Family Visas - Join Your Family in the UK

Under the UK Family Visa scheme, partners and spouses can stay in the UK for up to 2.5 years. After this period, you can apply for an extension, allowing a total stay of five years. Following this, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if you have lived in the UK for over five years.

Requirements for a UK Spouse Visa

• Both you and your partner must be over 18 years old.
• You must be in a genuine relationship.
• You must intend to live in the UK for at least 2.5 years.

If applying as a fiancée, your visa will be limited to six months, during which you must marry your fiancée to avoid deportation. You can also include dependent children in your application.

Financial and Language Requirements

• The sponsoring family member (or you, if you have permission to work in the UK) must have a minimum income of £29,000. This can be met through savings or a combination of savings and a lower income.
• You must meet one of the following language requirements:
• Pass an approved language test.
• Hold a qualification from an English-speaking course.
• Be from a majority English-speaking country.

These language requirements do not apply if you have a mental or physical disability that prevents you from meeting them or if you are 65 years or older.

Child Dependent Visa

Children who are overseas nationals can apply for a UK Family Visa either with their parent's application or separately. To qualify, the child must be under 18 when the application is made and still dependent without having formed an independent family unit. The sponsoring parent or carer must also meet financial requirements. After five years in the UK, the child can apply for British naturalisation.

UK Ancestry Visa

A UK Ancestry Visa is available to those with a British-born grandparent. This visa allows you to work, live, and study in the UK. After five years, you can apply for settled status.

Adult Dependent Visa

Adults over 18 who require long-term care may be eligible for an Adult Dependent Visa. This visa is for parents, grandparents, or adult children of British citizens who need long-term care provided by a UK-based relative. This visa allows indefinite stay if the UK relative has British citizenship or settled status. It is difficult to obtain and requires substantial evidence of the need for care that cannot be met in your home country.

Family Reunion Visa

The Family Reunion Visa allows family members of refugees in the UK to join them. The refugee acts as a sponsor and must have refugee status, humanitarian protection for at least five years, or have entered under specific refugee programmes.

PBS Dependent Visa

The Points-Based System (PBS) Dependent Visa allows family members of individuals living in the UK to reside, work, and study in the UK, as long as the primary visa holder has permission to stay.

• Failure to meet requirements.
• Inadequate supporting information.
• Risk to UK public health or safety.
• False or misleading information.
• Criminal convictions affecting eligibility for naturalisation.