Parent of a British Child

You can apply for a Parent visa UK which falls under the Family visa category if you're a parent of a British citizen or settled child and living outside the UK. Parent visa category for a parent exercising access rights to a settled child in the UK or wishing to continue a parental relationship with their settled child.

We are experts in dealing with parent route applications under the 5 and 10 years route to settlement. If instructed we will carry out all the work on the application until the decision is received from the Home Office UKVI. Please contact an expert UK immigration lawyer at Rex Law Chambers to fully assess your eligibility for both 5 and 10 years route to settlement by considering all the relevant information so that we can advise you on the chances of success in your application in particular if you have any exceptional circumstances or any adverse personal or immigration history.

If you need the help of an expert UK immigration lawyer with your visa application, please contact us to get legal advice & assistance.

Table of Contents

• What is a parent visa?
• Parent route visa requirements
• Adequate accommodation requirement
• English language requirement
• Parental responsibility
• UK parent visa supporting documents checklist
• How to apply as a parent of a British child?
• Extension of UK parent visa
• UK parent visa processing time 2025
• UK parent visa application fees
• How can our immigration lawyer help you?
• Need legal advice or help from an immigration lawyer?

What is a parent visa?

The Parent of a British Child visa (5-year route) is a visa category designed for non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals who are the parents of a British citizen or settled person in the UK, and who wish to join them in the UK. This visa category is also known as the "Family Route" or "Family Visa".

The parent visa route is intended for a parent who has responsibility for or access to their 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 child; or
• do not live with the child (who lives with a British or settled parent or carer), but they have direct access (in person) to the child, as agreed with the parent or carer with whom the child normally lives, or as ordered by a court in the UK; or
• (for leave to remain application) are the parent with whom the child normally lives, rather than the child’s other parent who is British or settled.

Parent route visa requirements

To be eligible for this visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• Relationship: You must be the parent of a British citizen or settled person in the UK, and have sole responsibility for their upbringing or shared responsibility with another parent who is also British or settled in the UK.
• English language proficiency: You must be able to speak and understand English at the required level. You can demonstrate this by passing an approved English language test or by having an academic qualification that was taught in English.
• Financial requirement: You must meet the financial requirement, which is currently set at a minimum income of £18,600 per year. If you have other dependents, the financial requirement may be higher.
• Accommodation: You must have suitable accommodation for you and your family, without relying on public funds.
• Immigration status: You must not be in the UK illegally, or be subject to any immigration restrictions that prevent you from staying in the UK.
• Immigration history: You must not have breached any UK immigration laws, and must not have any criminal convictions that would make you ineligible for a visa.

Adequate accommodation requirement

To meet the adequate accommodation requirement for a UK Parent visa, the couple must demonstrate that they have suitable accommodation in the UK that meets certain criteria. The accommodation must:

• Be owned or occupied exclusively by the UK-based partner, or be owned or leased jointly by the couple.
• Be free from overcrowding, and meet the relevant health and safety standards.
• Not be rented from a local authority or a housing association.
• Not be subsidized by public funds.

The accommodation requirement can be met in different ways, such as by providing evidence of ownership or occupancy of a property, a rental agreement, or a letter of support from a friend or family member who is willing to accommodate the couple. If the couple does not have suitable accommodation when the application is submitted, they may still be able to apply for an Unmarried Partner visa, but they will need to demonstrate that they have made adequate arrangements to secure accommodation once they arrive in the UK.

English language requirement

To apply for a UK Parent visa, you must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to a certain level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

Parental responsibility

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. 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.

UK parent visa supporting documents checklist

To apply for a UK parent visa, the following documents are typically required:

• Valid passport: The applicant must provide a valid passport or other travel document.
• Financial documents: Evidence of meeting the financial requirement, such as payslips, bank statements, or a letter from an employer.
• Accommodation documents: The couple must provide evidence of meeting the accommodation requirement, such as proof of ownership or occupancy of a property, or a rental agreement.
• English language test certificate: The applicant must provide a valid English language test certificate unless they are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

How to apply as a parent of a British child?

Below is the step-by-step process to apply for a UK parent visa:

1. Check if you meet the eligibility criteria
2. Gather the required documents
3. Apply online using the correct application form & submit documents
4. Pay the visa application fee
5. Attend a biometric appointment
6. Wait for a decision

Extension of UK parent visa

If you are already in the UK with leave to enter or remain as a parent of a child who is British or settled in the UK, you can apply for renewal of your leave to remain. The application for renewal of leave to remain as a parent is made online using the application form FLR (FP).

UK parent visa processing time 2025

The standard parent visa UK processing time in 2025 is currently 3-6 months. However, you may be able to use priority service to fast-track your application and get a faster decision within 15-30 working days.

UK parent visa application fees

The parent visa UK fee is £1,538 if you are applying from outside the UK using standard service. You may be eligible to use priority service to get a faster decision. You need to pay a priority service fee in addition to the application fee.

How can our immigration lawyer help you?