Family in the UK

To apply as a partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.
Your partner must also either:

• be a British or Irish citizen
• have settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
• have protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection)
• have permission to stay as a stateless person

You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
• you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
  you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
• you’ve been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because
• you’re working or studying in different places, or it’s not accepted in your culture

You also need to prove you:

• have a good knowledge of English
• meet the financial requirements

If you cannot provide this proof you may still be able to apply for a visa or extend your permission to stay if:

• you have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
• it would breach your human rights to stop you coming to the UK or make you leave

If you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner You must prove that:

• any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended
• you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK

You will not be able to work or study during your engagement. You’ll need to apply for permission to extend your stay in the UK when you marry or enter into a civil partnership. If your application is approved, you’ll have the right to work or study in the UK.

How to prove your relationship
Send evidence that:

• comes from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider, or a medical professional
• confirms your relationship with your partner – for example, that you live together, share expenses or are married or in a civil partnership is less than 4 years old

You can use things like:

• a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate
• a tenancy agreement, utility bills or council tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together
• a bank statement from a joint bank account, or confirming that you live at the same address
• a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address

If you do not have any evidence that meets these criteria, there is other evidence you can provide instead, including:

• a one-off bill like vet’s fees or home repair costs
• letters confirming you  and your partner are on the voting register for the same address
• student finance paperwork confirming that you live at the same address

If you cannot live together because of work or study, or for cultural reasons, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other. You can do this by providing evidence that you:

• communicate regularly with each other
• support each other financially
• care for any children you have together
• spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events

You can stay in the UK for 2 years and 9 months on this visa. If you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner, you can stay for 6 months.
After this you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.
If you extend your family visa or switch to this visa you can stay in the UK for 2 years and 6 months.

Applying with your children
You can add children to your application as dependants if both of the following apply:

• they are under 18 when you apply, or were under 18 when they were first granted leave
• they do not live an independent life

Your child is living an independent life if, for example, they’ve left home, got married and had children.
If you apply for a family visa as a partner, you and your partner usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year.

This is called a ‘minimum income requirement’. The financial requirements are different if either:

• your partner is getting certain disability or carer’s benefits
• you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa – this includes if you first applied as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

You can apply to live in the UK to care for your child. If you’re eligible to apply as a partner, you must do that instead of applying as a parent.
Your child must either:

• be under 18 on the date you apply
• have been under 18 when you were first granted leave

Your child must:

• live with you, unless they’re living away from home in full-time education – for example, at boarding school or university
• not be married or in a civil partnership

Your child must be living in the UK. One of the following must also be true:

• they’re a British or Irish citizen
• they’ve settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• they’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• if you’re applying in the UK, they must have lived in the UK for 7 years continuously and it would not be reasonable for them to leave

You need to have sole or shared parental responsibility for your child. If you share parental responsibility, the child’s other parent must not be your partner. They must also either:

• be a British or Irish citizen
• have settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021

If the child lives with their other parent or carer, you must have access to the child in person, as agreed with the other parent or career or by a court order. You must be able to prove that you’re taking an active role in your child’s upbringing and you plan to continue after you apply. Send evidence that:

• comes from the government, school, court or a medical professional
• shows you’re living with or caring for your child
• is less than 4 years old

You can use things like:

• a letter from your child’s school confirming you take them to school or go to parent evenings
• a letter to your address from the local authority confirming your child’s school
• a letter from your child’s doctor, dentist, or health visitor confirming that you take them to appointments
• court order paperwork confirming that your child lives with you or that you’re taking an active role in their upbringing

You need permission from the court to use court order paperwork as evidence in your application. Send written proof that the court has given you permission when you apply – for example, a letter from the court. If you do not have any evidence that meets this criteria, there is other evidence you can provide instead. However, it’s less likely that you’ll be given a visa in this case.

Other evidence you can provide includes: 

• a parental agreement drafted by a solicitor and signed by you and the child’s other parent
• a letter from HMRC confirming that you’re claiming Child Tax Credit
• social services paperwork confirming that you spend time with your child, or that you’re applying for access

Things like greetings cards, photographs and text or social media messages are not considered strong evidence of your role in your
child’s upbringing and are unlikely to help your application.

English language and financial requirements

You must also prove you:

• have a good knowledge of English
• can financially support yourself without claiming public funds

The caseworker uses your income and housing costs to check if you can support yourself. If your child or any other dependants live with you, you must also prove you can financially support them without claiming public funds.
If you do not meet the English language and financial requirements you can still extend your permission to stay if:

• your child in the UK is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years
• it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK

You can stay in the UK for 2 years and 9 months on this visa. After this you’ll need to apply to extend your stay. If you extend your family visa or switch to this visa you can stay in the UK for 2 years and 6 months.

You can add other children to your application as dependants if one of the following applies:

• they are under 18 on the date you apply
• they were under 18 when they were first granted leave on a family visa

They must also:

• live with you, unless they’re living away from home in full-time education – for example, at boarding school or university not be married or in a civil partnership

You can apply for a family visa to join your parent in the UK. You may not need a family visa if at least one of your parents has indefinite leave to remain or proof of permanent residence. If your parent cannot include you in their form and you’re in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for Private Life in the UK. If your parent has settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.

