You can apply for a UK visa as a parent of a British child to have access rights and provide care to your British or a qualifying child in the UK. An application for a parent of a British child visa is made in accordance with the requirements set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
The Immigration Rules, as set out in Appendix FM, require that the applicant be the parent of a qualifying child and not the partner of the other parent of the British child. An application for a parent of a British child visa can either be made under the 5-year parent of a child visa route or under the 10-year parent of a British child visa route. The parent of a British child visa route is not for couples who are in a genuine and subsisting partner relationship.
Free Immigration Advice For The Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice online in relation to your application as a parent of a British child. Ask a question online to our specialist team of family visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our family visa solicitors concerning your application for a UK visa as a parent of a British child.
Specialist Immigration Solicitors For The Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
As specialist family visa solicitors, we have successfully helped thousands of clients with applications for the parent of a child visa UK. We can provide fast, friendly, reliable and fixed-fee immigration services concerning your application for the parent of a child visa in the UK. Our team of highly experienced family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis concerning your application for entry clearance, switching, extension and ILR as a parent of a child. Our family visa lawyers can provide immigration legal services both for the parent of a child visa (5 years route) and the parent of a child visa (10 years route).
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Applications For The Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations for all types of the parent of a child visa applications, including entry clearance applications, switching into the parent of a child visa, extension of the parent of a child visa and ILR as a parent of a child. Various parent of a child visa applications for which we can provide legal help and support are as follows:
- Entry Clearance For Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
- Switching Into Parent Of A British Child Visa (5 Years Route)
- Switching Into Parent Of A British Child Visa (10 Years Route)
- Extension Of Parent Of A British Child Visa (5 Years Route)
- Extension Of Parent Of A British Child Visa (10 Years Route)
- ILR As A Parent Of A British Child (5 Years Route)
- ILR As A Parent Of A British Child (10 Years Route)
- Immigration Appeals UK
- Naturalisation After One Year Of ILR
UKVI Fees For Applications As A Parent Of A British Child
The Home Office UKVI fees for various stages of applications as a parent of a British child are as given in the table below:
| Application | Application Fee | Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) | Priority / Super Priority Service Fee (Optional) |
| Entry Clearance for a UK visa as a parent of a British child | £1846 per applicant | £3105 for partner [£2328 for each child applicant] | £500 per applicant for Priority Service |
| Switching into parent of a British child visa from inside the UK | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
| Extension of parent of a British child visa | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
| ILR as a parent of a British child | £2885 per applicant | IHS is not payable for ILR applications | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
FAQs - Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
Following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the parent of a British child visa UK:
Parent of a British child visa route is intended for a parent who has responsibility for or access to their British child following the breakdown of their relationship with the child’s other parent. The route is also for applicants who:
- have sole parental responsibility for their British child or a qualifying non-British child; or
- do not live with the British child (who lives with a British or settled parent or carer), but they have direct access (in person) to the British child, as agreed with the parent or carer with whom the British child normally lives, or as ordered by a family court in the UK; or
- (for a leave to remain application) is the parent with whom the British child normally lives, rather than the British child’s other parent who is British or settled.
Yes, you can apply for a UK visa as a parent of a British child if you and the other parent of the child are no longer partners and you are either living with the child or have direct in-person contact with the child.
You should meet all the requirements for the parent of a British child visa as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
The initial visa for a parent of a British child from outside the UK is granted for 33 months, and an initial visa for a parent of a British child from inside is granted for 30 months.
You can apply for renewal of your parent of a British child visa within 28 days before the expiry of your current leave to enter or remain as a parent of a British child.
Yes, you can apply for your parent of a British child visa under the Priority or Super Priority Service.
For an application as a parent of a British child from outside the UK, you can apply through Priority Service to get a decision on your application within 30 working days.
For an in-country application as a parent of a British child, you can apply for a parent of a British child visa using Super Priority Service for a decision within 24 hours.
To apply for the parent of a British child visa, you must have either 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.
Furthermore, you must prove that you are taking an active role in your child’s upbringing and plan to continue after you apply.
The applicant must provide evidence that he/she will be able to adequately maintain and accommodate himself/herself and any dependants in the UK without recourse to public funds
The applicant must provide evidence that there will be adequate accommodation in the UK, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, which the family owns or occupies exclusively: accommodation will not be regarded as adequate if
- it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
- it contravenes public health regulations.
Yes, you can work full-time while living in the UK on a parent-of-a-British-child visa. You can be employed or self-employed while in the UK on a parent of a British child visa.
The earliest you can apply for the extension/renewal of your parent of a British child visa that was granted from outside the UK is 28 days before completing 30 months in the UK starting from your first entry date on the parent of a British child visa. Our fast-track family visa lawyers can fast-track your application for renewal of your parent of a British child visa and get a decision on your visa renewal application within 24 hours.
You can apply for switching into parent of a child visa from inside the UK through Super Priority Service to get decision on your application within 24 hours.
As specialist family visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and its commercial partners UKVCAS Sopra Steria to provide Super Priority Service for the parent of a child visa applications whereby a decision on your application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your application through Super Priority Service.
Our family visa Solicitors can prepare and submit your application faster and get you a decision on your application faster through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your application for months (sometimes years).
It is very common for migrants with spouse or partner visas to switch to the parent of a British child visa if their relationship breaks down irretrievably with the other parent of the child. If the other parent of the child disagrees for you to have direct contact with your child, you can apply for Child Arrangements Order application to the family court which can then become a basis to apply for switching into parent of a British child visa from inside the UK. Your qualifying time for ILR after 5 years on the parent of a British child visa route will start from scratch once you switch to the parent of a British child visa route, and the time spent under the spouse visa route will not count towards the 5-year period to apply for ILR.
You can apply for an extension/renewal of parent of a child visa (5 years route) through Super Priority Service to get a decision on your application within 24 hours.
As specialist family visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI), and its commercial partners, UKVCAS Sopra Steria, to provide Super Priority Service for the parent of a British child visa application. If you submit your application through Super Priority Service, a decision will be made within 24 hours.
Our family visa Solicitors can prepare and submit your application faster and get you a decision on your application faster through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your application for months (sometimes years).
“Parent” means:
- biological parent; and
- legal parent, including the birth mother where the child is not genetically related, spouse or civil partner of the birth mother at the time of the child’s birth, and person with a parental order under section 54 of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008; and
- adoptive parent:
- who, when habitually resident outside the UK, adopted a child in accordance with a decision taken by the competent administrative authority or court in a country whose adoption orders are recognised by the UK; or
- whose adopted child has been granted permission under Appendix Adoption, and, if applicable, the adoption has been formally completed in the UK.