Family Visa

To be eligible for an Adult Dependent Relative (ADR) visa you must prove that the applicant:

• Is over 18 years old and a close relative of the person sponsoring the applicant who must also be over the age of 18 years old and settled in the UK
• Needs long term care to do every day personal and household tasks due to age, disability or illness
• That the care required is not available or affordable in the country they currently reside in
• That the person in the UK who will be sponsoring the application will accommodate and care for the applicant without recourse to public funds for at least five years

The application must be made from outside the UK and your visa must be obtained before travelling.

More information on Adult Dependent Visas

To be eligible for a UK Child Dependent Visa the child must be:

• Be under the age of 18 years old
• Not be leading an independent life
• Not married or in a civil partnership
• Not formed an independent family unit

There are supplementary requirements with more for an adopted child. Contact us on to discuss or fill in the online contact form 

If the parent of the dependent child wishes to apply as a partner or parent in order to enter or remain in the UK they must met the financial requirements, whereas, all other cases require the parent to show they can accommodate the child without recourse to public funds.

In some cases, depending on the settlement status of the parent(s), the child may need to make an application as a points-based system (PBS) dependent.

As long as the child is eligible for a Dependent Child Visa, they will be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. The child can usually apply for British Naturalisation once they have lived in the UK for a continuous five years.

More information on Child Dependent Visas

If you are a Commonwealth citizen and one of your grandparents was born in the UK, born in what is now Republic of Ireland before March 1922 or on a British registered aircraft or ship you may be eligible to apply for a UK Ancestry visa. UK Ancestry cannot be claimed through step-parents, however, you can claim ancestry is either you or the relevant parent were born within or outside of marriage in the UK, or were adopted. We recommend speaking to one of our experts via the online contact form or calling us on  . Once granted, the Ancestry visa allows the individual to live, study and work in the UK as well as enabling you to bring family members to the UK. On the other hand, you cannot switch into this visa if you are already in the UK on another visa; and you will not have access to public funds.

Find out more about UK Ancestry Visas

As as the parent of a child who is a British citizen or settled in the UK, you can apply for permission to enter or stay here. You will need to show that:

• you have sole responsibility for the child, or at the very least access rights;
  
• you can maintain yourself without relying on public funds;
• you meet the suitability and English language requirements.

If you meet all the requirements you will be given temporary permission to remain in the UK for 30 months. You will be eligible to stay for a further 30 months if you continue to meet the requirements and after five years you can apply for ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

If you are outside the UK you must obtain your visa before travelling.

If you are already in the UK you will be eligible so long as you are not on a Visitor Visa or on temporary admission, permission to stay was not given for a period of less than six months (unless as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) and you are not in breach of the Immigration Rules (overstaying for less than 28 days will not be taken into account).

There are very limited grounds upon which you can appeal a UK Family visa, however, the option is available and there may other options you could consider if your application has been refused. We recommend you speak to one of our immigration experts to discuss your options. Call us on or fill in the online contact form.