Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)

The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route is/was for people who wish to set up, join or take over a business or businesses in the UK. This can/could be done as a sole trader, or within a partnership or UK-registered company structure. The category closed to new entrants on 29 March 2019, at which time it was replaced by the Innovator and Start-up routes, which both required endorsement by an approved third-party endorsing body. After 29 March 2019, the only individuals who could enter the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category

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Latest Immigration News

Blog examines the legal and constitutional implications of the new asylum white paper

The Public Law for Everyone blog, written by Mark Elliott, Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge, has published a blog analysing the government’s white paper, ‘Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy’. Elliott outlines the principal legal and constitutional questions arising from the proposals, which seek to reform the UK’s asylum system and its interaction with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Government to consult on new benefit rules for refugees

The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford has reported that the UK government plans to consult on proposals requiring people granted refugee status to meet additional conditions to access welfare benefits. Department for Work and Pensions data show that as of December 2024, around 112,000 people with refugee status—equivalent to 66% of adults in this category—were claiming Universal Credit. The findings indicate that recently recognised refugees are less likely to be employed and therefore more reliant on benefits, though employment rates improve with time spent in the UK. The consultation will examine potential changes to the eligibility framework for refugees receiving social security support.

Government announces asylum and human rights reforms

The UK Government has announced significant planned reforms to its asylum and human rights system. Settlement for refugees will no longer be automatic after five years and the changes intend to impose stricter limits on asylum support and family reunion rights, modify how Article 8 impacts privacy and family life cases, and significantly reform appeals processes.

ONS revises UK migration estimates using new administrative data

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has updated the UK’s long-term international migration estimates, introducing new methodologies based on administrative data from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) and the Home Office’s Borders and Immigration (HOBI) system. These replace the long-used International Passenger Survey, which the ONS says had been stretched beyond its original purpose. The revisions show that net migration peaked earlier and higher than previously estimated—at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023—before falling to 345,000 in December 2024. The updated methods have led to downward revisions in British nationals’ net migration, now estimated at –114,000, and upward adjustments in EU+ estimates, reflecting improved accuracy from visa and travel data. The changes mark a major step in modernising UK migration statistics, ensuring more robust and timely measurement of immigration and emigration trends.