Here’s what we know
The visa of Roman Abramovich — the Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea Football Club — appears to have been caught up in a government crackdown on wealthy investors coming to the UK following the Salisbury nerve-agent attack.
A source told CNN today that the billionaire’s visa had expired about three weeks ago and an application was made for a new one, but the process of renewal has taken longer than expected.
Downing Street confirmed that it was taking a fresh look at tier 1 visas, which allows anybody who invests more than £2m in the British economy to stay for 40 months. Abramovich is in the process of renewing his visa as part of a standard procedure, one of the sources also told media.
Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, is Russia’s 11th richest man with an estimated wealth of £9.3bn, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List. He also owns stakes in steel company Evraz and mining firm Norilsk Nickel.
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