You can apply for the parent of a child visa entry clearance from outside the UK if you are a parent of a qualifying child and you are not a partner of the other parent of the child. An application for entry clearance as a parent of a child is made in accordance with requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules. For an entry clearance application as a parent of a qualifying child, the Immigration Rules require that the qualifying child must be in the UK at the time of entry clearance application. In exceptional circumstances, an application for entry clearance as a parent of a child can also be made if the British child is not in the UK, and such an application may succeed based on the best interests of the British child as envisaged under Section 55 of the BCIA 2009 and Article 8 of the ECHR.
Free Immigration Advice For The Parent Of A British Child Visa UK Entry Clearance
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide one-off free immigration online in relation to your entry clearance application for a parent of a British child visa from outside the UK. Ask a question online to our specialist team of family visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our family visa solicitors concerning your application for a UK visa as a parent of a child.
Specialist Solicitors For Parent Of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance
Our family visa solicitors specialise in entry clearance applications for the parent of a British child visa from outside the UK. Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis concerning your application for entry clearance as a parent of a British child.
Premium Solicitors are specialist UK immigration solicitors and the high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.
How Much Does Parent Of A British Child Visa UK Cost?
The costs associated with your entry clearance application when applying from outside the UK are outlined below:
Our Fixed Fees for Your Entry Clearance Application
Our fixed fee for your entry clearance application ranges from £1,000 to £1,500 (VAT not applicable). Our fixed fee will cover all our work on your application including advising on documents, checking your documents, completing the application form and submitting the application online, booking an appointment for biometrics enrolment, preparing a cover letter in support of the application, uploading all supporting documents to be considered in support of the application, and carrying out all other follow up work until decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application.
Our agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of your case and the volume of work involved in your application. You will make an initial payment of half our fee when we start working on your matter, and the remaining half is due once we have fully prepared the application and it is ready for submission.
Unable to afford the cost of the full service? You have the option to book an appointment online for our one-off immigration advice and consultation service for a fixed fee of £100 (VAT not applicable) or our immigration document checking service for a fixed fee of £300 (VAT not applicable).
UKVI Fees for Your Entry Clearance Application
In addition to our fixed fee for assisting you with your entry clearance application, you must also pay the Home Office UKVI fees for your UK visa entry clearance application. The UKVI fee for your UK visa entry clearance application is £1,846, and an additional charge of £3,105 for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Therefore, the total amount payable to the UKVI for the entry clearance application is £4,951.
Additionally, you can pay an additional fee of £500 for Priority Service to get a decision on your application within 30 working days.
How To Apply For Parent Of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance?
The step-by-step process to apply for the parent of a British child visa UK from outside the UK is as below:
- Complete the application form online for the parent of a British child visa UK on the UKVI website;
- Submit your completed application form for the parent of a British child visa UK online by paying the application fee. You also have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for the parent of a child visa entry clearance application.
- Book an appointment with the UK visa application centre for enrolment of your biometrics and to hand over your passport for processing your parent of a child visa UK.
- Before you attend your biometrics enrolment appointment, upload all supporting documents online in PDF format to be considered in support of the parent of a child visa application.
- Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment and wait for a decision on your parent of a British child visa entry clearance application. If you apply through Priority Service, the decision will be made within 30 working days, or within 60 working days if you apply through standard service.
What Are The Requirements For The Parent Of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance?
According to Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules, the following requirements should be met by a person making an application for entry clearance as a parent of a qualifying child:
Valid application: The applicant must have made a valid application for entry clearance as a parent;
Requirements relating to the applicant: The applicant applying for entry clearance as a parent of a child:
- must be the parent of the qualifying child;
- must be resident outside the UK at the time of entry clearance application;
- must be aged 18 or over at the time of entry clearance application;
- must meet the suitability requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules;
- must meet the financial requirement to maintain and accommodate himself/herself without any recourse to public funds;
- must meet have either sole responsibility for the child or direct access (in person) to the child, as agreed with the parent or carer with whom the child normally lives or as ordered by a court in the UK; and
- must provide evidence that he/she is taking, and intends to continue to take, an active role in the child’s upbringing.
- must meet the English language requirement to show that the applicant has English proficiency at CEFR level A1 as required by the UK Immigration Rules;
- must provide a Tuberculosis test certificate, where this is required under Appendix T of the Immigration Rules.
Requirements relating to child: The applicant's child must be:
- under the age of 18 at the time of entry clearance application;
- resident in the UK at the time of entry clearance application;
- either British Citizen or have ILR / settled status or an EU national child with pre-settled status;
Requirements relating to the other parent or carer of the child: If you share parental responsibility with the other parent of the child, the other parent of the child:
- must not be the applicant's partner;
- must be British or Irish Citizens or have settled status / ILR or be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status. They must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021.
What Is Adequate Maintenance Requirement?
