Children Of British Citizens and People Settled In The United Kingdom |
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This page explains how you can bring your child or children, including adopted children, to the United Kingdom if you are already living here (either as a British citizen or otherwise) or are coming here for more than six months. Term 'child' means someone who is under 18 years old.
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For information on applying for a child to visit the United Kingdom for up to six months, go to the section on Child Visitors under ‘Visiting the United Kingdom’
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You may bring your child to the United Kingdom if you can show that:
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you currently live and are settled in the United Kingdom legally, or have permission to come here to settle, with no time limit on your stay;
you have adequate accommodation where you can all live without help from public funds; and
you are the child's parent - this includes the stepfather or stepmother of a child whose father or mother is dead, both the father and mother of an illegitimate child, and an adoptive parent in certain defined circumstances
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Your child must show that he/she:
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is not leading an independent life;
is not married or in a civil partnership;
has not formed an independent family unit; and
is aged under 18.
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Children cannot normally come to live in the United Kingdom if one parent is living in another country, unless the parent living in the United Kingdom has sole responsibility for the child or there are serious reasons why the child must be allowed to come here.
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Your child must obtain entry clearance to enter the United Kingdom before travelling here. It will be in the form of a visa or Entry Clearance Certificate.
The child will normally be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom permanently from the date he/she arrives if:
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both you and the child's other parent are settled here; or
both you and the child's other parent have permission to settle here permanently and you are entering the country together with the child; or
you have permission to settle here permanently and you are entering the country together with the child, and the other parent is already settled here; or
you have sole responsibility for the child.
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Children of people who have limited permission to enter or remain in the United Kingdom as a worker or a student
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Children cannot normally come to live in the United Kingdom if one parent is living in another country, unless the parent living in the United Kingdom has sole responsibility for the child or there are serious reasons why the child must be allowed to come here.
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You may bring your child to the United Kingdom if you can show that:
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you have permission to come to the United Kingdom to live here temporarily (we call this limited leave to enter or remain) and:
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the child's other parent is settled in the United Kingdom or has permission to live here and is entering the United Kingdom with the child to settle here; or
you have sole responsibility for the child; and
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you have adequate accommodation where you can all live without help from public funds; and
you are the child's parent - this includes the stepfather or stepmother of a child whose father or mother is dead, both the father and mother of an illegitimate child, and an adoptive parent in certain defined circumstances.
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Your child must show that he/she:
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is not leading an independent life;
is not married or in a civil partnership;
has not formed an independent family unit; and
is aged under 18.
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Your child must obtain entry clearance to enter the United Kingdom before travelling here. It will be in the form of a visa or entry clearance certificate.
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If the child comes here with a parent, who has permission to live here temporarily, the child will normally be given permission to stay in the United Kingdom for the same length of time as that parent. This will not be more than two years, or not more than six months if the child is entering the country with a parent who is coming here as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner. If that parent subsequently extends his/her permission to stay or is allowed to stay here permanently, the child will normally be given the same permission.
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