UK $3.3 Million Investor Visa: Could a New “Golden Visa” Stop the Wealth Exodus?

The UK is in the middle of a huge reset on how it treats wealth, investment and long-term migration.

On one side, the government has scrapped the non-dom tax regime, hiked various taxes and proposed a much tougher “earned settlement” model for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), with a default 10-year route.

On the other side, a group of peers in the House of Lords is now urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to bring back an investor visa – a new kind of “golden visa” requiring a minimum £2.5 million ($3.3 million) investment – to stop wealthy individuals and their capital from leaving the UK.

So what exactly is being proposed, why now, and what could this mean for investors, migrants and the UK economy?

Let’s break it down in simple, clear language.

1. What Are Lawmakers Proposing?

According to Bloomberg and other outlets, around a dozen UK lawmakers – mainly members of the House of Lords – have written to Keir Starmer calling for a new investor visa tied to:

• Minimum investment:
  £2.5 million (≈ $3.3 million) per applicant
• Use of funds:
  Directed into UK public services and national infrastructure – not just passive investments
• Goal:
  • Attract high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and their families
  • Replace lost capital as wealthy residents move abroad
  • Support growth, jobs, and the UK’s international competitiveness

The letter reportedly warns that the UK is “losing both capital and talent at an alarming rate” and calls on the government to “seize this opportunity” or risk a “bleak” economic future.

Signatories include prominent business and political figures such as:

• Nosheena Mobarik – businesswoman and Conservative peer
• Richard Spring – veteran banker (ex-Merrill Lynch)
• Edward Lister – former Chief of Staff at 10 Downing Street

In short, the argument is:

If taxes are going up and the non-dom regime is gone, then we need a strong, credible investor visa to keep and attract global wealth.

2. The Background: Why Is This Debate Happening Now?

2.1 Abolition of the non-dom regime and tax hikes

The UK’s famous “non-dom” tax status – which allowed residents with a foreign domicile to shelter overseas income from UK tax – has been abolished in stages, with Labour under Rachel Reeves pushing through a more aggressive version from April 2025.

At the same time, the UK faces:

• The highest tax burden since WWII, according to official forecasts
• Higher Capital Gains Tax and changes to inheritance tax rules hitting wealthy individuals

Some high-profile billionaires and business leaders – such as Guillaume Pousaz (Checkout.com), Nik Storonsky (Revolut) and Nassef Sawiris – have reportedly relocated or considered leaving the UK in response to the non-dom reforms and tax environment.

Official analyses suggest non-doms historically contributed very large amounts of tax per head, but there is disagreement over how large the “exodus” really is. Some data from HMRC and independent researchers suggest the outflow is significant but perhaps not the mass flight that headline numbers imply.

Still, perception matters, and the political debate has clearly shifted to:

How do we keep high-value residents and attract new ones, while still being “tough but fair” on tax and immigration?

2.2 The old UK investor visa: Tier 1 (Investor) – and why it was scrapped

The UK used to have an investor route: the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa, launched in 2008. It allowed wealthy applicants to obtain residence if they invested £2 million or more into the UK, with faster settlement if they invested larger sums.

However, that route was closed to new applicants in February 2022 over serious concerns about:

• Illicit finance and money laundering
• National security risks (especially post-Russia’s invasion of Ukraine)
• Weak checks on the source of funds, particularly in the early years

The Home Office explicitly stated that the investor route had been abused by individuals with wealth of dubious origin and links to corruption.

Anti-corruption campaigners and the Migration Advisory Committee also questioned whether the old investor scheme brought real, measurable economic benefit to UK society.

So any new investor visa would have to:

• Look very different from the old Tier 1 route
• Build in much stricter due diligence and source-of-funds checks
• Show clear public benefit, not just paper investments

2.3 Earned Settlement: The new ILR (PR) model in the background

At the same time as this investor visa debate, the UK has proposed a sweeping “earned settlement” overhaul:

• Default ILR qualification period: from 5 years → 10 years for most routes
• Fast-track ILR:
  • High earners above £125,000 → ILR in 3 years
  • Higher-rate taxpayers → ILR in 5 years
  • Essential public workers (NHS, teachers) → 5 years
• Criteria: settlement based on four pillars – Character, Integration, Contribution, Residence

This is important because any new investor visa would almost certainly sit inside this wider framework, not outside it.

You should picture a future system where:

• Time alone is not enough for PR/ILR
• ILR is “earned” by how much you invest, earn, contribute, and integrate

A new £2.5m investor visa would have to be justified in exactly those terms.

3. What Might the Proposed £2.5 Million Investor Visa Look Like?

To be clear:

This investor visa is not yet law. It is a proposal from lawmakers, not a published Home Office route.

