Applying for
a Tier 1
visa?

23 July 2015

Are you planning to come to the UK as a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) or a Tier 1 (Investor) visa holder? If so, there is a new requirement that you will need to take note of.

Anyone wishing to enter the UK from outside the EU as an investor or entrepreneur will need to provide criminal record certificates as part of any application for a Tier 1 visa made after 1 September 2015.

What exactly do I need to supply?

• You will need to supply original criminal record certificates for every country in which you have lived during the ten years prior to your Tier 1 application.
• You do not have to supply criminal record certificates for any countries in which you lived before your eighteenth birthday.
• Translated copies will need to be supplied if the certificates are not available in English.
• Any certificates supplied must have been issued no earlier than six months prior to the submission of your application.

What if I cannot supply a certificate?

If it is not possible to provide the necessary certificate(s) then a letter must be supplied as part of your application detailing your efforts made in procuring said certificate(s) and explaining why this was not possible. It will then be up to UK Visas and Immigration to decide whether they find your explanation to be acceptable or not.

It is wise to ensure that all certificates submitted as part of your application are genuine and were not fraudulently obtained, as any attempt to do so will result in an automatic refusal along with a possible ten-year ban on any future applications.

Here at Smith Stone Walters we can ensure that your Tier 1 application has the best chance of success.

Click here to find out more about our services.

Share story