英国投资移民政策大规模调整 企业家移民门槛提高

作者： peterliu

早在2018年的12月就有说法，英国政府计划对目前现行的英国企业家移民，投资移民政策进行大范围的修改和调整。

主要的原因有几个， 政府最依赖的调查部门：MAC 英国移民委员会的调查结果显示：

英国投资移民购买国债的行为对英国经济贡献不大，建议调整；

英国企业家移民现行的制度被滥用，没有吸引到真正的企业家而且没有对英国经济带来大的贡献，建议调整；

英国毕业生企业家制度运行良好，建议推广；

英国投资移民的资产来源受到普遍质疑，建议调整；

今天，2019年3月7日，英国政府发布了最新的英国移民法修改草案，终于明确的落实了下一步实施的细节：

为帮助更好的了解这一政策细节，特别摘录相关英文文档为大家解读如下，大家也可以可以直接跳到文尾，直接阅读大叔的总结判断。

请注意，大叔在此处仅仅摘录部分与中国申请人相关的关键信息，如果有希望看完整英文原文的，请联络大叔索取英文原文链接版本；

2.1 The main changes are to：

Introduce new Start-up and Innovator categories for those coming to the UK to set up a business， replacing the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） and Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） categories；

Make reforms to the Tier 1 （Investor） category to protect better against financial crime and ensure investments are of greater benefit to the UK economy；

Increase the initial period of leave for those who qualify for Stateless leave， and make clear that to qualify for stateless leave someone must show that they cannot acquire a nationality or a right to permanent residence in another country to which they may be entitled； and

Provide for the full opening of the EU Settlement Scheme for resident EU citizens and their family members to obtain UK immigration status， alongside two negative procedure Statutory Instruments being laid before Parliament on 7 March 2019： the Immigration and Nationality （Fees） （Refund， Waiver and Amendment） （EU Exit） Regulations 2019， which provide for no application fee for the scheme， and the Immigration （European Economic Area Nationals） （EU Exit） Regulations 2019， which， in part， make changes associated with the scheme to other secondary legislation。

此次修改法案中的主要变化是：

为前来英国建立商业，拓展业务的人员引入新的创业和创新者类别，取代一级（毕业生企业家）和一级（企业家）类别；

对第1层（投资移民）类别进行改革，以更好地保护金融犯罪，并确保投资对英国经济带来更大利益；

为居住的欧盟公民及其家庭成员提供欧盟解决方案的全面开放，以获得英国移民身份，以及2019年3月7日向议会提交的两项否定程序法定文书：移民和国籍（费用）（退款，豁免） 2019年（欧盟退出）条例，规定该计划不收取申请费，以及2019年移民（欧洲经济区国民）（欧盟退出）条例，该条例部分地将该计划的变更改为其他二级立法。

Introduction of new Start-up and Innovator categories

7.1 These changes introduce two new categories， Start-up and Innovator， for people seeking to establish a business in the UK。

7.2 These new categories replace the existing Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） and Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） categories， which were the subject of a review by the independent Migration Advisory Committee （MAC） in 2015。 The MAC recommended that：

the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） category， with its endorsement approach， was working well and should be expanded into a broader Start-up category；

the Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） category was in need of substantial reform， as it had a long tail of low-quality projects which contributed little or nothing to the UK economy。

7.3 Central to both of the new categories will be endorsement of applicants by UK trusted bodies – such as business accelerators， seed competitions and government agencies， as well as higher education providers。 These bodies will assess applicants’ business ideas for their innovation， viability and scalability。

7.4 The main features of the new categories are as follows：

The Start-up category is an expanded version of the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） category。 It is for those starting a new business for the first time in the UK。 Applicants will not need to be graduates and will not need to have secured any initial funding。 Successful applicants will be granted 2 years’ leave （doubled from 1 year） and will be able to progress into the Innovator category to continue developing their businesses in the UK after that time。

The Innovator category is intended for more experienced businesspeople。 As well as an endorsement， applicants will need £50，000 to invest in their business from any legitimate source （reduced from £200，000 for most applicants in the current Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） category）。 The funding requirement will be waived for those switching from the Start-up category who have made significant achievements against their business plans。 The category may lead to settlement in the UK。

7.5 In both categories， endorsement for initial applications will be based on assessment whether applicants’ business ideas are innovative， viable and scalable。

