UK Ancestry Visa

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What is UK Ancestry Visa?

A UK Ancestry Visa is a type of UK visa available through the family visa route. This is a 5-year visa that allows you to stay and work in the UK. Once 5 years have elapsed, you can then apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) ultimately paving the way for full British citizenship.

You can apply for this type of visa only if you meet the following two basic conditions:

  • One of your grandparents was born in the UK
  • You are a citizen of a Commonwealth nation

If you can meet these requirements, it is very likely that you are eligible to receive a UK Ancestry visa. However, certain other requirements must also be met as a part of the visa application process.

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s law firm, our British nationality solicitors offer you detailed help and guidance. With the help of our UK Ancestry Visa solicitors, you can ensure that you meet all the relevant requirements when applying for the visa.

General Requirements for a UK Ancestry Visa

You are required to meet a wide range of requirements to be eligible for a UK Ancestry Visa. Here is a look at these:

  • You must have the citizenship of a Commonwealth nation
  • You must be aged at least 17
  • You must have the intention and the plan to work in the UK, either on a job or in a self-employed position
  • You must have the financial resources to support yourself once you arrive in the UK without resorting to the use of public funds
  • Your eligible grandparent must have been born in the UK, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands; alternatively, you can also seek the visa if your eligible grandparent was born on board a ship or aircraft registered with Britain
  • If your eligible grandparent was born in the Republic of Ireland, you can seek the visa if the date of birth fell on or before March 31, 1922

You are still eligible for the visa if your parents or grandparents were not married, or if you or your parents had been adopted. However, you can’t seek the visa through your step-parents.

If you are not sure whether or not you meet the eligibility requirements, our Family Visa solicitors can help. Once you get in touch with us, our British nationality solicitors conduct a careful review to ascertain whether or not you are eligible.

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Documents Required to Apply

You need to submit several documents as a part of your online application. These include the following:

  • Valid travel document. This can be your passport or another valid travel document.
  • Birth Certificate. This is used to ascertain your birth details.
  • Marriage Certificates of Parents and Grandparents. You will need to provide these if your parents and grandparents were married.
  • Birth Certificate of the Eligible Grandparent. You must provide the birth certificate of the grandparent through whom you are claiming the ancestry visa. This document is of key importance in your visa application.
  • Adoption Documents. If you or your parents were adopted, you must provide the relevant adoption papers to confirm this.
  • Financial Evidence. This can be a bank statement or another financial document confirming that you have the financial means to support yourself once you arrive in the UK.
  • TB Test. Depending on the country of your origin, you may also need to provide a tuberculosis test result certificate as a part of your application.
  • Evidence of Work Plans. You can use a business plan or a job offer letter as evidence of your plan to work in the UK.You may also need to provide other documents alongside your application. Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s, our UK Ancestry Visa solicitors can advise you on the documents you must provide when applying for the visa. You can also consult our Family Visa solicitors for other visa requirements.

Applying for UK Ancestry Visa

You can apply for the visa up to three months before your intended date of travel. It is typically a good idea to apply as early as possible. This allows you to respond to any request that the Home Office may make regarding missing information or additional documents.

Once you submit the visa application, you can expect a decision within 3 weeks.

You will also need to schedule an appointment with the nearest visa application centre. This appointment is needed to submit your biometric details, including photographs and fingerprints. The visa application centre may keep your passport following the submission of the biometric details.

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Fees and Duration

The standard fee for a UK Ancestry Visa is £531. You will also need to pay an additional healthcare surcharge which is charged by the year. The surcharge amount is £624 per year. If you receive a five-year visa, for instance, the total surcharge amount is £3,120.

The healthcare surcharge and the visa fee must be paid online as a part of your visa application. If you fail to pay either of these amounts before applying for your visa, the application will be turned down.

A UK Ancestry Visa allows you to stay in the UK for up to 5 years. You can apply for a visa extension that allows you to stay in the UK for another 5 years. You can apply for as many extensions as you want, as long as you apply for each extension before your visa has expired.

You can also apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) once you have spent 5 years in the UK on a UK Ancestry Visa. The ILR permits you to permanently live in the UK and ultimately seek full citizenship.

Our British nationality solicitors can help you explore your options after you get a UK Ancestry Visa. Even if you are exploring other family visa routes, you can consult our Family Visa solicitors.

Get in touch with our expert UK Ancestry Visa Solicitors today.

Applying for Dependents

You can also apply for your partner and children to join you in the UK as your dependents on a UK Ancestry Visa. If any dependents are applying with you, you must provide relevant documents to ascertain their relationship with you.

If a partner or spouse is applying as a dependent, you will need to produce a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate. For children applying as dependents, you must provide a birth certificate to confirm that you are one of the parents.

You must pay a separate visa application fee for each dependent. Additionally, you will also need to pay an annual healthcare surcharge for each dependent applying with you. Our UK Ancestry Visa solicitors can advise you on how to apply for dependents on a UK Ancestry Visa.

What if My Application is Refused?

It is unlikely that your UK Ancestry Visa application is rejected unless you don’t meet certain requirements or have submitted an incomplete application.

Here is a look at some common causes of refusal:

  • You don’t have the citizenship of a Commonwealth country. Such citizenship is a key requirement for the visa.
  • You fail to prove that you intend and plan to work once you come to the UK. If you fail to get a job offer or produce a proper business plan for your work in the UK, the Home Office may take it that you are not serious in your intention to work.
  • You fail to prove that one of your grandparents was born in the UK. This is the basic eligibility fundamental on which your visa application rests. If you can’t provide relevant documents such as birth certificates to ascertain this, your application will likely be turned down.
  • You fail to show that you have the financial means to support yourself after you arrive in the UK. This is an important requirement and you may need to show the availability of a certain minimum amount of cash funds to meet this requirement.
  • You didn’t respond to specific requests from the Home Office for additional information.
  • You failed to provide relevant documents alongside your application.
  • Your application contained missing or inaccurate information.

Other reasons may also contribute to the refusal of your visa application. Our experienced British nationality solicitors can help you identify these reasons and determine whether or not you can appeal the decision.

We also recommend that you consult our Family Visa solicitors before you submit your application. This way, our UK Ancestry Visa solicitors can help you avoid common mistakes and errors, improving your odds of receiving a positive outcome.

Why Choose Adam Bernard’s Solicitors?

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s law firm, our British nationality solicitors offered tailored advice and guidance for Family Visa routes. If you are applying for a UK Ancestry Visa, you can consult our UK Ancestry Visa solicitors.

Being a reputable immigration law firm, our British nationality solicitors help you carefully understand and meet all the requirements for your visa. This streamlines the visa application process and lets you avoid common errors or omissions on your visa application.

Our Family Visa solicitors offer help through all stages of the visa application. Even if you have already applied for the visa and received a refusal, we can advise you on your options moving forward. Our lawyers will see if you can seek an administrative review of the decision.

Call us today at 0207-100-0505 to schedule a free consultation with our British nationality solicitors.

Get in touch with our expert UK Ancestry Visa Solicitors today.

0207 100 2525