There are no restrictions on shareholdings under the Skilled Worker visa category.  Under the previous Tier 2 General visa category the visa applicant could not own more than ten percent of the UK business, unless the salary was at least £159,600 per annum.  There were no shareholding restrictions for the previous Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa category and the same is true of the current Senior or Specialist Worker visa.  However, the Senior or Specialist Worker visa under Global Business Mobility does not lead to indefinite leave to remain. The most popular UK work visa category remains the Skilled Worker visa that leads to permanent residence. Business owners have the option of firstly starting a business in the UK under the Skilled Worker visa category with say a UK resident manager, and then having the UK company sponsoring them for entry to the UK, or perhaps come under the Expansion Worker visa option.