You need a family visa to live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months.
Applying from outside the UK
You can apply for a family visa to live with your:
– spouse or partner
– fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
– child
– parent
– relative who’ll provide long-term care for you
Extending your family visa
You can apply to extend your stay with your family member if you’re already in the UK on a family visa.
You can extend at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires.
If you’re extending to stay with the same family member, you’ll only get up to 28 days left on your current stay added to your new visa.
You must live in the UK for a certain amount of time before you’re eligible for settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’). Before you extend your visa, check how much time you need to settle in the UK.
You might be able to apply to stay on the basis of your private life if you’ve lived in the UK for many years already.
Switching to a family visa
If you came to the UK on a different visa, you might be able to switch to a family visa to stay with your:
– spouse or partner
– child
– parent
You can switch at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires.
Apply as a partner or spouse
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 refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK
You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.
What you’ll need to prove
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
If your wedding or civil ceremony has been delayed because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you might still be able to request an extension or apply to extend your stay.
You also need to prove you:
– have a good knowledge of English
– can financially support yourself and your dependants
If you do not meet these requirements 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
– there would be very significant difficulties for you and your partner if you lived together as a couple outside the UK that could not be overcome
– 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
If your wedding or civil ceremony has been delayed because of COVID-19, you might still be able to request an extension or apply to extend your stay.
You will not be able to work during your engagement.
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 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 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
Things like greetings cards, travel tickets, receipts, photographs and text or social media messages are not considered strong evidence of your relationship and are unlikely to help your application.
How long you can stay
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 or switch to this visa
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.
When you can settle permanently
The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’) is after you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner.
You cannot include time you’ve spent in the UK:
– on any other visa
– as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
The rules are different if you applied before 9 July 2012.
If you applied before 9 July 2012
You can only extend your family visa if all the following are true:
– you were given permission to stay in the UK as a partner before 9 July 2012
– you are not eligible to settle in the UK
– you have not been granted or refused another visa
You must also prove that:
– you and your partner have enough money to financially support yourself and your dependants without relying on public funds
– you have knowledge of English
Apply as a parent
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 and not live an independent life
Your child is living an independent life if, for example, they’ve left home, got married and had children.
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
Parental responsibility
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 carer or by a court order.
Apply as a child
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 has settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.
If you do not meet the rules to enter or remain in the UK because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you might still be able to apply to extend your stay or switch to a family visa.
You were born in the UK
You’ll get the same permission to stay as your parent if you were born in the UK.
If you’re under 18
You can either:
-be added to your parent’s next application as a dependant
-apply separately
To apply separately, you’ll need to know what kind of permission to stay in the UK (‘limited leave to remain’) your parent has.
If you’re over 18
Your parent can only include you in their application as a dependant if you:
-got permission to come to or stay in the UK (‘leave to enter or remain’) on a family visa when you were under 18
-do not live an independent life
-are applying from inside the UK
You’re living an independent life if, for example, you’ve left home, got married and had children.
You were born outside the UK
Whether you can apply depends on your age and how your parent applied.
If you’re under 18
You must:
-not be married, in a civil partnership or living an independent life
-be financially supported without claiming public funds
One of your parents must also 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 over 18
Your parent can include you in their application as a dependant, or you can apply separately yourself. You can only apply if you:
-got permission to stay in the UK (‘leave to remain’) on a family visa when you were under 18
-do not live an independent life
You’re living an independent life if, for example, you’ve left home, got married and had children.
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 (10-year route).
Apply as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative
You must be outside the UK to apply and need long-term care from a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter who is living permanently in the UK.
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 refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK
You must prove all of the following:
-you need long-term care to do everyday personal and household tasks because of illness, disability or your age
-the care you need is not available or affordable in the country you live in
-the person you’ll be joining in the UK will be able to support, accommodate and care for you without claiming public funds for at least 5 years
-you’re 18 or over
How long you can stay for
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 refugee status or 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.
Apply on the basis of your private life
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’re:
-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
-between 18 and 24 and you’ve lived continuously in the UK for more than half your life
-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 – for example, you do not speak the language and could not learn it
-25 or over and you’ve been in the UK continuously for 20 years
Your family members can apply on the same application – you’ll be considered separately.
If you do not meet the rules to enter or remain in the UK because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you might still be able to apply to extend your stay or switch to a family visa.
Knowledge of English
You may need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.
When you do not need to prove it
You do not need to prove your knowledge of English or take a test if one of the following is true:
-you’re applying as a child
-you’re applying as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative
-you’ve been in the UK on a family visa for 5 years and you’re extending it as a partner or parent
-you’re over 65
-you have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the requirement
Give proof of your income
You and your partner must have a combined income of at least £18,600 a year if:
– you’re applying as a partner
– you want to settle in the UK (get ‘indefinite leave to remain’) within 5 years
You must prove you have extra money if you have children who:
– are not British or Irish citizens
– do not have pre-settled status
– are not permanently settled in the UK
You might not need to prove you have extra money if your children are citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and they do not have pre-settled status or are not permanently settled in the UK. Check the guidance in appendix FM 1.7: financial requirement for more information.
If you need to prove extra money for your children, you’ll need to earn an extra:
– £3,800 for your first child
– £2,400 for each child you have after your first child
This is called the ‘minimum income requirement’.
You may be able to use your savings instead of income.
How you prove you have the money depends on how you got the income.
If you’ve experienced a loss of income because of coronavirus (COVID-19), for example if you’ve been furloughed or you’re self employed, you might still be able to apply.
What counts as income
You and your partner can use:
– income from employment before tax and National Insurance (check your P60 or payslips) – you can only use your own income if you earn it in the UK
– income you earn from self-employment or as a director of a limited company in the UK – check your Self Assessment tax return
– cash savings above £16,000
– money from a pension
– non-work income, for example from property rentals or dividends
What proof you need to give
You’ll need to provide proof of your income with your application. If you or your partner are employed, you could include:
-bank statements showing you or your partner’s income
-6 months of payslips
-a letter from an employer, dated and on headed paper
The employer’s letter should confirm:
-you or your partner are employed there
-the job title or position you or your partner hold
-how long you or your partner have worked there
-the type of contract (for example, permanent, fixed term)
-what you or your partner earn before tax and National Insurance
-how long you or your partner have been paid your current salary
-the payslips are genuine
You’ll be told exactly what documents to provide when you apply online.
Check the guidance in appendix FM 1.7: financial requirement if:
-you or your partner’s income is more complicated
-you or your partner have taken maternity or paternity leave in the last 6 months
-you want to combine different income sources
The detailed guidance also explains the evidence you need to provide for each of the types of income you’re relying on.
If you cannot meet the minimum income requirement
You need to show you and your partner meet the minimum income requirement if you want to settle in 5 years as a partner.
If you do not meet the requirement, you may be able to settle in 10 years.
When you do not need to meet the income requirement
You may be able to settle in 5 years without meeting the minimum income requirement if either:
-you’re applying as a parent
-you get certain benefits, for example Disability Living Allowance or Carer’s Allowance
You need to show you and your family have enough money to adequately support and accommodate yourselves without relying on public funds. The caseworker considers your income and housing costs.
Check the guidance in appendix FM 1.7: financial requirement for more information.
