Visas offering foreign investors fast-track residency in the UK are expected to be scrapped by the government, amid pressure over UK links to Russia.
A government source confirmed reports of an announcement next week on Tier 1 investor visas, which offer residency to those spending at least £2m.
The scheme was introduced in 2008 to encourage wealthy people from outside the EU to invest in the United Kingdom.
It has been under review for some time, after concerns it is open to abuse.
However, the expected announcement next week comes amid pressure on ministers to cut UK ties to Russia over the threat of invasion to Ukraine.
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s border – but denies it is planning an invasion.
The Tier 1 (investor) visa, often called a “golden visa”, offers residency to those investing £2m or more in the UK, and allows their families to join them.
Holders of these visas can then apply for permanent residency in the United Kingdom, at a speed depending on how much they invest.
A £2m investment allows an application within five years, shortened to three years with £5m or two years if £10m is invested.
The Home Office said it had already reformed the scheme to ensure it is not used to facilitate corruption, and did not rule out further changes.
A spokesperson added it would report “in due course” on an ongoing review of visas granted before changes to the scheme in 2015.
Changes to scheme
The Home Office has issued 14,516 investor visas to Russian citizens since the scheme opened in 2008.
Several changes have been made since its introduction, including extra checks on how and when applicants acquired their wealth.
Banks are also now required to complete certain checks before opening accounts for applicants – who are also required to submit extra paperwork if their qualifying funds are invested through a chain of different companies.
In 2020, Parliament’s intelligence and security committee argued for a “more robust” approach to approving Tier 1 visas as part of a report on Russian influence in the UK.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
