UK Ancestral Visa

If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth country and have a grandparent who was born in the UK and Islands, you may be eligible for an Ancestral visa. The grandparent does not have to be still living for your application to be eligible. Commonwealth nationals with a grandparent born in the Republic of Ireland prior to 31 March 1922 are also eligible to apply. UK Ancestral visas provide you with the freedom to work in the UK, including as a self-employed person.

If you have a spouse, unmarried partner or children under 21 years of age, you can apply for them to join you on a UK Ancestry Dependency visa.

To apply for a UK Ancestral visa, you must be able to fulfil the following criteria:

• You must be 17 years of age or over;

• Be able to prove that your grandparent was born in the UK and Islands;

• Must be your intention to settle in the UK and be able to support yourself without access to public funding (i.e. benefits);

• Apply for a United Kingdom Ancestral visa in your home country or the country where you are legally resident. You must also apply for entry clearance prior to coming to the UK.

The visa is valid for a period of five years. You may then be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK, which can lead on to full UK citizenship. If you are staying in the UK on an Ancestral visa issued for a four-year period, you can apply for an extension to this visa whilst in the UK. To be able to apply for an ILR, you must be able to prove that:

• You continue to meet the requirements of the immigration rules for UK Ancestry,

• You have spent five years continuously in the UK and can show that you have an employment history throughout that period. If you intend to apply for ILR you should not spend more than 90 days per year outside the UK during this five-year period.

For more information on UK Ancestral visas please call us on 0203 291 2711 or complete the form at the bottom of this page.

Our other Family and Settlement visas: