Family visas · IAA-regulated advice
UK Child Dependant Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Bring your child to live with you in the UK, or help them stay with you here. We work out which route fits your family, check your evidence and prepare the application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is a UK child dependant visa?
There’s no single ‘child dependant visa’. The route your child uses depends on your status. If both parents are British or settled, or one is settled and has sole responsibility for your child, your child can usually apply to settle straight away (Part 8 of the Immigration Rules, paragraphs 297 and 298).
If you’re on a partner or parent visa, or have refugee status or humanitarian protection, your child applies on the child route under Appendix FM, and their visa ends when yours does. If one parent is settled and the other is on a temporary visa, your child can’t settle yet: they usually apply on the same basis as the parent with the temporary visa.
✓This is your visa if…
- Your child is under 18, not married or in a civil partnership, and not living an independent life
- You’re their parent: biological, legal or adoptive (a step-parent doesn’t count on their own)
- You’re British or settled, on a partner or parent visa, or have refugee status or humanitarian protection
- You can support and house your child without public funds, and meet the £29,000 requirement if you’re on the partner route
Quick check
Could your child qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Is your child under 18, not married, and not living an independent life?If they already have permission on the child route, they can extend after turning 18.
Are you their biological, legal or adoptive parent?A step-parent can’t sponsor on their own: the child’s own parent must qualify.
Are you British or settled, on a UK partner or parent visa (or applying for one), or a refugee or person with humanitarian protection?On a work or study visa? Your child applies as your dependant on that route.
Does your child’s other parent live with you in the UK, or do you have sole responsibility for your child?Sole responsibility means you, not the other parent, direct your child’s upbringing.
If you’re on the partner route or have protection status, can you show £29,000 a year in income, or enough savings?Settled, British or on the parent route? You must show you can support your child adequately instead.
Will your child have somewhere suitable to live, without claiming public funds?It must not be overcrowded once your child moves in.
Eligibility
UK child dependant visa requirements
Your child must meet every requirement on the day they apply. Which ones apply depends on the route your family uses, so start with the first tab.
Which route applies to your child
- Both parents settled or British: your child can apply to settle straight away (paragraph 297 from abroad, 298 in the UK)
- One parent settled or British who has sole responsibility, or whose child’s other parent has died: your child can also settle straight away
- One parent settled or British, the other on a temporary visa: your child can’t settle yet, and usually applies on the same basis as the other parent
- Parent on a partner or parent visa, or with refugee status or humanitarian protection: the Appendix FM child route, with a visa that ends when yours does
On a work or study visa? Your child applies as your dependant on that route. EU settled or pre-settled status? The EU Settlement Scheme may fit instead.
Your child and your relationship
- Under 18 when they apply (or when first given permission on the child route, if extending)
- Not married or in a civil partnership, not living an independent life, and hasn’t formed their own family unit
- You’re their biological, legal or adoptive parent. A step-parent isn’t a parent under the Rules
- On the child route, the other parent must be your partner on the route, or you must have sole responsibility, or there must be serious and compelling reasons
There must also be suitable arrangements for your child’s care and accommodation in the UK, in line with UK law.
The financial requirement
- Applies if you’re on, or applying for, the partner route, or have refugee status or humanitarian protection
- The same £29,000 covers the whole family: it doesn’t go up for each child
- On the parent route, or if you’re settled or British, there’s no set figure: you must show you can support your child adequately without public funds
- If your partner (or you, with protection status) gets certain disability or carer’s benefits, an adequate maintenance test applies instead
Partner visa first granted before 11 April 2024? Lower figures may still apply (£18,600 plus an amount for each child, capped at £29,000): ask us.
Accommodation
- Adequate accommodation that your family owns or lives in, used only by your family
- Not overcrowded, and meets public health rules
- Counts everyone in the household, including people not in the application
- Paid for without claiming public funds
Adding a child can make a home overcrowded on paper. We check this before you apply.
Immigration status and history
- From abroad, your child needs a visa (entry clearance) before travelling
- Suitability checks, including immigration history, apply to every applicant
- A TB test is needed if your child is coming from a listed country. Children under 11 won’t normally have a chest X-ray
- Aged 18 or over and applying to settle? Your child may need English and the Life in the UK test
Born in the UK? Your child may be British already, or able to register. Check this before applying for a visa.
Documents
Child dependant visa documents: the easy part
Most people can list the documents. Refusals come from what’s in them, and whether they show the route your child is applying on.
