ACCESS TO CHILD VISA
You can apply to live in the UK to care for your child.
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 citizen
• they’ve settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• if you’re applying in the UK, they’ve 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
• be either a British citizen or settled in the UK
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.
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. For example you could provide letters from your child’s:
• school confirming you take them to school or go to parent evenings
• dentist confirming you take them to appointments
• other parent confirming how much contact you have with your child (you’ll need to include proof of their identity, such as their passport)
You must also prove you:
• have a good knowledge of English
• can financially support yourself without claiming public funds
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 these requirements you can still extend your permission to stay if:
• your child in the UK is a British citizen or has lived in the
You’ll get permission to stay for 2.5 years. After this you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.
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 and do not live an independent life
The earliest you can apply to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’) is after you’ve lived in the country for 5 years continuously with permission to stay (‘leave to remain’) as a parent.