Family Visas
The procedure of obtaining a family visa is straightforward from a legal perspective, providing you have the necessary documents and that they are up to date.
If you wish to settle in the UK with family members or a spouse who live in the UK as permanent residents, then you can apply for a family visa, which is essentially where the relative or spouse acts as a sponsor and vouches for you. There are two main ways of applying for a family visa, you can apply to ‘join’ or apply to ‘remain’ with your family. The differences are as follows, if you are outside of the UK you apply to ‘join living family in the UK’, however if you are already in the UK you apply to ‘remain in the UK with family.’
Family visas are usually obtained when you are connected to a UK resident:
- Spouse or a partner
- Parent
- Child
- Widowed
- Separated spouse or partner
- Requiring long-term care
If your partner dies and was a permanent resident (they had indefinite leave to remain) in the UK, you can apply as a dependent, on the basis that is how you acquired your visa. You can also include your children who are under 18 (if applicable to you) as dependents. There are some exceptions to these rules to apply and accordingly it is better to seek advice from a qualified immigration solicitor.
Apply to join family living in UK
OVERVIEW:
You will need a visa’ if you are outside the EEA (European economic area) or Switzerland in order to stay in the UK for more than 6 months with family members. Please note you do not need this visa if you are visiting family for less than 6 months.
ELIGIBILITY:
When applying for the visa your family member:
- can be a British citizen
- or they can have settled in the UK
- or have asylum protection in the UK.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are unsure about any applications that need to be made to Home Office or you require more information about our services.
Apply to remain with family living in the UK
OVERVIEW:
If you are already in the UK and outside the EEA (European Economic Area) to stay with your family in the UK you will need to apply for a ‘family of a settled person visa’, but however you can only apply if you are eligible, once you have confirmed your eligibility you may then proceed with the applications. There are multiple routes you can take to apply for the visa, which are: parent, partner, child, or private.
ELIGIBILITY:
Your family member or partner must be:
- can be a British citizen
- or they can have settled in the UK
- or have asylum protection in the UK.
- You can also apply to live with your child if they have been living in the UK for over 7 years
DOCUMENTATION YOU WILL NEED:
- to prove that you are over 18 years of age
- that the relationship is genuine
- have a basic knowledge of English (this will need to be proven via a qualification certificate)
- meet a minimum financial requirement (dependent on route)
- a valid passport or another form of valid travel identification
- you may also need to provide additional documents depending upon your circumstances. (dependent on which route you take to obtain the visa)
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are unsure about any applications that need to be made to Home Office or you require more information about our services.
