UK Ancestry Visa

UK Ancestry Visa – Help with Your Visa Application

If you are from a Commonwealth country and one of your grandparents was born in the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922 you may be eligible to apply for a UK ancestry visa. Our immigration solicitors have extensive experience filing and reviewing UK ancestry visa applications for people from all over the world.

Grandparent born in the UK before 31 March 1922? Then we can likely help you apply for an ancestry visa.

Please note: only Commonwealth citizens can apply for a UK ancestry visa. 

Please note: A 30-minute consultation with one of our immigration experts can be held in our offices or over the phone or Skype. Please be aware that we do not offer free advice and will charge a non-refundable fee of £95 per consultation.

What Your Ancestry Visa Will Allow You To Do

This type of UK family visa will allow you to study, live and work in the UK for up to five years.

That means you can apply for a UK job after you have arrived without any need for a work visa or sponsorship.

There are not many restrictions on ancestry visa holders, however, as an ancestry visa holder, you will not have access to public funds.

Read more about an alternative spouse visa option

Applying for your ancestry visa UK

When you are applying for your UK ancestry visa, you must be able to prove your ancestry by providing evidence that one of your grandparents was born in the UK before  31 March 1922. That is understandably a very difficult task, as most of us don’t exactly have that kind of evidence on hand.

Our solicitors understand how difficult this is, but with our wealth of experience collecting relevant evidence and completing ancestry visa UK applications, you won’t need to worry.

Our extensive knowledge of UK immigration law enables us to give you the advice you need to ensure the best chance at a successful outcome.

How Long You Can Stay

A UK ancestry visa initially gives you five years to live and work in the UK. After that five years is up, you can apply for permanent residence, as long as you meet the necessary requirements.

It’s good to know that, whilst you are on an ancestry visa, you can take up full time employment in the UK.

In our experience, most people who apply for this type of visa intend to stay in the UK permanently and are looking to apply for permanent residence after their ancestry visa expires.

Our immigration solicitors can help you with your ancestry visa Home Office application, and after five years, help you apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Ancestry Visa Requirements

As well as being able to prove you have a grandparent born in the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922, in order to get your ancestry visa, you need to also prove that you are:

• 17 or over
• Have enough money support yourself and any dependants while you’re here
• Are able to work in the UK and intend to do so

Your grandparent must be born in the above mentioned areas, or on a British-registered ship or aircraft.

You can also claim UK ancestry if you or the relevant parent were adopted or born in the UK. You can have been born within or outside of marriage, but you can’t claim UK ancestry through step-parents.

Documents You Need to Provide

As well as your passport picture, you also need to provide:

• A valid travel document or passport
• Evidence to support the information you have given
• Previous passports
• Evidence of funds (you will not have access to public funds on an ancestry visa)

If you are not a national of the country where you are applying from, you will also need to prove you have permission to be in that country. This could be a current visa or residence permit.

Applying For Residence

You can apply for permanent residence after you’ve lived in the UK for five years or more on an ancestry visa. Applying for permanent residence, also known as indefinite leave to remain, is a complex and lengthy process, but with our immigration solicitors on your side you won’t need to worry.

Our expert immigration solicitors process many UK ancestry visa applications a year. They are on hand to help make sure your application is exactly right, so you can submit it swiftly and confidently.

Children of Parents with UK Ancestry

Children born in the UK to someone with UK ancestry (since 1983) are not automatically a British citizen by birth.

However, they can still be registered as a British citizen once the parent obtains indefinite leave to remain, as long as the child is still under 18. The child doesn’t have to wait for the parent to become British first.

If you want to apply for British citizenship for yourself or your child, contact our experts at Cartwright King Solicitors. We can help guide you through the Home Office application process with ease.

Applying for Your Ancestry Visa UK with Cartwright King

If one of your grandparents was born in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922, we can help you apply for your ancestry visa. If you do not meet the requirements, we will be able to help you assess which visa you may be eligible for.

Once again, do bear in mind that only Commonwealth citizens can apply for an ancestry visa.

Applying for any type of visa can be complicated, especially when you need to provide strong evidence to support your application, as is the case with the ancestry visa. We know this.

As your application could be denied by the Home Office on even the simplest of administrative mistakes we will always recommend you to ask for professional help with your visa application.

When you apply with Cartwright King we’ll take the time to understand your personal circumstances and family history to make sure your UK ancestry visa application goes as smoothly as possible.

To find out if you are eligible for an ancestry visa and how we can help you as a new visa applicant, get in touch with our immigration team. Our immigration solicitors can tell you exactly what you need to do to be successful.