What everyone needs
- Your child’s passport, and proof of your status in the UK
- Your child’s birth certificate, or adoption papers
- £Proof you can support your child, or meet the financial requirement
- Proof of where your child will live
- Evidence of sole responsibility or the other parent’s position, if it applies
- Details of your child’s care arrangements in the UK
Plus a TB test certificate if your child is coming from a listed country, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Child dependant visa cost and processing time
On the child route, the Home Office fee is £2,064 from outside the UK, plus a health surcharge of £2,328 for a 33-month visa. A child of settled parents applying to settle pays the same visa fee but no surcharge. Most decisions from outside the UK take up to 12 weeks.
| Home Office application fee | £2,064 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge33 months, charged as 3 years at £776 | £2,328 |
| Home Office total, per childon the child route, before TB test and translations | £4,392 |
| Home Office application fee | £1,407 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge30 months, charged as 2½ years at £776 | £1,940 |
| Home Office total, per childon the child route, before TB test and translations | £3,347 |
Home Office fees from GOV.UK and the fees table from 8 October 2026, and the Immigration Health Surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. The surcharge is charged per year, with part-years of 6 months or less charged at half; if your child’s visa ends sooner because it’s linked to yours, it costs less. There’s no surcharge for indefinite leave. A child settling from abroad pays the £2,064 visa fee; indefinite leave to remain in the UK costs £3,226. Our consultation fees →
Apply and give biometrics
Week 0Online application and fee paid, then your child’s biometrics at a visa centre or, in the UK, a service point.
Decision
Usually within 12 weeks from outside the UKIn the UK, usually within 8 weeks, or about 12 months if you’re on the 10-year route. Indefinite leave in the UK usually takes up to 6 months.
Extend
Usually with your next visaOn the child route, your child’s visa ends with yours. They can keep extending after turning 18 if they were first granted permission on the route as a child.
Settle (ILR)
Usually alongside youOnce both parents are settled, or you’re settled with sole responsibility, your child can apply for indefinite leave. At 18 or over, English and the Life in the UK test may apply.
British citizenship
Once settledYour child may then be able to register as a British citizen. We can check the options with you.
Avoid a refusal
Common child dependant visa refusal reasons
Most refusals come down to the route and the evidence, not the family. These are the issues we check first.
Applying on the wrong route
A child can’t settle where one parent is settled and the other is on a temporary visa. Applying to settle in that situation will fail.
We check: which route fits both parents’ status before you apply.
Sole responsibility not shown
If your child’s other parent lives abroad, you usually need to show sole responsibility for their upbringing. This turns on evidence over time.
We check: what your evidence shows, and what’s missing.
Missing the £29,000
If you’re on the partner route or have protection status, your child must meet the £29,000 requirement with specified evidence. Applying separately means fresh proof of income.
We check: which income counts, and that the documents are in the right form.
An overcrowded home
The home must be adequate and not overcrowded once your child moves in, counting everyone who lives there.
We check: the space against the rules, and your tenancy or ownership evidence.
Doubts about the parent–child link
Late-registered births, name differences or missing parent details can raise questions about the relationship.
We check: your documents are consistent, and explain any differences.
Turning 18 before applying
Your child must be under 18 on the date they apply, unless they already have permission on the child route. Waiting can close the door.
We check: the timing, so your child applies in time.
How we help
Our child dependant visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your child’s application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We look at both parents’ status and tell you which route fits your child, what you need and the risks.
Evidence review
We check your relationship, financial and accommodation documents against the Rules.
Full application
We prepare and submit your child’s application, with a cover letter that sets out how they qualify.
Extension and settlement
We help your child extend with you, and apply to settle when the time comes.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused and need an appeal, we explain your options and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser straight away.
FAQs
Child dependant visa questions, answered
Which route does my child use?
It depends on both parents’ status. If you’re both settled or British, or you’re settled with sole responsibility, your child can usually apply to settle straight away. If you’re on a partner or parent visa, or have protection status, they use the child route under Appendix FM. If you’re on a work or study visa, they apply as your dependant on that route.
Can my child settle if I’m settled but my partner isn’t?
Not usually. The Home Office has confirmed that a child can’t settle where one parent is British or settled and the other has temporary permission. Your child usually gets permission on the same basis as the other parent, and can apply to settle once both of you are settled.
Does the £29,000 go up for each child?
No. If you’re on the partner route, the same £29,000 covers your whole family. If your partner visa was first granted before 11 April 2024, lower figures plus an amount for each child may apply, but never more than £29,000.
Can a step-parent sponsor a child?
Not on their own. Under the Immigration Rules, a parent means a biological, legal or adoptive parent. A stepchild usually qualifies through their own parent, for example where that parent has sole responsibility.
What happens when my child turns 18?
If your child was first given permission on the child route before turning 18, they can usually extend with you, as long as they still aren’t married or living independently. If they’re 18 or over when they apply to settle, they may need to meet the English requirement and pass the Life in the UK test.
My child was born in the UK. Do they need a visa?
If they were born after you settled or became British, they don’t need indefinite leave: they’re either British already or can apply to become British. If they were born before you settled, they can apply for indefinite leave whatever their status. If you’re on a family visa, a child born here can get the same permission as you.
How long does a child visa decision take?
From outside the UK, usually within 12 weeks. In the UK, usually within 8 weeks, or about 12 months if you’re on the 10-year route. Applications for indefinite leave in the UK usually take up to 6 months.
Can my child join me if I’m on a work or student visa?
Usually as your dependant on that route, not under the family rules. Most students can’t bring children unless they’re government-sponsored or on a postgraduate research course, and some care and medium-skilled workers can’t bring family from abroad. See our work visa and student visa pages.
Ready when you are
Family, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.