UK - Family members (parents or children)

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.

Can I go to live with my parents in the UK as a child?
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.

How can I qualify to join my parents in the UK?
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 independently away from 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.

Can parents, grandparents and other dependent relatives go to live in the UK?
 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.

What if my relative has been recognised as a refugee or has been granted exceptional leave to live in the UK?
If you are the wife, husband, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner of a person granted refugee status in the UK, you and your dependent children under 18 may qualify for entry clearance under ‘Family reunion’. (Family reunion is the term used where a person applies to join someone already in the United Kingdom who has been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection as their husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner, or child under 18).

You and your dependent child under 18 may qualify for entry clearance under 'Family reunion' if:

  • - Your husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex 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 show 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 and any dependants intend to live together
    f 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 entry clearance under ‘Family reunion’ but immigration department may allow them to join their relative if there are exceptional compassionate circumstances.
    If your sponsor has exceptional leave to remain 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 permission to stay in the UK permanently (indefinite leave to remain or ILR). You can get more information about refugee status, exceptional leave, discretionary leave and humanitarian protection from the UK Border Agency.
How do I apply for a settlement visa?
You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.If you are applying to join family members in the UK, you should make your application in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live. We as a consultant can give you consultancy for more information please contact us.

What supporting documents should I include with my 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, immigration department may refuse your application.

You should include the following:

  • - Your original birth certificate (if applying to join your parents in the UK).
  • - 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.
  • - Recent bank statements or savings books for your sponsor and evidence of your sponsor's employment in the UK, which could include payslips to show what financial support you have.
  • - Evidence of your accommodation, such as a mortgage agreement or rental agreement, and evidence that you and your dependants can stay in this accommodation if it is rented or provided by your local authority.
If you are applying as the parent, grandparent or other dependant relative of someone already present and settled (see the next section) in the UK, you should ask your sponsor to fill in a sponsorship undertaking form below and include this with your application. By signing the undertaking form, your sponsor confirms that they will be responsible for your living expenses and accommodation during your stay in the UK, and won't need any support from public funds. In some cases the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) may ask you and your relatives to take a DNA test to prove that you are related to each other.

What does 'present and settled' mean?
'Settled' means being allowed to live in the UK lawfully, with no time limit on your stay. 'Present and settled' means that the person concerned is settled in the UK and, at the time immigration department is considering your application under the Immigration Rules, is in the UK or is coming here with you, or to join you, and plans to live with you in the UK if your application is successful.

What will happen when I make my application?
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).


How long can I stay with my parents in the UK?
If both of your parents are settled in the UK, or if one parent already settled in the UK has sole responsibility for you, Immigration Department 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, they will normally give you permission to stay in the UK for the same length of time as they are given.

How long can I stay with my children, grandchildren or other relatives in the UK?
If you have a visa for settlement to travel with or join a relative, They will allow you to stay permanently in the UK from the date that you arrive.

Warning - Drugs warning
Anyone found smuggling drugs into the UK will face serious penalties. Drug traffickers may try to bribe travellers. If you are travelling to the UK, avoid any involvement with drugs.

Warning - False documents
It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document with an application. Applicants will be automatically refused and may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if they use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information.  They may also be banned if they have breached immigration laws in the UK.

Travellers to the UK who produce a false travel document or passport to the UK immigration authorities for themselves and/or their children are committing an offence. People found guilty of this offence face up to two years in prison or a fine (or both).