- Introduction
The UK introduced its current golden visa programme, officially known as the ‘Tier 1
(Investor)’ route, in 2008, replacing the previous ‘Investor Immigrant’ category first introduced
in 1994. Despite the fact that golden visa programmes are not as controversial as golden
passport programmes, which are currently operated in only a handful of countries,1
the UK
programme has been criticised mainly for its lack of transparency, for its inability to return any
benefits to UK residents, and for creating the danger of transforming the UK into a safe haven
for money launderers. These criticisms have in fact formed the main rationale behind the
amendments effected to the programme in recent years, and possibly for the proposals for the
programme’s abolition, which have been very recently put on the table.
The aim of this paper is to trace the development of the UK’s current golden visa programme,
from the moment of its inception in June 2008 to today. An assessment of the strengths and
weaknesses of this programme will be offered, as well as a consideration of the possibilities
for its development (or abolition) in the future.
