Visa Application For Family Members | Spouse & Child | RD Laws

There are a lot of people from the UK who live and work overseas who really wish they could see their families more often. The immigration policy of the United Kingdom allows families to stay together in the country by providing them with the opportunity to apply for a Family visa. Your planned length of stay must be at least six months long in order for you to be eligible for a visa designated for “family members of established persons.”

If you want to visit relatives in the United Kingdom for a period of less than six months, you may be eligible for a Standard Visitor visa. This visa may only be obtained if the person the applicant plans to visit is a citizen of the United Kingdom or a permanent resident of the country.

There is another name for this kind of visa, which is the “family of a settled person” visa. Those who want to enter the process of visa application for family members must first demonstrate that they have direct family members who are already based in the UK. In order to qualify, the person living in the United Kingdom must either be a citizen of the United Kingdom, a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, or someone who has been granted refuge in the United Kingdom.

You need a family visa to live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months.

Applying from outside the UK

You can apply for a family visa to live with your:

• spouse or partner
• fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
• child
• parent
• relative who’ll provide long-term care for you

Extending your family visa

You can apply to extend your stay with your family member if you’re already in the UK on a family visa.

You must live in the UK for a certain amount of time before you’re eligible for settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’).

Switching to a family visa

If you came to the UK on a different visa, you might be able to switch to a family visa to stay with your:

• spouse or partner
• child
• parent

Fees

Healthcare surcharge

You might also need to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

How long it takes

If you apply outside the UK a decision will usually be made within 12 weeks.

If you apply in the UK a decision will usually be made within 8 weeks of your application date if you use the standard service.

If you use the super priority service a decision will usually be made:

• by the end of the next working day after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday
• 2 working days after providing your biometric information if your appointment is at the weekend

It might take longer if your application is complex, for example you:

• do not meet the minimum income requirement
• cannot prove your knowledge of English
• need to attend an interview
• have not provided all the evidence that the Home Office needs
• have a criminal conviction or another personal circumstance that needs to be reviewed