Child Dependant Visa from Outside the UK

Bring your child to live with you in the UK

If you are in the UK with British Citizenship, Permission to Stay or Indefinite Leave to Remain, you may be able to bring your child from outside the UK to live permanently with you in here.

Several types of Visa allow non-EEA nationals who are working or studying in the UK to bring their dependants to the UK. These include the Start Up, Innovator, Skilled Worker and Student Visas. In those cases you must show the family relationship and that you have sufficient funds to look after them in the UK.     

But, if you are not working or studying here, the Child Dependant Visa requires stricter conditions if you want to bring your non-British child to the UK permanently. 

You are British or have Indefinite Leave to Remain and live in the UK

In this case, you must show that:  

  • You are the parent of the child. They must be under 18 years old and not already leading their own independent life
  • You are British or have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK 
  • Both parents are in the UK, or
  • One parent is in the UK and has sole parental responsibility for the child. In other words, the other parent takes no part in the child's upbringing. They will not care for the child in their home country 
  • If the other parent is not in the UK and does have parental responsibility, you must show that there are serious and compelling reasons why the child should be allowed to live in the UK
  • You are able to adequately accommodate and maintain the child 
  • This type of Visa can be used if there are no parents in the child's home country but there is a relative in the UK who is British or has Indefinite Leave to Remain

If your child's application is successful they will be granted indefinite leave to enter. This means they are immediately free of immigration restrictions and do not have to renew their visa.

You have Limited Permission to Stay in the UK, (your permission has an expiry date)

You can also apply to bring your child here if the child did not come with you when you first arrived in the UK.

It is essential for you to show:

  • You are the parent of the child who must be under 18 years old. This means that they are not already leading their own independent life
  • That you have Limited Permission to Stay in the UK as the parent or partner of a British Citizen or a person with Indefinite Leave to Remain
  • You have sole parental responsibility for the child, or
  • There are serious and compelling reasons why the child should be allowed to live in the UK
  • You are able to adequately accommodate and maintain the child

Working with us on your Child Dependant Visa application

In many cases, the question of sole parental responsibility is central to the application. It can be difficult to prove a negative; the child's other parent is not involved at all with the child and any decisions about their upbringing. We work with you to gather the best possible evidence to show you have sole parental responsibility.

If the other parent is taking some role in the child's upbringing or there are difficulties proving that the other parent is absent, it is essential to show that there are serious and compelling reasons why the child should not be turned away from the UK and should be with the parent here. This is where our knowledge and experience play a key role. We can argue that it is in the child's best interests to live with the parent in the UK and present evidence to the Home Office that there are serious and compelling reasons why the child should be allowed to come to the UK.

The Home Office looks very closely at this type of application. It is therefore essential that they are well-evidenced and argued.

How does the process of gaining a Child Dependant Visa work?

We talk to you first and find out about you and your child. We will look at any paperwork you have and advise whether you have a good chance of succeeding with an application to bring your Child Dependant to the UK. At Immigration Legal Services, we are scrupulously honest. If we start work for you and, at some point along the process, we do not believe you will succeed because your circumstances do not fit the legal framework or if the evidence is weak, we will tell you.

"Fantastic service from Sallie and the team. They came recommended to me."

Ekul Star

We would never encourage a client to start or continue an application to bring a Child Dependant to the UK if we consider that the Home Office are highly likely to refuse the application. We do not make false promises and we do not raise unrealistic expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions

My child lives in Uganda with her grandparents. They are getting old and cannot continue to look after her. Can I bring my daughter to the UK to live with me?

You will need to show that you take all the major decisions in your child's life. These include decisions about education, health etc., and if you perhaps send money and communicate and visit her regularly. You will also need to prove that her father has no responsibility for her and that your parents can no longer care for her.

I am a Thai national with Indefinite Leave to Remain. I live in the UK. My child's mother has brought him up from birth in Thailand. She wants him to live in the UK now to get a good education. Will I be able to bring him here?

It is highly unlikely that such an application will work. If your child has a mother who can look after him in Thailand and shares parental responsibility with you, the Home Office will see no reason why he should be allowed to live in the UK.

If my child gets here on this Visa, how long can she stay?

She will be granted Indefinite Leave to Enter if you are British or have Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you have Limited Permission to Stay, she will have leave in line with yours.