7.1这此的变化主要目的是为了在英国开展商业业务的人士引入了两个新的签证类别，即创业签证 和 创新签证。

7.2这些新类别取代了现有的第1级（毕业生企业家）和第1级（企业家）类别，这些类别是2015年独立移民咨询委员会（MAC）审查的主题中MAC的建议：

第1级（毕业生企业家）类别运作良好，应扩展到更广泛的创业类别；

一级（企业家）类别需要进行实质性的改革，因为发现它有很多低质量的项目，对英国经济贡献很少或根本没有。

7.3两个新类别的核心将是引入英国信托机构（如商业加速器，种子竞赛和政府机构以及高等教育机构）对申请人的认可。这些机构将评估申请人的创新，可行性和可扩展性的商业理念。

7.4新类别的主要特征如下：

创业签证 STAR UP类别是Tier 1（毕业生企业家）类别的扩展版本。它适用于那些在英国首次开展新业务的人。申请人不需要是毕业生，也不需要获得任何初始资金。成功的申请人将获得2年的签证（老政策是1年）并且能够进入创新者类别，以便在此之后继续在英国开展业务。

创新者签证 Innovator类别适用于更有经验的商人。除了认可之外，申请人还需要50，000英镑来投资他们的业务。

7.5在这两个类别中，对初始申请的认可将基于评估申请人的商业创意是否具有创新性，可行性和可扩展性。

7.6 Endorsement for extension applications in the Innovator category will be based on assessment of whether applicants have made significant achievements against their business plans， and whether their businesses are trading。 Applicants whose original business ideas did not succeed may re-apply， with a new business idea， for endorsement under the criteria for initial applications。

7.7 Endorsements for settlement applications will be made against a range of criteria – covering investment， innovation， business growth and job creation – which applicants may choose from in order to qualify for settlement。 Applicants may apply for settlement as soon as their businesses satisfy at least two of these criteria， providing they have spent at least three years in the category。

7.8 An English language requirement is being set at upper intermediate （B2） level （up from intermediate （B1） under the previous categories） for both categories， to ensure that successful applicants have the good command of English they will need to interact with a variety of business organisations and potential customers。

7.9 Applicants will be asked to stay in contact with their endorsing body with checkpoints after 6， 12 and （for the Innovator category） 24 months。 The endorsing bodies must be satisfied that applicants are continuing to work on their business ventures and have either demonstrated reasonable progress with their original ideas or are pursuing new business ideas that are also innovative， viable and scalable。

7.10 The new categories are set out in a new Appendix W to the Immigration Rules。 They do not form part of the Points-Based System and do not include points-scoring tables。 Appendix W is designed to be clearer and easier to read than existing rules for the Points-Based System。 It is anticipated that other categories for workers will be added to this Appendix as the immigration system is reformed over time。

7.11 The new categories nevertheless include similar provisions to the Points-Based System regarding evidential flexibility， switching categories， English language and maintenance funds requirements， qualifying for settlement and the ability for dependants （partners and children under age 18） to apply。

Changes relating to the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） and Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） categories of the Points-Based System

7.12 As stated above， the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） and Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） categories are being replaced by the new Start-up and Innovator categories。 These existing categories are being closed as the new categories are introduced。

7.13 Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） applicants apply on the basis of endorsement letters from Higher Education Institutions or the Department for International Trade。 These letters are valid for three months and may continue to be issued until 5 April 2019。

Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） applications can therefore continue to be made until 5 July 2019。 Unlike the Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） category， there is no risk of an uncontrolled surge of Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） applications that would necessitate closing the category sooner， as a limit applies to the number of endorsement letters。

7.6对创新者签证类别中的申请的认可将基于对申请人是否在其业务计划中取得重大成就以及他们的业务是否在进行交易的评估。原始商业创意未成功的申请人可以通过新的商业理念重新申请根据初始申请的标准进行认可。

7.7永居签证申请的标准将根据一系列标准进行 - 包括投资，创新，业务增长和创造就业 - 申请人可以选择这些标准以获得结算资格。申请人可以在其业务满足至少两个标准时立即申请永居，前提是他们已经在该类别中花费至少三年。

7.8两个类别的英语语言要求都设定在中高级（B2）级别（从之前类别的中级（B1）以上），以确保成功的申请人具备良好的英语水平，他们需要与各种语言进行互动商业组织和潜在客户。

