminal record certificate.

A fee of almost £2,500 is charged when applying for permanent residence. To this amount must also be added the cost of obtaining biometric data (fingerprints) in the amount of £19.20. The cost of processing an application for each family member of a Turkish entrepreneur will be the same.

The formalization of a residence permit significantly expands the rights of Turkish businessmen in the UK. They get access to public services (health care, education), to state payments (pensions, unemployment assistance, etc.), to the local labor market.

Important! After the end of the transition period of the UK's exit from the European Union (tentatively, the end of Brexit is scheduled for December 31, 2020), the acceptance of visa applications in the “Turkish Entrepreneur” category will be stopped. The further fate of the program is not yet known. Everything depends on the new format of relations between the UK and Turkey.

For those who are interested in this information, we recommend that you contact the specialists of GARANT.in for assistance in solving the issue.

A Russian citizen can obtain a residence permit in the UK in just a few months. And he or she does not even have to make any investments.

Does this seem impossible to you? - Then take a look at this case study!

How to get a residence permit in Britain without investments in a few months

Evgeny K. - is a businessman from St. Petersburg. He is 43 years old and is one of the top managers of a large company manufacturing plastic products. The client was one of the founders of the enterprise.

Already having branches in several Russian cities, the company is striving to enter European markets. In particular, contacts were established with business representatives in the city of Norwich, in the east of England. They led to the decision to open a subsidiary in Norwich to produce children's toys made of environmentally friendly plastic. The shareholders' meeting decided: Evgeny will head the new subsidiary and will be closely involved in its development.

The client asked for help in obtaining a “foreign business representative visa”. Together with Eugene, his family members had to be included in the application: his wife and two children, aged 11 and 16. 

The essence of the “foreign business representative visa”

It applies to business representatives who hold one of the management positions in the company in their home country. In this case, the potential applicant and his family members should not have more than 49% of the company's shares.

In Eugene's case - the company is opening a branch in Britain. Its director gets a chance to apply for a residence permit under the “visa of a representative of foreign business”. In this case, he fulfills only three conditions:

1. passes an English language test at the CEFR A1 level;
2. working in the UK exclusively at his company;
3. shows the immigration authorities the level of income that allows him and his family to live in Britain for the entire period of validity of the visa.

Stages of cooperation

1. The lawyers conduct an assesment of the client and his company. This due diligence gives an understanding of how the company has developed, what it does, and what Eugene's role is in its current activities. They also find out for what purposes the company is opening a branch in Britain.
2. We organized an online consultation for Evgeny with a Russian-speaking British lawyer. He provided detailed explanations on the collection of documents and told us about the nuances of the specific work.
3. The preparation stage took about 7 weeks.Its main components are:

• collection of the necessary package of documents;
• together with the client developed a high-quality business plan;
• provided Eugene with templates of financial documents, letters from the company and notarized letters;
• passing the language test at A-1 level (conducted in St. Petersburg);
• tuberculosis test (also in St. Petersburg, in an accredited polyclinic);
• preparation of the client for the interview. We have accumulated a lot of experience in this matter, and our clients usually successfully cope with the interview. 

It usually takes from 4 to 8 weeks for the British authorities to consider the case. In Eugene's case it took a little more than five. It ended with the issuance of an immigration visa at the British Embassy for 3 years.

After receiving the visa, the client left for Britain. Together with him his family received a temporary residence permit. During the 3 years Eugene must stay in the country for at least 183 days a year and be engaged in the development of the branch.

After 3 years, if the work of the branch office is recognized as successful (the assessment is made by the British supervisory authorities), the residence permit is extended for another 2 years.

After 5 years there is an opportunity to apply for permanent residence. After another year - for citizenship.

Case completion. The client has obtained a residence permit in Britain on the basis of a “visa for a representative of a foreign business”.