If you’re looking to live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months you’ll need to apply for a family visa. The type of visa you’ll need will depend on who you’re applying to live with. Read more to find out the different types of family visas available below.
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Family visa
If you’re living outside of the UK, you’ll need a family visa to come and live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months. You can apply for a family visa if you want to live with one of the following family members:
- Fiancé or proposed civil partner
- Child
- Parent
- Relative who’ll provide long-term care for you
There are two reasons you may have the right to apply for a family visa:
- If your family member or spouse has the right to live in the UK, either through being a British Citizen or having Indefinite Leave to Remain/Settled Status
- If you have a proven relationship with someone in the UK with refugee status or humanitarian protection
Extending your Family Visa
If you’re in the UK on a family visa already, you can apply to extend your stay with a family member. You can normally extend your visa at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires, but for the most up-to-date visa information please visit the UK Government website.
However, if you’re extending your family visa to stay in the UK with the same family member you currently live with, just be aware that you’ll only get up to 28 days left on your current stay added to your new visa, so you don’t want to extend your visa too early.
If you’re planning on staying in the UK indefinitely, remember you have to have lived in the UK for a certain amount of time before you're eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. So before you extend your family visa it may be important to check how much time you need to be in the UK.
Switching to a Family visa
If you’re currently living in the UK on a different type of visa, for example, a study visa or work visa, you may be able to switch to a family visa in order to stay with your child, parent, fiancé or partner. You can normally switch visas any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires, but for the most up-to-date visa information please visit the UK Government website.
Spouse visa requirements
If you're applying for a family visa to live with your fiancé or partner, you’ll be applying for a Spouse visa. The requirements for getting the Spouse visa vary slightly depending on whether you’re applying as a fiancé or partner. When applying as a fiancé or proposed civil partner you must prove that:
- Any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended
- You plan on marrying or becoming civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK
If you’re applying as a partner, you must both be 18 or over and you must plan to live together permanently in the UK after you apply. To apply for a Spouse visa in the UK, as both a fiancé and partner, your partner must:
- Be a British or Irish citizen
- Have settled in the UK (either through indefinite leave to remain, leave to remain, settled status or permanent residence)
- Be from EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and 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
Additionally, you need to 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’re a fiancé or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
- You must also be able to prove that you yourself have a good knowledge of English by passing a Secure English Language Test and can financially support yourself and your dependents, if you have them
How long can you stay in the UK with a Spouse visa?
If you’re applying as a fiancé, you can stay in the UK with a Spouse visa for 6 months. If you’re married, you can stay in the UK for 2 years and 9 months on a Spouse visa. After this, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay. For the most up-to-date visa information please visit the UK Government website.
Can I apply with my children for a Spouse visa?
You can add children to your Spouse visa application as dependents if they’re under 18 when you apply and are not living an independent life. This means they must still rely on you, meaning they still live at home.
Parent visa requirements
Another type of family visa is a Parent visa, which allows you to apply to live in the UK to take care of your child. However, if you’re eligible to apply as a partner, you need to do that instead of applying as a parent.
If you’re applying for a Parent visa, your child must either be under 18 on the date you apply, or have been under 18 when you were first granted leave. They must not live an independent life, meaning they are dependent on you. Your child must be currently living in the UK for one of the following reasons:
- 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 started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
- They must have lived in the UK for 7 years continuously and it would not be reasonable for them to leave
In order to get a Parent visa in the UK, it’s also important that you can prove that you’re taking an active role in your child’s upbringing and that you plan to continue after you apply.
To prove this you must send evidence that comes from the government, school, court or a medical professional and shows you’re living with or caring for your child. Examples of this kind of evidence include:
- A letter from your child’s school confirming you take them to school, or
- A letter from your child’s doctor, dentist, or health visitor confirming that you take them to appointments
You must also prove that you have a good knowledge of English by passing a Secure English Language Test and that you can financially support yourself without claiming public funds.
How long can you stay in the UK with a Parent visa?
Once you get your Parent visa approved 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. For the most up-to-date visa information please visit the UK Government website.
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