Get in touch
Bring your child to live with you in the UK
We strongly advise you to talk to us about these types of application. Find out more by calling or emailing us. We offer a free 20 minute initial consultation.
Contact us
  • We couldn't praise Sallie and her team high enough. Extremely professional and acted very fast to meet our deadline. 100% recommended!
    Mr E
  • Always thorough and highly professional throughout the application process for both my children, and I would definitely recommend! They also had a welcome sense of humour when it came to dealing with the bureaucracy involved in the process.
    Mr B
  • Great experience working with Sallie. Professional and understanding! Will work with her again, with no doubt.
    Ms L
  • We have been very impressed with the service we have received over the years of dealing with Angela. She went above and beyond to solve our specialised problem with very pleasing results. We would strongly recommend her work and knowledge in the field. A true professional.
    Mr Aldalis
  • I highly recommend Sallie for her professionalism and lovable, kind approach. I am very happy to get her as my immigration lawyer for processing my kids Visa.
    Shiva K
  • I highly recommend both Angela and Karen. They both have been amazingly helpful throughout the visa application process of my wife. They do truly care for their clients. They look at the case in reasonable time periods and return with any missing information rapidly. Consulting them during this exciting yet stressful process was the best decision that I made. Today my wife got granted the visa just after 5 weeks of her biometric scans.
    Mr Yazici
  • They are so honest and professional . Clear answers and guidance to all my questions đź‘Ťđź‘Ť. Thanks a lot .
    Mr Khalil
  • Just received a decision from the Home office that I would’ve NEVER thought was possible. So happy and over the moon! I would definitely recommend your services to friends & family if required in the future. Huge thanks to Sallie and the team, best immigration solicitor in the business!!
    Mr Bamba
  • Angela Cole is a wonderful, hardworking, honest, kind and reliable Solicitor. Her work is very high standard, very professional and her team is friendly. Me and my husband have no hesitation in recommending Angela Cole's excellent services.
    Ms Small
  • "Simply a team of experienced people who gave us excellent and honest advice. Having now taken an appeal through to a successful conclusion for the (very reasonable) price promised, I have no hesitation in recommending this firm."
    Jon Chrimes - Google Review
  • "The team went an extra mile and fought my case much more and much better than I would have expected. In the end, my case was successful and I cannot thank them enough for all they have done. If I ever need legal help in the future I will definitely use their services again and recommend them for their reasonable prices, supportive advice and first rate legal services."
    ANONYMOUS - Google Review
  • "Excellent people, excellent service. They made the process of bringing my husband to the UK painless. Couldn’t have done it without them, highly recommend!"
    Lindy Pine - Google Review
  • "I am ecstatic, thanks to you all. My life is complete now and anything else is a bonus. Even if it seemed impossible I knew we were going to win this and that is why I never gave up. Thank you for your work, support and encouragement."
    MRS. Last
  • A BIG THANK YOU , for your help in helping me acquire my British settlement and British citizenship application successfully done. Your professionalism and kind warm attitude and nature made this process very easy and stress free. You took all my concerns away. 

    My Lawyer, Sallie Davies, is very knowledgeable and competent and I have implicit trust in her. The fees are also reasonable compared to other law firms. I highly recommend Sallie and her team.
    MRS. H
  • Thanks to Sallie, my wife is finally in the UK after a horrible year and long delays with Home Office. Highly recommended Immigration Legal Services! 
    MR. B
  • Angela Cole and everyone at Immigration Legal Services will work to produce the best outcome for you and, from our experience, they only concern themselves with your goal and not your wallet. Immigration Legal Services' charge was a very good price for all the help and security they provided
    MR. C
  • Despite the high professionalism practiced within the firm, there is always a strong sense of compassion , and care, from both Angela, and lovely Karen, which has really helped to set our minds at ease. Absolutely recommended & Eternally grateful
    Ms. f
  • I would like to thank both of you, Sallie and Karen for your assistance in the way you handled my wife's Spouse Visa Extension to remain here with me in the United Kingdom. We will recommend The Immigration Legal Services here in Ipswich to anybody who wants to apply for a visa to come or remain here in the United Kingdom because the service they provided proved to be most reliable, simple and quick process. Much appreciated Sallie and Karen. Thanking you once again. We will be back again.
    Robert
  • Excellent service, Sallie is very professional and lovely. Thanks to you what we thought it will be a long and exhausting experience, was so smooth and fast we couldn't believe it. Thank you very much.
    Mrs T
  • We engaged this firm based on a recommendation made by a friend who had used their services before. We required their assistance for my wife's first renewal of her spousal visa. The process was quite painless, they got in touch to collect documents and go over details but most communication was done by email. We received the renewal without any issues.
    BL
  • Sallie was the best solicitor I've met for immigration matters. She was straight to the job, focused on the matter and had an excellent transparent work process, a reasonable fee and no hidden charges. She is very helpful, confident and had the best communication. We got our parents' visa in one go! Thank you very much for the excellent job.
    email

Useful Information

Sudden Closure Of The Ukraine Family Scheme

March 6, 2024
Read More

What Is The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme?

February 23, 2024
Read More

UK Visitor Visa Updates 2024: Working In The UK Whilst Visiting

February 12, 2024
Read More
Let us help you
Take a look at our services and get in touch with us today for more information.
Contact us today
© 2020 Immigration Legal Services. All rights reserved.

A Mackman Group collaboration - market research by Mackman Research | website design by Mackman

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram