UK investor visa 2026

Five million pounds for the right to live in London - and still a no. The new investor visa will not be in the 28 October 2026 Budget. Here is what the plan looked like, why it was shelved, and how to move to the UK or get residency by investment without it

In detail

Five million pounds, roughly 6.7 million dollars - that is what the British government was planning to ask for the right to live in the country and settle a few years later. The money would not have gone into London flats: it would have flowed into funds run by the state development bank, which backs young technology companies. It sounded like the most expensive and least glamorous golden visa in the world. It did not even get that far.

On 21-22 October 2026 it emerged that Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey will not include a new investor visa in his first Budget, due on 28 October. For anyone waiting for the British investor visa to return, the message is simple: it will not happen in 2026, and any move will have to go through other routes.

What happened to the UK investor visa

The idea of a new visa for wealthy foreigners had been in the works since spring 2026. In May the Office for Investment, a cross-government unit reporting to the Prime Minister, circulated a draft to private wealth advisers. In June it was discussed at a closed-door Cabinet Office session. Its main champion was the then Business Secretary Peter Kyle.

On 20 July 2026 Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The same day Healey took over the Treasury and Kyle lost the business brief. On 17 October the new Chancellor was still said to be weighing a residence path for wealthy foreigners. Five days later the picture changed: there will be no visa in the Budget. The Treasury doubted it would lift growth, and the Home Office never came round to the idea.

One caveat: the decision has not been formalised. The Budget itself on 28 October 2026 will have the final word, and no official document confirms the move yet. But the odds of seeing the visa in the coming months are close to zero.

What the 5 million pound visa looked like

The draft was very different from the familiar European golden visas. It was a visa for active investors, not for people who want a flat with a view of the Thames.

• Amount: at least 5 million pounds invested in funds run by the British Business Bank, the state-owned bank that finances fast-growing companies.
• Property: excluded entirely.
• Selection: invitation-only applications with enhanced source-of-funds checks.
• Sectors: artificial intelligence, life sciences and other priority areas.
• Settlement: after 3 years in early drafts, later only once the full amount had been invested over 5 years.

Other designs were floated too. One combined at least 2.5 million pounds of UK investment with a flat 200,000 pound annual charge for up to 15 years in place of tax on foreign income. None of these appear in official documents: they are proposals from industry groups.

Why the UK keeps saying no to investors

London has a long memory. The old Tier 1 (Investor) visa was granted for at least 2 million pounds, mostly placed in UK government bonds. On 17 February 2022 the Home Office closed it to new applicants with immediate effect, citing national security. It later judged the economic benefit of the route to be small.

Since then the UK has had no visa that can simply be bought. Existing Tier 1 holders can apply for settlement until February 2028, and no new applications are accepted. Every time the idea returns, the Treasury asks the same question: how many real jobs does a 5 million pound investor create. And every time it dislikes the answer.

What this means in practice

• If you were planning to move on an investor visa. There is no point waiting for it until at least the next Budget. Put the money into a route that works today.
• If you have a business idea or a tech background. Your route is the Innovator Founder visa or the Global Talent visa, both of which lead to settlement.
• If you hold a Tier 1 visa. Nothing changes for you: the settlement deadline is still February 2028.
• If any European residency by investment will do. Greece, Portugal and the UAE still grant status for investment, and those are the programmes to compare.

How to move to the UK without an investor visa

The good news: the British government is not against money or entrepreneurs, it is against passive money. If your capital works alongside you, the door is open. We cover every route on our page on UK residency for investors.

Every UK visa also carries the Immigration Health Surcharge, the fee for access to the NHS: 1,035 pounds a year per adult and 776 pounds per child. A family of four on a three-year visa pays around 10,900 pounds for this alone. British healthcare is free right up until you apply.

The Innovator Founder rules are on the official government page, and the Global Talent route is covered in our Global Talent visa guide. Similar visas worldwide are collected on our page on talent and startup visas. As for the path to settlement, see UK settlement after 10 years: the government proposes a 10-year standard, but the founder and talent routes keep their fast track for now.

The last Caribbean loophole is closing as well: Turks and Caicos is replacing permanent residence for a home with a 25-year permit and no path to citizenship, as we explain in British passport by investment.

What taxes await wealthy newcomers

The investor visa is gone, but the tax carrot remains. Since 6 April 2025 the UK has run the FIG regime (Foreign Income and Gains). New residents who have not lived in the country for the previous 10 tax years pay no UK tax on foreign income and gains for their first 4 years. Dividends from a foreign company, interest on a foreign deposit and profits from selling foreign shares stay outside UK tax in that period.

The old non-dom status (non-domiciled, someone without a permanent UK home for tax purposes) has been abolished. Inheritance tax now follows residence: anyone who has lived in the UK for 10 of the last 20 years pays on worldwide assets. That is worth factoring in before buying a home, as we discuss in how to buy an apartment in the UK. You can compare UK rules with other countries in our tax overview by country.

Where to get residency by investment instead of the UK

If the goal is status for money rather than London itself, the choice is wider than it seems. The full list is on our page on residency by investment.

• Greece. A golden visa for property from 800,000 euros in Attica, Thessaloniki and the popular islands, and from 400,000 euros elsewhere. The government has announced a rise in property transfer tax for non-EU buyers from 3 to 15 percent, with 1 July 2027 as the target date. See Greece residency by investment and why Greek golden visas get revoked.
• Portugal. Property no longer qualifies, but 500,000 euros in investment funds still leads to residency, see Portugal residency.
• UAE. A 10-year golden visa for property from 2 million dirhams, about 545,000 dollars, with no income tax, covered in UAE golden visa.

If you need a passport straight away rather than residency, see our review of EU citizenship by investment and our catalogue of second citizenship programmes.

Our services for moving to the UK and residency by investment

We match the route to your capital, profession and family, prepare the documents and support the application until status is granted.

We help with everyday matters too: choose a neighbourhood with our London city guide, keep your British bank account after the move (here is how), and rely on partner lawyers with a local licence for legal representation. Other destinations are on our page on residency abroad.

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