The UK Tier 1 Visa application programme has been the focus of many controversial Immigration issues throughout 2018. With the recent potential changes laid out earlier this year, the results of the review will undoubtedly be affected by the outcome of ‘Brexit’ on 29 March 2019.

There are going to be developments of the immigration rules in the Tier 1 section. The changes consist of the exceptional talent route, including those who are in the field of architecture. The UK plans to reach out to those overseas and bring in their talent for them to set up businesses in the UK. Further, an accelerated settlement process is being considered under this route.

Alongside this, the current requirements will be lowered; therefore they are looking to expand the reach of the existing visa for the Graduate Entrepreneur to non-graduates. It will be an open door for non-EU citizens to enter the UK under Tier 1.

Although there are changes being made to the Tier 1 route, there will be a probable replacement of the tier in general into the ‘Innovator Visa’ by spring 2019. The Innovator visa will have requirements for those who apply to be experienced business people. A business sponsor will assess the applicant’s business ideas for their innovation, liability and scalability. As most application changes are made in April every year, it is likely that those changes will come into effect in April 2019.

The existing system for Tier 1 eligibility criteria is currently undergoing review, however it is still open to new applicants and for those who want to extend their current visa. Any changes that were implied in December 2018 will be applied along with the other potential amendments.