Parent Visa

• Your ageYou must be 18 or over.
• Your child's ageYour child must be under 18 on the date you apply, or have been under 18 when you were first granted permission on this route. A child who turns 18 while you hold that permission must not have formed an independent family unit or be leading an independent life.
• Where your child livesYour child must be living in the UK and must live with you. Living away from home in full-time education, for example at boarding school or university, still counts.
• Your child's statusYour child must be a British or Irish citizen, settled in the UK, or a citizen of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein who holds pre-settled status and started living in the UK before 1 January 2021. A second way to meet this opens when you apply from inside the UK. It covers a child who has lived here continuously for at least the 7 years before you apply, and who, with their best interests treated as a primary consideration, could not reasonably be expected to leave the UK. The two are alternatives. A child who is British, settled or holds pre-settled status does not also need the 7 years.
• Your child is not marriedYour child must not be married or in a civil partnership.
• Parental responsibilityYou need sole or shared parental responsibility. If you share it, your child's other parent must not be your partner, and must be British or Irish, settled in the UK, or hold another qualifying status.
• Access to your childIf your child lives with their other parent or carer, you must have access to your child in person. That access is either agreed with the parent or carer, or ordered by a court in the UK.
• An active role in the upbringingYou must show that you take an active role in your child's upbringing and that you plan to continue after you apply.
• You cannot apply as a partnerIf you are eligible to apply as a partner, you must do that instead of applying as a parent.
• Money and housingYou must show you can maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependants without public funds. The caseworker weighs your income against your housing and Council Tax costs. No minimum income figure is published for this route, which is what separates it from the partner route.
• Adequate accommodationYour accommodation must be owned or occupied exclusively by the family, and must be adequate for everyone living in the household. It is not adequate if it is overcrowded or if it contravenes public health regulations.
• Knowledge of EnglishFor a first application you must show English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening. A degree taught in English, or nationality of one of the 18 listed majority English speaking countries, works instead of a test. If you passed A1 by test, further leave after 30 months needs A2 in speaking and listening. A pass at A2 or above can be reused.
• English language exemptionsYou do not need to prove your English if you are 65 or over, if a physical or mental condition prevents you from meeting the requirement, or if there are exceptional circumstances. You also do not need to prove it when you extend as a parent after 5 years in the UK on a family visa.
• Where you must be when you applyApply from outside the UK for entry clearance. To apply from inside the UK, you and your child must both be here, and you must not be here as a visitor or on permission granted for 6 months or less. Permission granted while a family court or divorce case runs is the exception.
• SuitabilityYour application must not fall for refusal on suitability grounds.

• Current passport or travel documentIt must establish your identity and nationality. Include copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in previous passports.
• Evidence of your role in your child's upbringingIt should come from the government, a school, a court or a medical professional, show that you live with or care for your child, and be less than 4 years old.
• Examples that meet that standardA school letter confirming you do the school run or attend parent evenings, a council letter to your address confirming the school, a letter from your child's doctor, dentist or health visitor, or court order paperwork.
• Written court permissionYou need the court's permission to use court order paperwork in your application, and you must send written proof of that permission.
• Proof of income and housing costsAn employer's letter, payslips for the 6 months before you apply, bank statements covering the same period, and your monthly housing and Council Tax costs.
• English language evidenceA speaking and listening pass at CEFR A1 from an approved provider, taken no more than 2 years before you apply, or a degree certificate for a course taught in English. A degree awarded outside the UK needs an Ecctis assessment.
• Appendix 5 access rights formForm VAF4A. You complete it when you apply from outside the UK.
• Proof of your current immigration statusAn eVisa share code, or your biometric residence permit.
• Tuberculosis test resultsIf you are from a country where the test is required.
• Certified translationsFor any document that is not in English or Welsh.

Apply from outside the UK

£2,064

Apply from inside the UK

£1,407

Each dependant added to your application

£2,064 outside the UK, £1,407 inside

Healthcare surcharge, adult, 2 years 9 months

£3,105

Healthcare surcharge, adult, 2 years 6 months

£2,587.50

Healthcare surcharge, child under 18, 2 years 9 months

£2,328

Healthcare surcharge, child under 18, 2 years 6 months

£1,940

Super priority service, from inside the UK

£1,000

Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. A fee waiver may be available if you have nowhere to live and cannot afford a home, cannot afford essential living costs such as food or heating, or have a very low income and paying the fee would harm your child's wellbeing. Source: GOV.UK Family visas: fees

Apply from outside the UK

Usually within 12 weeks

Apply from inside the UK

About 12 months

Standard service times published by the Home Office. You may be able to pay for a faster decision. Source: GOV.UK Apply as a parent