7.9申请人将被要求分别在第6个月，第12个月和24个月（创新者签证）后与担保机构保持联系。认可机构必须确信申请人将继续从事其商业活动，并且要么在原有想法方面取得了合理的进展，要么正在寻求具有创新性，可行性和可扩展性的新商业理念。

7.10新类中引入移民规则新附录W。 它们不构成目前现行的计点积分制的一部分，也不包括评分表。附录W旨在比PBS 计点积分制的系统的现有规则更清晰，更易于阅读。

7.11新签证类别同样包括与基于积分的系统类似的关于证据灵活性，转换类别，英语语言和维持基金要求，申请永居资格以及家属（配偶和18岁以下儿童）申请条件的规定。

与基于积分的系统的第1层（毕业生企业家）和第1层（企业家）类别相关的变更

7.12如上所述，第1级（毕业生企业家）和第1级（企业家）类别正在被新的创业和创新类别取代。随着新类别的引入，这些现有类别即将关闭。

7.13一级（毕业生企业家）申请人根据高等教育机构或国际贸易部的背书信函申请。这些信件有效期为三个月，并可能继续发放至2019年4月5日。因此，第1级（毕业生企业家）申请可以继续提交至2019年7月5日。

7.14 Extension applications for Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） migrants will remain open until 5 April 2023， and settlement applications until 5 April 2025。

Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） migrants will be able to switch into the new Start-up route if they have not yet had their maximum two grants of leave under the Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） route。 If their Start-up endorsement is from the same endorsing body as in their previous Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） application， their business ideas will not need to meet the new Start-up criteria in relation to innovation and scalability。

Tier 1 （Graduate Entrepreneur） migrants （including those who switch into the Start- up category as above） will continue to be able to switch into the Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） category until 5 July 2021。 Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） extension applications will remain open for these individuals until 5 July 2025， and settlement applications until 5 July 2027。

7.14一级（企业家）移民的续签申请将持续到2023年4月5日，永居申请将持续到2025年4月5日。

如果一级（毕业生企业家）移民尚未在第一级（毕业生企业家）路线下获得最多两次续签，他们将能够转入新的创业路线。如果他们的担保机构认可来自与他们之前的一级（毕业生企业家）相同的认可机构，那么他们的商业理念将不需要满足与创新和可扩展性相关的新标准。

第1层（毕业生企业家）移民（包括那些如上所述切换到初创企业类别的移民）将继续能够切换到第1层（企业家）类别，直到2021年7月5日。第1层（企业家）扩展申请将保留这些人在2025年7月5日之前开放，永居申请截止到2027年7月5日。

7.17 Changes are being made to provide greater assurance that Tier1（Entrepreneur） migrants are genuinely engaged in business。 Applicants will be asked to provide an overview of their business’s activity， details of their role within the business， and the job titles/descriptions for the settled worker employees for whom they are claiming points。 The government has judged it proportionate to apply these changes to future extension and settlement applications by entrepreneurs already in the category。

7.18 The rules state that a transitional arrangement， relating to job creation， for applicants who entered the category under the rules in place before 6 April 2014， will close on 6 April 2019。 This transitional arrangement is being removed from the rules in line with this closure。

7.17此次变化的最要目的是为了保证第一级（企业家）移民真正从事商业活动。申请人将被要求提供他们的业务活动的概述，他们在业务中的角色的详细信息，以及他们用来证明就业机会产生的英国本地员工的职称/描述。政府已经认为，将这些变化应用于已经属于该类别的企业家的未来续签和永居申请是相称的。

7.18规则规定，根据2014年4月6日之前的规则进入该类别的申请人，与创造就业有关的过渡性安排将于2019年4月6日结束。这一过渡安排将从规则中删除。关闭。

投资移民签证的主要变化

Changes relating to the Tier 1 （Investor） category of the Points-Based System

7.20 The Tier 1 （Investor） category is for high net worth individuals making an investment of at least £2 million in the UK。

7.21 Changes are being made in this statement to supplement previous changes made in 2014 （HC 693） and 2015 （HC 1025） and address concerns that have been raised about the character and conduct of applicants using the route and the sources of their funds：

Currently applicants must provide evidence that they have held the funds that they will invest in the UK for at least 90 days or， if they have not held them for 90 days， provide evidence of the source of those funds。 This 90-day requirement is being extended to a 2-year requirement， to provide greater assurance of the provenance of applicants’ funds。

