UK: Overseas Criminal Record Certificates Required for Investor & Entrepreneur Applicants

July 29, 2015


The Home Office has announced that from 1st September 2015, those applying for Tier 1 Investor and Entrepreneur visas will have to supply an overseas criminal record certificate with their application. It was indicated in April 2015 that this requirement will be introduced for all migrants and the first group affected are Tier 1 Investors and Entrepreneurs.
 
 
Applicants and all accompanying family members aged over 18 will need to provide an overseas criminal record certificate for any country they have resided in continuously for 12 months or more, in the 10 years before they file their visa application. Detailed guidance on how to apply for the overseas criminal record certificates has been published on the Home Office website.
 
 
Costs of the certificates are reasonable, however some countries charge up to £80 and the turnaround time varies depending on the country where the request is being lodged. Newland Chase will be able to assist with obtaining the certificate in a number of countries.
 
 
Note that certificates are only valid if issued within 6 months of the visa application. Any certificates that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. The requirement does not affect those applying for leave to remain in the UK under these categories.
 

What to do?

Anyone considering filing a Tier 1 Investor or Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa application after 1st September 2015 will now need to obtain the criminal record certificate.
 
 
The requirement applies to all applicants aged over 18 – even if they have not resided in countries other than their home country. Therefore, all applications from 1st September for Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur must be submitted with the criminal record certificate.
 
 
It is worth noting that many other countries apply similar requirements to those applying for visas. We understand that the Home Office will be rolling out this requirement to all visa applicants in due course and we will inform you when an announcement is made.
 
 
Should you have any queries about how this may affect you, please do not hesitate to contact us.