You were born in the UK

You’ll get the same permission to stay as your parent if you were born in the UK. You can either:

• be added to your parent’s next application as a dependant
• apply separately

You must:

• live with your parent in the UK, unless you’re living away from home in full-time education – for example, at boarding school or
  university
• not be married or in a civil partnership

If you’re under 18, you’ll need to know what kind of permission to stay in the UK (‘limited leave to remain’) your parent has. If you’re 18 or over, you can only apply if you have permission to stay in the UK (‘leave to enter or remain’) which started when you were under 18. They must also apply from inside the UK. 

You were born outside the UK

Whether you can apply depends on your age and how your parent applied. You must:

• live with your parent, unless you’re living away from home in full-time education – for example, at boarding school or university
• not be married or in a civil partnership

If you’re under 18
One of your parents must be applying or have applied for a visa or to extend their permission to stay as a:

• partner – and the partner they’re joining is your other parent
• parent – and they have sole parental responsibility for you

Otherwise, you might still be eligible to apply if there are serious reasons to let you come to or stay in the UK and there are plans for your care.

If you’re 18 or over

• Your parent can include you in their application as a dependant, or you can apply separately yourself.
• You can only apply if you have permission to stay in the UK (‘leave to remain’) on a family visa which started when you were under 18.

If you apply separately from your parent

• You’ll need to include proof of your parent’s income when you apply. Their income has to meet the financial requirement for their type of
  family visa.
  For example, if your parent is applying for a family visa as a partner, you’ll need to include proof they can meet the financial requirement for partners.

Which form you need to fill in depends on whether your parent is applying to enter the UK as the partner of one of the following:

• a British or Irish citizen
• a person with indefinite leave to remain
• a person settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• a person from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who has pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• a person with a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
• a person with protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection)
• a person with permission to stay as a stateless person

If they are applying as one of these, you must fill in the Appendix FM online form. If they are not, you must fill in both:

• the online application form
• the Appendix 1 paper form

Apply separately
Which form you need to fill in depends on whether your parent has leave to enter or remain in the UK on a 5 or 10-year route to settlement as the partner of:

• a British or Irish citizen
• a person with indefinite leave to remain
• a person settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• a person from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who has pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• a person with a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
• a person with protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection)
• a person with permission to stay as a stateless person

If they do, you must fill in the Appendix FM online form.
If they do not, you must fill in both:

• the online application form
• the Appendix 1 paper form

Apply from the UK
You’ll need to prepare information and evidence to provide with your application.
If you’re already in the UK, you must apply online.
You can also check if you’re eligible for a different type of visa.

You must need long-term care from a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter who is living permanently in the UK. You can only apply from outside the UK, unless you’re applying to extend your stay on this visa.

One of the following must also apply to the relative:

• they’re a British or Irish citizen
• they’ve settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• they’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status -they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• they have protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection) in the UK

If your family member has settled or pre-settled status you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme. What you’ll need to prove
You must prove:

• you need long-term care to do everyday personal and household tasks because of illness, disability or your age
• you’re 18 or over
• the care you need is not available or affordable in the country you live in

You must also prove the relative you’re joining in the UK can accommodate and care for you for either:

• the whole time your relative has permission to stay in the UK
• 5 years, if your relative is a British citizen or settled in the UK

They must have enough money to support you without relying on public funds. The caseworker considers their income, housing costs and any care costs.
Check the information and evidence you’ll need to prove your relative’s income.

How long you can stay depends on the status of your family member. If your family member is British, Irish or settled in the UK
Your stay is unlimited. You will not need to apply to extend or settle.
If your family member has pre-settled status
They must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021. You can stay as long as your family member stays. You’ll need to apply to extend
or settle when they do.
If your family member has protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection) in the UK
You can stay as long as your family member stays. You’ll need to apply to extend or settle when they do.

You can only apply on the basis of your private life if you’re already living in the UK. You must be able to prove that you:

• are under 18 and you’ve lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years, and it would be unreasonable to expect you to leave the UK
• are between 18 and 24 and you’ve lived continuously in the UK for more than half your life
• are 18 or over, have spent less than 20 years in the UK and would have very significant problems living in the country you’d have to go to
• have been in the UK continuously for 20 years
• were born in the UK to a person who has permission to stay in the UK on the basis of their private life, or is applying for it

Your family members can apply on the same application – you’ll be considered separately.

You can stay in the UK for 2 years and 6 months on this visa. You can apply to stay for 5 years instead if you’re:

• under 18 and have lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years
• aged between 18 and 24 and have spent half your life in the UK

When you can settle
You can settle after 5 years if you’re either:

• under 18 and have lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years
• aged between 18 and 24 and have spent half your life in the UK

You can settle after 10 years if you’re either:

• 18 or over, have spent less than 20 years in the UK and would have very significant problems living in the country you’d have to go to
• born in the UK to a person who has permission to stay in the UK on the basis of their private life, or is applying for it

If you’re extending your visa
You can extend for 2 years and 6 months.