Applicants are currently required to open a UK bank account for the purpose of making their investment before making a Tier 1 （Investor） application。 This requirement is being tightened to make explicit that the bank must carry out all required due diligence checks and Know Your Customer enquiries， and confirm that these have been done。

7.22 Additional changes are being made to increase the economic benefits of qualifying investments to the UK：

Investment in UK government bonds is being excluded， to incentivise Tier 1 （Investor） migrants towards other forms of investment which have greater need to attract additional investment funds。

To increase transparency and demonstrate better where applicants are ultimately investing their funds， rules are being tightened around the use of intermediary vehicles。 These include a requirement for any intermediary vehicles to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority （FCA）， and a requirement to provide evidence of the final investment destination and how the funds are transferred there， regardless of how long any chain of intermediary vehicles is。

The definition of “active and trading” companies is being strengthened so that there must be stronger evidence that such companies are trading in the UK。

A clarification is being made to confirm that “price of the investments” means the price the applicant paid for the investments， not the face value （which does not in itself demonstrate that an applicant has invested £2 million in the UK， as required by the rules）。

New provision is being made to allow investment in pooled investments which also receive funding from a UK or devolved government department or one of its agencies， such as the British Business Bank or the Scottish Investment Bank。 This is because such vehicles will have been assessed as being of benefit to the UK economy by the department or agency providing the funding。 The exclusion of other types of pooled investment vehicles remains， as the Home Office cannot be satisfied that the applicant’s funds are being invested to the benefit of the UK economy。

7.20一级（投资移民）类别适用于在英国投资至少200万英镑的高净值个人。

7.21本声明正在进行修改，以补充2014年（HC 693）和2015年（HC 1025）之前的变更，并解决了使用该途径及其资金来源的申请人的性质和行为所引起的关注：

目前，申请人必须提供证据证明他们已经持有他们将在英国投资至少90天的资金，或者如果他们没有持有90天，则提供这些资金来源的证据。这项为期90天的要求正在延长至2年的要求，以更好地保证申请人资金的来源。

申请人目前必须在进行第1层（投资移民）申请之前开立英国银行账户以进行投资。该要求正在收紧，以明确表明银行必须执行所有必要的尽职调查和了解客户的查询，并确认这些已经完成。

7.22正在进行其他更改以增加合格投资对英国的经济利益：

英国政府债券的投资被排除在外，以激励一级（投资者）移民转向其他形式的投资，这些投资更需要吸引额外的投资资金。

为了提高透明度并更好地展示申请人最终投入资金的情况，围绕中间特殊投资专用机构使用的规则正在加强。其中包括要求任何中间机构受到金融行为监管局（FCA）的监管，并要求提供最终投资目的地的证据以及如何将资金转移到那里，无论任何中间是多长时间。

“活跃和交易的”公司的定义正在加强，因此必须有更强有力的证据证明这些公司在英国进行交易。

作出进一步澄清，以确认“投资价格”是指申请人为投资支付的价格，而不是面值（这本身并不表明申请人已在英国投资200万英镑，规则）。

正在制定新的规定，允许对集合投资进行投资，这些投资也可以从英国或下放的政府部门或其中一个机构（如英国商业银行或苏格兰投资银行）获得资金。这是因为这些机构将被提供资金的部门或机构评估为对英国经济有利。由于内政部无法满足申请人的资金投资于英国经济的利益，因此排除其他类型的集合投资工具仍然存在。

7.23 Transitional arrangements are being applied to ensure the above changes regarding 2-year source of funds checks， investment in UK government bonds， FCA regulation of intermediary vehicles and the definition of “active and trading” companies do not have an adverse impact on investors who entered the category under the rules in place before 29 March 2019。 These transitional arrangements will continue until 5 April 2023 for extension applications and 5 April 2025 for settlement applications。 The other changes above do not alter the requirements of the category substantively， and it is considered proportionate to apply them to future extension and settlement applications by investors already in the category。

7.24 As for Tier 1 （Entrepreneur） applications， the entry clearance grant period for extension applications is being changed to 2 years， 4 months for consistency with leave to remain grants。

