About 120,000 immigrants are granted indefinite leave to remain in the country and 200,000 immigrants acquire citizenship each year. UK government data. As such, you may want to bring your parents to join you in the country, especially if they need your care. A Adult relatively dependent visa is necessary to bring them into the country legally.
Like all UK visas, obtaining this dependent visa can be challenging. It’s a good idea to get help from an immigration attorney or advisor to understand your parents’ eligibility and to guide you through the application process.
Defining the Adult Dependent Relative Visa
This is the essential visa if you are a British citizen, or have settled status in Britain, and you want to be accompanied by an adult family member. This could be an adult child, brother or sister, parent or grandparent. This visa allows your foreign parent(s) to come to the country indefinitely, as long as you remain a citizen or have special status.
The other cases where this visa applies are if you have valid refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK, are on limited leave under Annex EU or are from the EU or EEA and have pre-settled status. To qualify, you must have started living in Great Britain before January 2021.
The remainder of this article covers the visa eligibility requirements, how to apply, and what documentation you will need to prepare.
Admission requirements
The requirements that apply to you as a referent have already been discussed. However, there are also some requirements that must apply to your family member who is applying for the visa. This includes the following:
- They currently live outside Britain.
- Your family member needs long-term care in daily life. This may be due to their age, a disability or an illness.
- They do not have access to proper care where they currently live, because it is too expensive or because there are no family members present to provide it.
Income Requirements
In addition to these basic requirements, you can only sponsor your family members to come to Britain if you meet the Adult Relative Dependent Visa UK income threshold for a sponsor. This requirement ensures that your family member’s housing, living expenses and care can be financed without the need for state support.
The exact income requirement to bring a family member to Britain depends on their circumstances. To calculate your weekly income requirement, you will need to add the following together Citizens advice:
- £77 for an adult family member over 25 and £61.05 for those under 25.
- €77 if you are single or €121.05 if you live together.
- Your current home costs plus municipal tax, or the new home costs if the surviving relative moves to a different location than you.
Please note that when calculating housing costs, you may not deduct the state aid you currently receive for housing assistance. This includes House Benefit, housing elements of Universal Credit and Council Tax Reduction.
Applying for a visa for your adult dependent relatives
The Adult Dependent Relative visa must usually be submitted by your relative from outside Britain. They must complete Appendix 1 (Form VAF4A) and collect a range of supporting documentation that proves they meet the visa requirements.
To submit your application, you or your dependent family member must pay the application fee of €3,250. However, the fee is a lower amount of £1,048 if your relative can apply from Britain. Once your application has been submitted, you will usually have to wait around 12 weeks for it to be processed. However, the processing time may be significantly longer if there are problems with your application or if the Home Office is experiencing a backlog.
Required documentation
Any UK visa application must be supported by adequate supporting documentation. The exact documentation required will vary slightly depending on you and your family member’s circumstances. However, the standard documentation includes the following:
- Proof that you meet the financial requirements, such as bank statements.
- Evidence that you are caring for your family member’s support needs, for example through a care plan.
- A signed statement showing that you will provide for the maintenance, housing and care of your family member without state support.
- A doctor’s letter or document from a health authority explaining why your family member cannot access care in their home country. Such documentation is also necessary to prove that your family member has a chronic illness or disability that requires special care.
- Evidence of your family relationship, such as birth or adoption certificates.
- A negative tuberculosis test result if your family member comes from a country with a high risk of the disease.
- A passport or travel ID document.
- Details about past crime, such as a criminal record.
All documentation you submit must be translated into English or Welsh. If your relative’s documents are in another language, you must obtain a certified translated copy.
Starting a new life in Britain with a relatively dependent adult visa
The UK Adult Relative Dependent visa is the best way to bring your dependent family members to the country permanently. This way you can ensure that they receive the right care and have the best possible quality of life.
All UK visas require you to complete a challenging application process to prove the applicant’s eligibility. This visa is even more difficult, as evidenced by this adult-dependent relative guidance. You must also demonstrate why you are an eligible sponsor. With this in mind, it is a good idea to work with an immigration attorney or advisor, who can help you complete your application and guide you through the next steps if your application is denied.
