UK >> Family Visa

If you want to come to the UK as the family member of someone who is not settled in the UK, for example a work permit holder, please read the appropriate guidance on this website.
You can apply to join your parents in the UK if:

• your parents live in the UK legally, with no time limit on their stay, or they are applying at the same time as you
• one parent is living and settled in the UK or is applying for settlement at the same time as you, and has had sole responsibility for looking after you
• your parents can support you without help from public funds
• your parents have enough accommodation, which they own or live in, where you can live without help from public funds, and
• you are their child.

For all of the above, ‘parent’ includes a step-parent where the father or mother is dead, either the father or mother of an illegitimate child and, in certain circumstances, an adoptive parent.

You, or your parent, must show that you:

• are under 18 years of age, and
• cannot support yourself financially, are not married or in a civil partnership and are not living your life independent of your parents.

A child cannot normally go to live in the UK if one parent is living abroad, unless the parent in the UK has sole responsibility for the child, or if there are special reasons why the child should be allowed to join the parent in the UK.
You must get a visa before you travel to the UK.

You can get information on how an adopted child can go to the UK in our Adopted children (INF 7) guidance note.

If you are a widowed parent or grandparent aged 65 or over, or parents or grandparents travelling together and one of you is 65 or over, you may qualify if:

• you are completely or mainly financially dependent on children or grandchildren living and settled in the UK
• you have no other close relatives in your own country to help you
• your children or grandchildren can support you without needing help from public funds, and
• your children or grandchildren have enough accommodation, which they alone own or live in, where you can live without needing any help from public funds.

If you are a parent or grandparent under the age of 65, you may qualify if:

• you are living in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances
• you are completely or mainly financially dependent on children or grandchildren living and settled in the UK
• you have no other close relatives in your own country to help you
• your children or grandchildren can support you without needing help from public funds, and
• your children or grandchildren have enough accommodation, which they alone own or live in, where you can live without needing any help from public funds.

If you are over 18 and have a parent settled in the UK, or if you are a sister, brother, aunt, uncle or any other relative of a person settled in the UK, you may qualify if you meet the conditions listed in the previous paragraph and you are living alone in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances.

If you are the wife, husband or civil partner of a person granted refugee status in the UK, you and your dependent children under 18 may qualify for ‘Family reunion’ if:

• your husband, wife or civil partner has been given full refugee status in the UK
• your husband, wife or civil partner has been granted "humanitarian protection" after 30 August 2005 and you can demonstrate that:
• you were married or you entered into a civil partnership recognised in the UK before your wife, husband or civil partner left to seek asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK, and
• you show that you and any dependants intend to live together.

If your wife, husband or civil partner has been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK after 30 August 2005, they will not need to show that they can support you and pay for your living arrangements.
Other dependent relatives (such as parents) do not qualify for ‘Family reunion’ but we may allow them to join their relative if there are exceptional compassionate circumstances.
If your sponsor has permission to remain exceptionally in the UK, or has been granted ‘Humanitarian protection’ before 30 August 2005 or has been granted ‘Discretionary leave to remain’, you cannot normally apply to join them until they have been granted indefinite leave (permission) to remain. You can get more information about refugee status, exceptional leave, discretionary leave and humanitarian protection from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Their contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance.

You will also need:

• Your passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of yourself. This should be:
• taken against a light coloured background
• clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
• printed on normal photographic paper, and
• full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons.
• The visa fee. This cannot be refunded, and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
• Supporting documents relevant to your application.

You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry to the UK to live with relatives. If you do not, we may refuse your application.
As a guide, you should include:

• evidence that your sponsor (the relative you are applying to join) is settled in the UK, such as a certified copy of their passport or registration certificate, and
• recent statements or letters from your sponsor's UK employer, bank, local authority or building society to show the support and accommodation that you will have in the UK.

If you are applying to join your parents you may also need to show your original birth certificate.
In some cases the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) may ask for a DNA test to be conducted to prove the relationship.
We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged.

The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible, they will need to interview you.
Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:

• your personal details are correct
• it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
• it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately.)

If both of your parents are settled in the UK, or if one parent already settled in the UK has sole responsibility for you, we will normally allow you to stay in the UK permanently from the date that you arrive.
If you travel to the UK with one or both of your parents, we will normally give you permission to stay in the UK for the same length of time as they are given.