At a glance
If you are an eligible Commonwealth citizen or hold a listed form of British nationality, a qualifying grandparent may let you apply for a UK Ancestry visa. It allows five years of residence with broad rights to work or be self-employed. You may then qualify to settle permanently.
- Citizenship and age
- An eligible Commonwealth or listed British nationality; age 17 or older
- Grandparent
- A birth in a qualifying UK, islands, historical Irish, ship, or aircraft category
- Work and support
- Able and intending to work, with funds for the household without public support
Summary
The UK Ancestry visa supports an eligible person’s move to work in the UK through a qualifying grandparent connection, proved by full family records, the applicant’s nationality, and the grandparent’s birthplace. Adoption and unmarried-parent links can count; step-parent links cannot. The applicant must intend and be able to work, with adequate support, and normally apply from abroad.
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Connect each generation Gather full birth, marriage, and adoption records linking you, your parent, and your grandparent.
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Show your citizenship, work plans, and funds Meet the Ancestry visa's citizenship and other requirements.
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Apply from abroad and keep records Save work and travel records for a later permanent-residence application.
This visa does not give British citizenship. A great-grandparent or step-grandparent does not meet the grandparent requirement.
Eligibility
The main applicant must be 17 or older and be a Commonwealth citizen, British overseas citizen, BOTC, British national (overseas) or citizen of Zimbabwe. A grandparent must have been born:
- in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man;
- before 31 March 1922 in what is now Ireland; or
- on a qualifying UK-registered or UK-government ship or aircraft.
Adoption and unmarried-parent links can count; step-parent links cannot. The applicant must be able and intend to work and maintain and accommodate the family without public funds. Entry clearance is normally required from abroad; switching into the route in the UK is not allowed.
UK Ancestry settlement English rises from B1 to B2
UK Ancestry settlement English rises from B1 to B2
A UK Ancestry holder applying for settlement on or after 26 March 2027 will need B2 English unless exempt. The visa's ancestry, work and continuous-residence tests remain separate requirements.
Timing: The B2 settlement requirement takes effect on 26 March 2027. Applications made before that date remain subject to the rules then in force; applicants planning to file on or after it should prepare for B2 unless an exemption applies.
The current five-year route to settlement may change
The current five-year route to settlement may change
UK Ancestry is a settlement-leading work route, but the consultation does not identify it as a protected five-year category. Under the proposal it could move to the 10-year baseline unless an individual earns a reduction; final and transitional rules are pending.
Timing: The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. GOV.UK currently says the government is analyzing feedback. No general implementation date has been announced, and current settlement rules remain in force unless and until Immigration Rules changes take effect.
What This Route Allows
The initial grant is five years. The holder may work full- or part-time, be employed or self-employed, volunteer and study. Eligible partners and children can accompany or join and generally may work. Permission can be extended for five years. From 8 April 2026 the initial visa fee is £726 and an in-country extension is £1,407, per person, plus the immigration health surcharge.
Settlement is available after five continuous years, normally with no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months. The main applicant must remain a qualifying citizen, remain able and intending to work, maintain the family, and meet current language and Life in the UK requirements. Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) costs £3,226 per person under the April 2026 fee schedule. The English requirement is B1 (intermediate) for applications before March 26, 2027, rising to B2 (upper-intermediate) from that date, unless an exemption applies.
What This Route Is Not
It does not itself make the applicant British and does not cover a great-grandparent or step-grandparent. A passport showing Commonwealth nationality and a family tree without full certificates are not enough.
Next Steps
- Obtain full birth and adoption records for applicant, parent and grandparent plus all name-change records.
- Document current qualifying nationality, work plans and recent maintenance funds.
- Apply from abroad and create or update the UKVI account for the resulting eVisa.
- Keep employment, self-employment, travel and residence records from day one for settlement.
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