Child visa
For children who want to join or stay with a parent in the UK.
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From £1,500 legal fee
Fixed legal fee for an application made from outside the UK (no VAT). From inside the UK: £1,800 including VAT. Home Office fees are extra.
The main requirements at a glance
Your parent's application
For a child under 18 born outside the UK: a parent is applying, or has applied, as the partner of the child's other parent or as a parent with sole responsibility, or has protection status.
Age
Under 18, or 18 or over with family permission that started before the child turned 18.
Home life
The child lives with the parent (or is away in full-time education) and is not married or in a civil partnership.
No English test
Children applying as a child do not need to prove their knowledge of English.
Who this may be for
- Children under 18 whose parent is applying, or has applied, as a partner of the child's other parent.
- Children under 18 whose parent has sole parental responsibility, or protection status in the UK.
- Young people 18 or over who already have family permission that started when they were under 18.
- Children born in the UK to a parent with permission to stay.
A child may not need a family visa if a parent has indefinite leave to remain. If a parent has EU Settlement Scheme status, a free EUSS application may be possible.
The financial requirement
There is no separate figure for a child. If the child applies separately from the parent, the application includes proof that the parent meets the financial requirement for their own type of family visa.
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When different rules apply
- The parent has permission as a refugee or with humanitarian protection: a separate application for the child shows the parent meets the financial requirement for partners, whether or not the parent has a partner.
- The child is added to the parent's own application as a dependant: the parent's application covers the financial requirement.
What is usually looked at
- Your parent's status
- Which permission your parent has, and how they applied.
- Where the child was born
- The rules differ for children born in the UK and outside it.
- Living arrangements
- The child usually lives with the parent and is not married or in a civil partnership.
- Parental responsibility
- Who has responsibility for the child, especially where parents live apart.
- Finances
- If the child applies separately, evidence that the parent meets the financial requirement for their route.
What the application usually asks for
A general list from GOV.UK, not a checklist for your case. Bright & Day can review your documents and tell you what your application needs.
The child
- The child's passport or other valid travel document
- Who the child normally lives with, and anyone else with parental responsibility
- Tuberculosis test results, if the child lives in a country where the test is required
The parent
- The parent's permission in the UK, or the application they are making
- Proof of the parent's income, if the child applies separately
Forms and translations
- Some applications from outside the UK need a paper form as well as the online one, depending on how the parent applied
- Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh
The application, in general terms
This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.
Check the route
Decide whether the child is added to the parent's application or applies separately.
Choose the right form
The form depends on how the parent applied and their status.
Prepare evidence
Birth certificates, proof of parental responsibility and financial documents.
Apply and give biometrics
Apply online and attend a biometrics appointment.
How Bright & Day can help
Tell Bright & Day's team a little about your situation. The first form only asks for the basics.
Discuss your case- Look at your circumstances and advise which application, if any, fits best, including other routes worth considering.
- Explain the requirements of the Immigration Rules that apply to you, and where your case may need more support.
- Review the evidence you have, give feedback on your documents and help you identify what else may be needed.
- Prepare and submit the application with its documents, if you instruct the firm to do so.
- Explain the possible outcomes and the steps that may follow.
Official GOV.UK guidance
- Apply as a child · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Information and evidence you must provide · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Settle in the UK · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
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This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.