But based on the letter, current immigration reforms, and the legacy of Tier 1 (Investor), we can reasonably imagine some likely features.

3.1 Investment threshold and structure

The Lords’ letter suggests:

• Minimum: £2.5 million per applicant
• Possible use of funds for:
  • Government bonds? (less likely after past criticism)
  • National infrastructure projects (energy, transport, housing)
  • Public services (NHS, skills, digital infrastructure)

Given past attacks on “pure financial investments” as offering limited benefit, we might see:

• Ring-fenced infrastructure bonds
• Funds directed through a state-approved investment vehicle
• Tight focus on productive investment, not passive asset parking

3.2 Due diligence and security checks

Given why Tier 1 was closed, a new route would almost certainly include:

• Enhanced source-of-wealth checks
• Cooperation with anti-money-laundering (AML) and sanctions enforcement bodies
• Possible restrictions on applicants from high-risk jurisdictions
• Ongoing checks to ensure capital stays in place for a minimum period

The Financial Times has already reported that anti-corruption groups warn any revived “golden visa” could again “roll out the red carpet” to kleptocrats and spies if not designed carefully.

3.3 Residency and settlement under the new ILR regime

Under the new earned settlement system, an investor visa might:

• Grant temporary residence for 3–5 years initially
• Offer fast-track ILR (perhaps 3–5 years) if:
  • The investment is maintained
  • The investor pays UK tax at higher or top rates
  • They meet English, good character and integration criteria

It could be integrated with the same fast-track logic as high earners:

• Invest >£2.5m + pay top-rate tax + meet English C1 = ILR in, say, 3 years
• Invest + pay higher rate but not top-rate = ILR in 5 years

This is speculative, but it fits the direction of current policy.

4. Why Lawmakers Say the UK Needs This Visa

The Lords’ letter and similar commentary put forward several key arguments.

4.1 To stem capital flight and the “exodus” narrative

• Non-dom reforms and higher taxes are seen as driving some ultra-wealthy individuals to leave the UK for Italy, Greece, Portugal, Dubai and others, which offer more favourable regimes.
• One analysis estimated that if a quarter to half of non-doms left, the UK could lose between £4.6–£7.8 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs over five years.

An investor visa, they argue, could retain and attract wealthy individuals who would otherwise take their businesses, philanthropy and spending elsewhere.

4.2 To raise funds for public services and infrastructure

The proposal links the visa directly to:

• Funding the NHS and public services
• Investing in national infrastructure

In theory, this could:

• Bring in billions in fresh capital
• Lower the government’s borrowing needs
• Support large projects (green energy, housing, digital) without raising general taxes quite as much

4.3 To keep the UK competitive against “tax competitor” countries

Countries like:

• Italy – known for its €100k–€200k flat tax on foreign income for wealthy newcomers
• Greece, Portugal, Spain – offering attractive residency and tax deals

are actively marketing themselves to the same HNWI segment. Lawmakers fear the UK could be squeezed out of this market if it offers high tax and no premium route for investors at all.

5. The Other Side: Concerns and Criticisms

This idea is controversial. Several serious concerns are already being voiced.

5.1 Risk of “golden visa 2.0” problems

Critics – including Transparency International UK and other campaign groups – warn that any new investor visa risks repeating the Tier 1 story: security risks, dirty money, and limited public benefit.

Internationally:

• Ireland and Australia have scrapped similar investor schemes after concluding they delivered poor value and were too vulnerable to abuse.

So the question is:

Can the UK design a “clean” investor visa that delivers real economic value – not just sell residency to the highest bidder?

5.2 Questionable economics of millionaire migration

Independent work by economists and think-tanks suggests:

• Some tax-driven exits have happened
• BUT the scale and macroeconomic impact may not be as catastrophic as some lobby groups claim

In other words, the “exodus” narrative might be partly political theatre, which complicates policy making.

5.3 Reputational & fairness concerns

Re-introducing a golden visa alongside:

• Tighter rules for health and care workers (15-year ILR proposals), and
• Much longer routes for refugees and lower-income migrants

raises difficult questions:

• Is it fair to fast-track millionaires while lengthening routes for key workers and vulnerable groups?
• What signal does this send about the UK’s values and priorities?

6. What This Means If You’re a Potential Investor or Migrant

Remember: this visa does not exist yet. It is a political proposal, and any final scheme may look very different – or may never be introduced.

Still, here’s what to watch and how to think about it.

6.1 If you are a high-net-worth individual (HNI / HNWI)

You should:

• Track official Home Office announcements – not just media reports
• Understand that the UK is clearly trying to build a tiered system:
  • Tougher for low earners / low contributors
  • Faster and more attractive for high earners and serious investors
• Think long-term:
  • Would your investment be genuinely productive (business, infrastructure, jobs)?
  • Are you prepared for intense due diligence on your wealth?
  • Could you meet C1 English and integration criteria if the visa ties into earned settlement?

