Family Visa Solicitors

Family visas can enable eligible partners, children and parents to live together in the UK. Adult relatives who need long-term care have a separate, demanding route. A family connection alone does not establish eligibility: the UK relative’s status, the relationship and the applicant’s circumstances all matter.

A spouse or unmarried partner of a British or Irish citizen or a person settled in the UK may qualify under the partner route. Some people with other specified statuses can also sponsor a partner. Check the exact status rather than assuming that every person with permission to stay can sponsor a family visa.

• Joining a spouse
• Applying as an unmarried partner
• Partner eligibility and relationship evidence

If your family member is temporarily in the UK on a work or Student visa, the relevant route is normally permission as their dependant, if that visa allows dependants. The family partner income rules should not be used as a checklist for a worker’s child.

Children joining a parent with family permission, children of settled parents and children joining a sponsored worker may need different applications. EU Settlement Scheme eligibility may also need checking. A visit to see relatives is different from permission to make the UK your home.

• Choosing a child dependant route
• Skilled Worker applications and dependants

Start with documents showing each family member’s identity, immigration status and relationship. Then identify the financial, accommodation and language rules for the particular application. Not every applicant needs an English test, and not every family application uses a minimum annual income threshold.

Partner applications usually involve a £29,000 minimum income requirement, but specified benefit cases and qualifying extensions following successful applications made before 11 April 2024 have different rules. Savings and permitted income sources require their own evidence; a total in a bank account is not a substitute for checking the rules.

• Current passports and immigration decisions for those applying and the UK relative.
• Relationship records, children’s birth records and evidence of parental arrangements where relevant.
• Financial evidence for the correct income category, accommodation details and any required translations.

• Partner income rules and transitional arrangements

The online application and evidence requirements depend on whether you are outside or inside the UK. Visitors and most people with permission for six months or less normally have to leave to apply; specified exceptions include qualifying fiancé or proposed civil partner permission. Do not assume a visit can become a family stay.

For an extension, check the existing permission and expiry date before planning an application. You can apply before it expires, but only up to 28 days of remaining permission may be added when extending with the same family member. Applying very early can affect the timing of a later settlement application.

After submission, follow the identity and evidence instructions and read the eventual decision carefully. Permission length, conditions and the route towards settlement depend on the grant; family life does not make settlement automatic.

• Extending partner permission
• Extending a child’s permission

Highfin’s existing family immigration material covers partner and child applications, evidence preparation and extensions. When enquiring, explain who is applying, where each person lives, the UK relative’s status and any approaching expiry date. Ask the team to confirm the advice and representation available for your circumstances.

Previous refusals, changes in a relationship, care arrangements or difficulty meeting a requirement need individual assessment. Human-rights and child-welfare provisions are not a general exemption from the rules. Keep sensitive records for a secure document-sharing process agreed with your adviser.