7.25 The rules for initial Tier 1 （Investor） applications do not allow leave to be granted if the decision maker has reasonable grounds to believe that：

the applicant is not in control of the investment funds；

the funds were obtained unlawfully （or by means which would be unlawful if they happened in the UK）； or

the character， conduct or associations of a party providing the funds mean that approving the application is not conducive to the public good。

7.26 The above test is being extended to cover circumstances where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the funds have been， or will be， transferred internationally by means which are unlawful in any of the countries involved。

The overall test is also being extended to extension and settlement applications， for the sake of clarity and consistency， to make clear that subsequent applications may be refused if evidence showing the above has come to light since the initial application was granted。 This supplements the existing provisions that require such applicants to remain in control of their funds， and not fail under the General Grounds for Refusal。

7.27 Transitional arrangements， for applicants who entered the category under the rules in place before 13 December 2012 or 6 November 2014， will shortly no longer be needed as these applicants will have had sufficient time to qualify for settlement。 Changes are being made to give notice and close these arrangements from 6 April 2020， and 6 April 2022 in the case of settlement applications relating to the 2014 transitional arrangement。

7.23 2019年3月29日之前的规则进入该类别的申请人不受到有关2年资金来源检查，英国政府债券投资，FCA监管以及“活跃和交易”公司定义的变化的影响。

这些过渡安排将持续到2023年4月5日，用于续签申请，2025年4月5日用于结算永居。上述其他变更并未实质性地改变该类别的要求。

7.24对于一级（企业家移民）申请，延期申请的入境许可补助期正在变更为2年4个月，多出来的四个月用于续签申请。原文如此，但是大叔感觉这个部分有错误，正在查证移民法修改草稿细节。

7.25如果移民局认为有合理理由相信以下情况，初始第1层（投资移民）申请的规则不允许准予许可：

申请人无法控制投资资金；

这些资金是非法获得的（或者通过在英国发生的非法手段）； 或者

申请人或者资金提供人存在对个人品质问题，有可能对社会产生危害；

7.26上述测试的范围正在扩大，以涵盖有合理理由认为资金已经或将要通过任何有关国家的非法手段进行国际转移的情况。为了清晰和一致，整体测试也扩展到续签和永居申请程序，以明确如果自初始申请获得批准后显示上述证据，则后续申请可能会被拒绝。

这补充了现有规定，要求这些申请人保持对其资金的控制，而不是根据拒绝的一般理由而失败。

7.27对于根据2012年12月13日或2014年11月6日之前的规则进入类别的申请人，将很快不再需要过渡安排，因为这些申请人将有足够的时间有资格获得永居。在与2014年过渡安排有关的永居申请案件中，正在进行变更，以便在2020年4月6日和2022年4月6日之前发出通知并关闭这些安排。

以上仅仅是部分修改草案说明，更多细节，需要更多的时间来分析和判断。本文仅仅针对中国籍申请人相关联系紧密的签证类型做出说明，原文引用完毕后，请参见下面大叔的总结分析。

对于那些已经获得英国投资移民，企业家移民而言：基本都是好消息

按照英国一贯的规则，新政策对于已经进入这一签证类别的人士影响不大；

按照政策方向来看，企业家移民会有潜在的监察风险，特别是在续签及永居的时候，对新产生的员工情况，很有可能要进一步说明具体职责，岗位等等。

对于计划申请英国企业家移民签证人士而言：有好消息，有坏消息

重要的日期： 2019年3月29日

重要的区别： 在上述日期之前递交，审核机构仍然是移民局，上诉日期之后递交，将由政府制定的几个机构来出具担保信来获取签证；具体担保机构清单，欢迎添加大叔微信 UKPETERLIU 索取；

语言要求提高： 新政策雅思提高到B2水平，相当于雅思5.5；

资金变化： 担保机构将挑选项目来决定是否担保；5万英镑；

续签要求：一旦被担保，项目不能变更，必须坚持创业，或者得到担保机构的许可和同意；

永居要求：最快可以3年获得绿卡；

对于那些计划申请英国投资移民的申请人而言：基本都是坏消息

重要的日期： 2019年3月29日；

新政策不允许购买英国国债，但是可以购买英国股票，企业债；

资金来源要求：2年，或者清楚解释资产来源；

如果是投资在公司中，需要对公司的经营范围，投资去向作出更深一层次的解释和说明并提供证据以证明企业的真实运营；