6.2 If you are already in the UK on another visa

You may not need – or qualify for – an investor visa. Instead, you might:

• Benefit more from the fast-track ILR for high earners (3–5 years)
• Use routes like Global Talent or Innovator Founder if you’re entrepreneurial or in research/tech
• Consider the investor visa only if:
  • You’re already wealthy,
  • You want a clear, capital-based path, and
  • The eligibility and compliance conditions make sense for you

Always treat the investor route as one option among many, not the default.

6.3 For UK residents worried about inequality

It’s fair to ask difficult questions:

• Will money from an investor visa genuinely reach public services, local communities, and jobs?
• What safeguards will stop the UK becoming a safe harbour for illicit or opaque capital?
• How does this fit with social contracts for ordinary taxpayers and workers?

The answers will depend entirely on how the final policy – if any – is written.

7. Future Outlook: What Could Happen Next?

Here’s what to expect through 2026:

1. Budget + consultation context
   • Rachel Reeves’ second Budget and the Earned Settlement consultation shape the overall immigration & tax direction.
2. Internal Labour debate
   • Some ministers and advisers want a pro-investment stance.
   • Others – plus campaigners – are wary of reviving golden visas.
3. Possible compromise design
   If any investor visa appears, it may be:
   • Smaller and highly targeted (e.g., AI, life sciences, green tech)
   • Harder to abuse (source-of-funds checks, ongoing reporting)
   • Tightly embedded in the earned settlement model
4. International competition
   • If the UK does nothing, Italy, Greece and others will continue to court mobile wealth.
   • If it moves too far, too fast, it risks undermining its own anti-corruption agenda.

8. Expert Takeaway – In Plain English

• Yes, some UK lawmakers want a £2.5m ($3.3m) investor visa to stop rich people, their companies and their capital leaving the country.
• Yes, the UK is also making settlement harder and more “earned”, especially for lower-income migrants.
• No, this investor visa is not real policy yet – it is a proposal and political pressure, not a Home Office route.
• If it does happen, it will almost certainly come with heavy due diligence, tighter AML checks, and integration into the new earned settlement system.

For the UK, this is a balancing act between:

• Staying competitive for global capital, and
• Staying credible on corruption, fairness and security.

For investors and migrants, the key is to watch official Home Office announcements, understand the full ecosystem (tax + immigration + ILR reforms), and get specialist immigration and tax advice before making any big decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – UK £2.5m Investor Visa

1. Is the new £2.5 million investor visa already approved in the UK?

No. The investor visa is currently a proposal made by a group of UK lawmakers. It is not yet an official Home Office immigration route, and no application process exists yet.

2. Why are UK lawmakers calling for a new investor visa?

Lawmakers argue that rising taxes, the end of the non-dom regime, and ongoing economic uncertainty are pushing wealthy individuals to leave the UK. They believe a structured investor visa could help retain global talent, attract new capital, and support public services.

3. How much would applicants need to invest?

The proposal suggests a minimum investment of £2.5 million ($3.3 million). Funds would be channeled into public services, national infrastructure, and growth-aligned projects, rather than passive financial assets.

4. How would this investor visa differ from the old Tier 1 (Investor) Visa?

The old Tier 1 Investor Visa (closed in 2022) faced concerns around money laundering, national security, and minimal economic benefit. Any new visa would likely include strict AML checks, vetted source-of-funds rules, and targeted investment pathways where funds benefit the UK economy directly.

5. Would the investor visa offer a fast-track to residency or ILR?

Possibly. Under the UK’s new “earned settlement” model, the government is exploring faster ILR routes for high contributors, including high earners and major investors. A future investor visa could offer 3–5 year ILR, depending on investment level and contribution.

6. Why is the UK considering this option now?

A combination of tax reforms, non-dom abolition, and economic pressures have accelerated the outflow of wealthy residents. Lawmakers believe a structured investor route could counter capital flight and help fund infrastructure, innovation, and public services.

7. Could a new investor visa increase corruption risks?

Only if poorly designed. Anti-corruption groups warn that “golden visas” globally can be exploited. A modern UK investor visa would need to include enhanced due diligence, sanctions checks, financial transparency, and ongoing monitoring.

8. What could investors start preparing now?

Although the visa is not yet real, investors can prepare by:

• Maintaining clean, documented source-of-funds
• Understanding UK tax obligations post-non-dom regime
• Monitoring official Home Office announcements
• Considering complementary routes like Global Talent or Innovator Founder