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Recommendations for the reform of the Tier 1 visa route for investors have been released today by the government¡¯s migration advisors.

The Migration Advisory Committee suggests that around 100 ¡°premium route¡± visas, offering a route to citizenship in two years rather than the normal five, should be auctioned off to the highest bidder each year.

A minimum bid would be worth ?2.5 million, with ?2 million being invested in the UK and the remaining money going towards ¡°specific good causes rather than general revenue for the Exchequer¡±, it recommends.

Elsewhere in the report, the committee notes that it received evidence that Tier 1 investors ¡°would be willing to donate significant amounts to worthy causes which are considered socially important, such as NHS Trusts and universities¡±.

¡°Such donations would add benefit, not least because they are gifts rather than loans,¡± says.

It cautions that there is ¡°limited evidence that this happens on a large scale¡±, although the law firm Mishcon de Reya provided evidence that 42 per cent (10 of 24) of its clients using the Tier 1 route made donations to UK charities.?

david.matthews@tsleducation.com