UK Sets Out 3 Routes Parents on Family Visas Can Use to Get Indefinite Leave to Remain

• The UK government published official guidance outlining three distinct routes parents on family visas can use to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
• Eligibility depends on the parent's length of stay in the UK and specific conditions tied to the child's living arrangements and settled status
• Parents on the five-year route face financial requirements and age conditions for their child, while the 10-year route carries different rules entirely

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The UK government has outlined three separate pathways through which parents holding a family visa may apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with each route shaped by the parent's duration of stay and the circumstances of their child.4

The official guidance, published on the UK government's website, specifies that a parent's child must be living in the UK and must either already hold settled status as a British citizen or a person with ILR, or must be applying for ILR at the same time as the parent.

3 routes to ILR for parents in the UK

The first is the five-year route, which requires the parent to have lived continuously in the UK on a family visa specifically as a parent for a minimum of five years.

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Parents taking this path must demonstrate that they can financially support themselves and any dependants without drawing on public funds.

Time spent on other visas, such as a fiancé or proposed civil partner visa, does not count towards the five-year requirement.

The second is the ten-year route, open to parents who have accumulated ten continuous years of residence in the UK.

This pathway carries no financial requirements, and time spent on other qualifying visas may be included in the residency calculation.

The third is the partner-first route, which applies when a parent also has a partner based in the UK and qualifies for a partner visa.

Under this arrangement, the parent cannot apply directly for ILR as a parent and must instead obtain a partner visa first, then pursue ILR under the relevant partner visa conditions.

Additional Conditions Parents Must Satisfy

Regardless of which route a parent follows, those aged between 18 and 64 must pass the Life in the UK Test and satisfy English language requirements at a B1 level in speaking and listening, or hold a degree that was taught or researched in English.

A child's living situation also plays a role. Where the child lives with the applying parent, that parent must hold sole or shared parental responsibility.

Where the child lives with another parent or carer, the applying parent must have access rights and shared responsibility, and the other adult must be a British citizen or hold settled status.

For the five-year route, the child must generally be under 18 at the time of application, though exceptions exist if the child was under 18 when the parent first received the family visa and has not yet begun living independently. The ten-year route places no age restriction on the child.

Children under 18 may be added to a parent's application on the five-year route if they hold permission to be in the UK as a dependant, will continue living with and be supported by the parent, and are not married or independently settled.

Children who have turned 18 may still be included if they held dependant status before adulthood and have not yet begun independent living, but they must individually pass the Life in the UK Test and meet the English language standard. Parents on the ten-year route cannot add other children to their application.

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Source: YEN.com.gh