To succeed in his/her entry clearance application for a parent of a British child visa in the UK, the applicant must meet the financial requirement of adequate maintenance.
The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for your parent of a British child visa entry clearance application:
A – B ≥ C (A minus B is greater than or equal to C)
Where:
A is the net income (after deduction of income tax and National Insurance contributions);
B is housing costs (Rent and Council Tax); and
C is the amount of Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive.
The applicant must provide evidence that he/she will be able to adequately maintain and accommodate himself/herself and any dependants in the UK without recourse to public funds
What Is Adequate Accommodation Requirement?
The applicant must provide specified evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, which the family owns or occupies exclusively: accommodation will not be regarded as adequate if-
- it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
- it contravenes public health regulations.
What Is English Language Requirement For The Parent Of A British Child Visa?
The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:
- is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
- has passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages with a provider approved by the Home Office, UKVI; or
- has an academic qualification recognised by UK Ecctis to be equivalent to the standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught in English; or
- is exempt from the English language requirement because at the date of application:
- the applicant is aged 65 or over;
- the applicant has a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement; or
- there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the applicant from being able to meet the requirements prior to entry to the UK.
Can I Re-Apply For Parent of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance After The Refusal?
If the Home Office UKVI refuses your application for the parent of a British child visa entry clearance, you can re-apply soon after the refusal decision if you do not want to challenge the refusal by way of an appeal or if you believe that the decision made by the Home Office UKVI is correct and the fresh application can address the concerns of the decision maker.
Can I Appeal Against the Refusal Of Parent Of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance?
If your parent of a British child visa entry clearance has been refused and you believe that the reasons for refusal are unjustified and not in accordance with relevant laws and facts, you can file an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) within 28 days of the refusal decision. Our specialist team of immigration appeal lawyers can represent you in your entry clearance appeal against the refusal of your parent of a British child visa entry clearance application.
How Can We Help You?
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis in relation to your entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK. Our fixed fee for your entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK will cover all the work of our family visa solicitors on your entry clearance application until a decision is made by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on your application. The casework to be carried out by our family visa solicitors in relation to your entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK will entail the following:
Advice on requirements: Our family visa solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your entry clearance application for a parent of a child visa UK to succeed.
Advice on documents: Our family visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your entry clearance application for parent of a child visa UK;
Assessment of documents: Our family visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all the documents you provide in support of your entry clearance application for a parent of a child visa in the UK are in accordance with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Completing application form: Our family visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your entry clearance application for a parent of a child visa UK.
Submitting an application through Priority Service: Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your online entry clearance application through priority service to get a faster decision on your entry clearance application for the parent of a British child visa in the UK.
Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your entry clearance application online, our family visa solicitors will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.
Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist family visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of the entry clearance application to explain all the relevant legal requirements have been satisfied for the approval of the entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK;
Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our family visa solicitors will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of the entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK.
Follow-up work: Our family visa solicitors will carry out all the follow-up work until a decision is made by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on the entry clearance application for the parent of a child visa UK.
Why Choose Us For Parent Of A British Child Visa Entry Clearance Application?
There are a number of reasons why you can choose our family visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your parent of a British child visa entry clearance application. The main reasons include the following:
High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best family visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for parents of a child visa entry clearance application. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.
Remote Legal Services: Our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert parent of a British child visa advice and legal representations remotely from our offices in London. Using modern technology, our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your parent of a British child visa entry clearance application remotely without the need for you to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices, if this is their preference, we are proud to be able to offer our legal services for the parent of a child visa entry clearance application remotely to save your time and travel costs.
Open 7 Days A Week: We pride ourselves in providing dedicated parent-of-a-child visa advice and legal representations 7 days a week.
All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: All the casework on your parent of a child visa entry clearance application will be carried out by our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced family visa solicitors who have extensive experience in dealing with the parent of a child visa entry clearance applications.
Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified family visa solicitors will be able to prepare and submit your parent of a child visa entry clearance application in the shortest possible time using the fast track process. Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your parent of a child visa entry clearance application through Priority Visa Service to get a faster decision on your parent of a child visa entry clearance application.
Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online through our website enquiry form.
Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our family visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for parent of a child visa entry clearance application with an option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start our work on your parent of a child visa entry clearance application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the parent of a child visa entry clearance application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.
What Are Our Other Related Services?
- Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
- Switching Into Parent Of A Child Visa (5 Years Route)
- Switching Into Parent Of A British Child Visa (10 Years Route)
- Extension Of Parent Of A Child Visa (5 Years Route)
- Extension Of Parent Of A British Child Visa (10 Years Route)
- ILR As A Parent Of A Child (5 Years Route)
- ILR As A Parent Of A British Child (10 Years Route)
- Family Visa UK
- Entry Clearance Appeal Against Refusal Of UK Visa
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) For The Parent Of A British Child Visa UK
Following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an entry clearance application for the parent of a British child visa UK:
The Priority Service for entry clearance applications for the parent of a British child visa is currently suspended by the Home Office UKVI. The Priority Service is likely to be reinstated soon. Once the Priority Service is reinstated, it will be possible to apply for entry clearance for a parent of a child visa from outside the UK through Priority Service for faster decision on the application.
