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Pathway

UK Family Visa as a Child

United Kingdom Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A child may be able to join or stay with a parent in the UK through the family visa rules. Some children apply alongside a parent's partner or parent application; others can apply to join a parent or, in limited cases, a close relative. Each child needs a separate application and digital immigration record, called an eVisa.

Age and dependency
Normally under 18 at first application, unmarried, and not leading an independent life
Parent arrangements
Normally joining both parents, one joining the other, or a parent with sole responsibility; compelling cases may also qualify
Family records
Parenthood, custody or consent, housing, and evidence of the other parent’s circumstances

Summary

This is a UK family route for children joining or staying with a parent in the UK. The requirements depend on the child's age, where the child was born, and the parent's UK status or family-visa application.

Start with the child's existing status
  1. Citizenship or EUSS check Confirm whether the child already has another qualifying status.
  2. Parent's route and care arrangements Document each parent's status, custody, consent, and the child's family dependence.
  3. Separate child application Apply within the relevant timing and review settlement with the parent.

Every child needs their own application and immigration record under this route.

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Eligibility

The child is normally under 18 at first application and must not be married, in a civil partnership or leading an independent life. A person 18 or older can continue only where they were last granted as a dependent child and remain non-independent.

For a child applying from abroad, the usual situations include:

A child born in the UK can normally receive permission matching the parent's. You need records of parenthood, custody, consent, housing, and the other parent's circumstances.

Refugee Family Reunion closed to new applications at 3pm on September 4, 2025, pending review. A child making a new application to join a parent with protection status normally uses the family rules called Appendix FM. A separate protection route can still cover a child joining an eligible close relative who is not their parent.

Policy watch 1 development we’re tracking
Some children of British citizens are intended to retain five-year settlement
Consultation — not currently law

Some children of British citizens are intended to retain five-year settlement

Current official stage: Consultation closed; government analyzing feedback

The proposal says qualifying children of British citizens would receive a five-year reduction from the baseline. Other child and dependent cases may be treated differently, and the consultation leaves important age, dependency and transitional questions for the final rules.

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.

Last checked
References
Read the full briefing

What This Route Allows

Permission generally ends with the relevant parent's. The child can study and, if old enough, work subject to the grant; most grants have no recourse to public funds. An Appendix FM application costs £2,064 from outside the UK or £1,407 in the UK from 8 April 2026, per child, normally plus IHS; a human-rights fee waiver can be available where the rules are met. Settlement may be available with or after the parent once the route's status, relationship and independent-life requirements are met. A child who becomes British does not need an immigration extension.

What This Route Is Not

It is not an automatic dependent visa merely because one parent is in the UK. Where parents live apart, “sole responsibility” means real control of major upbringing decisions, not only financial support. UK birth alone does not make a child British. A British or settled parent at birth, qualifying armed-forces service or certain later EU Settlement Scheme grants can give automatic citizenship; later registration may also be available.

Next Steps

  1. First check whether the child is already British or qualifies under the EUSS.
  2. Obtain full birth/adoption records, passports and each parent's immigration status.
  3. Document custody, consent, living arrangements, financial support and major parenting decisions.
  4. Apply for the child's eVisa before travel or before current permission expires, then reassess settlement with the parent.

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Other routes in United Kingdom.

Sources