Family permit in the UK

To live with your family member in the UK you require a family visa. If you are outside in the UK you can apply for a family visa to live with your spouse or partner, fiancé or proposed civil partner, child, parent or relative. If you apply inside in the UK you can apply to extend your stay with your family member if you are in the UK on a family visa. However, if you came to the UK on a different visa you might be able to switch to a family visa to reside with your spouse or partner, child and parent. Besides, you might be able to apply to stay on the basis of your private life if you have lived in the UK for many years already.

However, you can extend or switch at any time before your current permission to live in the UK get expired. You must reside in the UK for a certain amount of time before you are eligible for settlement.

How much family visa costs depends on how you apply. If you apply outside the UK joining your partner, parent or child will cost £1,523. While dependent is added for each person to apply for family visa £1,523 will be added.

In terms of applying from inside the UK family visa will cost £1,033. While dependent is added £1,033 will be added for each person to apply for a family visa.

You might also need to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

Get quick decision from home office

If you apply from the UK you might be able to pay an extra £800 for the super priority service to get a quick decision. You cannot use the super priority service if you’re applying as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative.

How long family visa process will take

If you apply outside the UK a decision will make within 12 weeks. However, in terms of applying inside the UK a decision will usually be made within 8 weeks of your application date if you use the standard service. When it comes to using super priority service a decision will generally be made by the end of the next working day after you provide biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday or if it is weekend you will more likely get the update after providing biometric information.

Requirements

The procedure of your application will be perplexed if you do not meet the requirements. For instance, you must meet the minimum income requirements. Besides, you should prove you knowledge of English otherwise your application will be complex. Moreover, all the evidences that the home office needs should be provided.  You must not have a criminal conviction or another personal situation that require reviewing.

Apply as a partner or spouse

To apply as a partner, you and your partner must need to be 18 years or over. Your partner must be British citizen to sponsor you. Moreover, if persons are settled in the UK with indefinite leave to remain or permanent residence they can bring their wife or partners to reside with them in the UK. Persons living in the UK with refugee status or humanitarian protections in the UK also can apply for spouse visa to bring their partners to reside with them in the UK. However, you and your partners must be intending to live together in the UK.

Requirements for spouse visa

You require being able to prove that you are in a civil partnership or in a marriage that is recognized in the UK. Besides, you must have been living together in a relationship for at least two years when you apply. If you are a fiancé or proposed civil partner you must intend to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months or arriving. You also require proving you have a good knowledge of English. Moreover, you should financially support yourself. However, if you do not meet these requirements you might still eligible to apply for visa or extend your visa if you have a child in the UK who is British citizen of has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK.  If you are applying as a fiancé or proposed civil partner you must prove that any previous marriages or civil partnership have ended.

How long spouse can stay in the UK

You will get permission to reside in the UK for 2.5 years or for 6 months if you are applying as a fiancé or proposed civil partner.

Family visas: Apply as a parent

You can apply to live with your child in the UK. However, if you are capable of applying as a partner you must do that instead of applying as a parent.

Your child must be under eighteen years old on the date of your application. Besides, your child must be living in the UK and they must be British citizen. Moreover, they must be settled in the UK along with indefinite leave to remain. If you are applying in the UK your child must be living in the UK for 7 years continuously and it should be reasonable for them to leave.

You should be able to demonstrate that you are playing an active role in bringing up your child and you intend to proceed after you apply.

For instance you could provide letters from your child’s school which are affirming that you take them to school and attend to parent evenings. You may either submit evidence from the dental specialist confirming that you take them to appointments. Moreover, you should be able to submit the documents that you have contacts with your child regularly. You will need to submit proof of their identification for instance their passport.

You must able to prove that you have sound knowledge of English. You must submit the document of your capability of supporting yourself and your child without claiming public funds.

Once your visa is approved, you will get consent to stay for 2.5 years.

You will require preparing information and documents to provide with your application. How you apply depends on you are applying from the UK or outside the UK. In both circumstances, you should apply from online. However, if you cannot stand to pay the expense you must also apply online to forgo the fee. You probably will not need to pay the charge if you do not have a place to stay or you cannot manage the cost of one or you have a place to stay but cannot afford your essential living costs like food or heating. Moreover, you have a very low income and paying the charge would hurt your child’s prosperity.

Applying with other children

You can add other children to your application as dependents if they are under 18 on the date of your application or they were under 18 when they were first granted leave on a family visa and do not live an independent life.

The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK is after you have lived in the country for 5 years constantly with permission to stay as a parent.

Family visas: apply as a child

You might be qualified to settle in the UK if at least one of your parents has indefinite leave to remain or proof of permanent residence. You will get the consent to stay if you were born in the UK.

When you are apply inside the UK

If you are under 18 you can be added either to your parent’s next application as a dependent or you can apply separately. However, to apply separately, you will need to know what kind of permission to stay in the UK.

If you are over 18 you parent will be eligible to include you in their application as dependent if you had consent to come to stay in the UK on a family visa when you were under 18. You must not live an independent life to be eligible to apply as a child when you are over 18.

When you were born outside the UK

If you are under 18 you must not be married, in a civil partnership or living an independent life. You should be able to support yourself financially without claiming public funds.