To apply for the parent of a British child visa, you must have either sole or shared parental responsibility for your child.
If you share parental responsibility, the child’s other parent must not be your partner. They must also either:
- be a British or Irish citizen
- have settled in the UK - for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
- be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status - they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
If the child lives with their other parent or carer, you must have access to the child in person, as agreed with the other parent or carer or by a court order.
Furthermore, you must prove that you are taking an active role in your child’s upbringing and plan to continue after you apply.
You will be granted an entry clearance vignette for 90 days to enter the UK. You will then collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BPR), which will show your spouse's visa, which is valid for 33 months.
The processing time of the parent of a child visa entry clearance application is as follows:
Standard Service
An application under standard service is normally decided within 60 working days of the biometrics enrolment at the UK visa application centre.
Priority Service
An application under Priority Service is normally decided within 30 working days after biometrics enrolment at the UK visa application centre.
If your parent of a child visa entry clearance application is refused by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) of the Home Office UKVI, you will get a right of appeal to challenge the refusal of your parent of a child visa entry clearance application. You should file an appeal against the refusal of the parent of a British child visa entry clearance within 28 days of receiving the refusal decision.
Yes, you will have the right to work full-time while living in the UK on a British child visa. You can be employed or self-employed while in the UK on a British child visa.
The earliest you can apply for the extension/renewal of your parent of a British child visa, which was granted from outside the UK, is 28 days before completing 30 months in the UK starting from your first entry date on the parent of a British child visa. Our fast-track family visa lawyers can fast-track your application for renewal of your parent of a British child visa and get a decision on your visa renewal application within 24 hours.
An entry clearance application for the parent of a British child visa UK will be refused mandatorily if any of the following paragraphs are applicable:
- The Secretary of State has personally directed that the exclusion of the applicant from the UK is conducive to the public good.
- The applicant is currently the subject of a deportation order.
- The exclusion of the applicant from the UK is conducive to the public good because they have:
- been convicted of an offence for which they have been sentenced to a period of imprisonment of at least 4 years; or
- been convicted of an offence for which they have been sentenced to a period of imprisonment of at least 12 months but less than 4 years, unless a period of 10 years has passed since the end of the sentence; or
- been convicted of an offence for which they have been sentenced to a period of imprisonment of less than 12 months, unless a period of 5 years has passed since the end of the sentence.
- The exclusion of the applicant from the UK is conducive to the public good because, for example, the applicant’s conduct (including convictions which do not fall within paragraph S-EC.1.4.), character, associations, or other reasons, make it undesirable to grant them entry clearance.
- The applicant has failed without reasonable excuse to comply with a requirement to-
- attend an interview;
- provide information;
- provide physical data; or
- undergo a medical examination or provide a medical report.
- It is undesirable to grant entry clearance to the applicant for medical reasons.
- The applicant left or was removed from the UK as a condition of a caution issued in accordance with section 22 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 less than 5 years prior to the date on which the application is decided.
- The Secretary of State considers that the applicant’s parent or parent’s partner poses a risk to the applicant. That person may be considered to pose a risk to the applicant if, for example, they -
- have a conviction as an adult, whether in the UK or overseas, for an offence against a child;
- are a registered sex offender and have failed to comply with any notification requirements; or
- are required to comply with a sexual risk order made under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and have failed to do so.
The applicant will normally be refused parent of a British child visa entry clearance on grounds of suitability if any of the following paragraphs apply:
- Whether or not to the applicant’s knowledge-
- false information, representations or documents have been submitted in relation to the application (including false information submitted to any person to obtain a document used in support of the application); or
- there has been a failure to disclose material facts in relation to the application.
- A maintenance and accommodation undertaking has been requested or required under paragraph 35 of these Rules or otherwise and has not been provided.
- The exclusion of the applicant from the UK is conducive to the public good because:
- within the 12 months prior to the date on which the application is decided, the person has been convicted of or admitted an offence for which they received a non-custodial sentence or other out-of-court disposal that is recorded on their criminal record; or
- In the view of the Secretary of State:
- the person’s offending has caused serious harm; or
- the person is a persistent offender who shows a particular disregard for the law.
- The applicant may be refused on grounds of suitability if the applicant has failed to pay litigation costs awarded to the Home Office.
- The applicant may be refused on grounds of suitability if one or more relevant NHS bodies has notified the Secretary of State that the applicant has failed to pay charges in accordance with the relevant NHS regulations on charges to overseas visitors and the outstanding charges have a total value of at least £500.