When you are over 18 years old one of your parents can add you in their application as dependent or you can apply separately if you got the consent of living in the UK on a family visa at the age of 18. You must not live an independent life.

However, if you parent cannot include you in their form and you are in the UK you may be eligible to apply for private life in the UK.

Apply from outside the UK

You will require preparing information and documents to provide with your application. You must apply online. You also need to complete Appendix 1 unless 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 citizen or someone with settled status or someone with leave to remain as a refugee or someone with humanitarian protection.

If your parent in the UK has leave to enter or remain as the partner of one of the above, you must complete the appendix 2 financial requirements form instead of appendix 1.

Apply from the UK

You will require preparing information and documents to provide with your application. If you are already in the UK you must apply online.

However, if you cannot stand the charge you should fill the online fee waiver request form as well because you do not have a place to live and you cannot afford one. You probably will not have to pay the charge if you have a place but cannot afford your essential living costs like food or heating. If you have a very low income and paying the fee would hurt your child’s prosperity.

Apply as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative

You must be applying from outside the UK and need long-term care from a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter who is residing permanently in the UK. To be eligible for this visa category your relative must be British citizen or they must be settled in the UK for instance they have indefinite leave to remain or they have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.

Certain conditions need to be fulfilled to be eligible for this visa category. For instance, you require long-term care to do every day because of illness, disability. Besides, the care you require is not available or affordable in the country you live in. Your relative whom you are joining with will be able to support, accommodate and care for you without claiming public funds for at least 5 years.

How long you can stay

Your stay will be unlimited when you apply to join a family member who is British or settled in the UK- you will not need to apply to extend or settle. You can reside in the UK as long as your family member’s stay if they have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK you will need to apply to extend or settle when they do.

How to apply

You will require preparing information and documents to provide with your application. You must be applying as an adult dependent relative online and complete appendix 1.

Apply on the basis of your private life

You can only apply based on your private life if you are already living in the UK. You must be able to proof that you are under 18 and you have lived in the UK constantly for at least 7 years and it would be unreasonable to expect you to leave the UK. You must prove that from 18 to 24 you have lived constantly in the UK for more than half your life. Moreover, you must show that if you are 18 or over and you have less than 20 years in the UK and would have very significant problems living in the country you would have to go. For instance you do not speak the language and could not learn it.

 How to apply

You must apply online. You will require preparing information and documents to provide with your application.

Knowledge of English

You require submitting the documents of knowledge of the English language when you apply. You are able to prove it with an academic qualification or by taking a test. However, you probably will not need to prove that if you are applying as a child or adult coming to be cared for by a relative. Moreover, you will not need to prove your knowledge of English if you are over 65 or you have physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the requirement.

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree or academic qualification which was taught in English.

Give proof of your income

If you are applying as a partner or you wish to settle in the UK within 5 years then you and your partner must have a combined income of at least £18600 a year. Besides, if you have children who are not British citizens, EEA nations or permanently settled then you must prove that you have extra money. You will need to earn an extra £3800 for your first child and £2400 for each child you have after your first child.

What counts as income?

You and your partner can use income from employment before tax and national insurance. You can utilize your own income from your earning in the UK. You will require submitting the evidence of the proof of your income with your application. If you or your partner are employed you could include bank statements where you or your partner’s income is written. Six months of payslips can be used as proof of the income. You can show the evidence through a letter from an employer, dated and on headed paper as the proof of your income. The employer’s letter will confirm your partners are employed there.  Documents from your employers will include what the job title or position you and your partner is holding. The documents will provide how long you or your partner has worked there. The type of contract and how much you and your partner earn before tax and national insurance will be included in the documents.

However, if you cannot fulfil the minimum income requirement you need to show you and your partner meet the minimum income requirement if you wish to settle in the UK in 5 years as a partner.

You might be able to settle in 5 years without meeting the minimum income requirement if either you are applying as a parent or you get certain benefits for instance disability living allowance or career’s allowance.

You require submitting the documents you and your family have enough money to adequately support and accommodate yourselves without claiming public funds.

Information you must provide

You will require having information and some evidence ready when you make your application. You will need to provide certain documents such as names, date of birth, current passport, copies of the photo page, a copy of your biometric residence permit, details of any previous immigration applications you have made, details of any criminal convictions, your national insurance number, your parents’ date of birth and nationality if you are applying from outside the UK. You will require submitting a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa if you are applying outside the UK.

If you are applying as a spouse or partner you will be asked about your relationship with your partner for instance how you met and how often you see each other. You will be asked how long you have lived together.

If you have children you will be asked to give details information about your children although they are not applying. You will require giving details of their name, their nationality, their date of birth, and their passport details, who the child lives with, any other countries your child has visited.

How to make an appointment

You will need to attend an appointment to provide your bio-metric details such as your fingerprint and photo. You will be informed how to make an appointment when you apply.

Get your documents returned

You will be asked to have your documents back which are including passport and other documents if you have provided home office with your application. You most probably may cancel your application to get your documents back.

You cannot work or study if you are applying for a visa or extending your stay to get married or become civil partners.