MRKimmigration
Ancestry Visa
Ancestry Visa
We have successfully dealt with numerous visa applications, some of which have been ancestry visas, which have allowed our clients to remain and work or study in the UK. UK Ancestry Visas allow commonwealth and British Overseas citizens and nationals with a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, to enter the UK for a period of 5 years.
ELIGIBILITY
To qualify you must satisfy the following Ancestry Visa requirements:
- You must be 17 years of age or over.
- You must be a citizen of a commonwealth country.
- You must have a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man or you must have a grandparent that was born in the Republic of Ireland prior to 31 March 1922.
- You must intend to and be able to work in the UK.
- You must be in a position to support yourself and any dependants without claiming public funds.
If your application for an ancestry visa is successful
you will be permitted to remain in the UK for five years. At the end of this five year period you will be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) provided that:
- You continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules for UK ancestry, and
- You have spent five years continuously in the UK and can show that you have an employment history throughout that five year 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.
- If at the end of your five year ancestry visa you do not meet all of the ILR qualifying criteria you may apply for an extension to your ancestry visa.
ADDITIONALLY
As a UK Ancestry visa applicant, you must be able to prove that at least one of your grandparents was born:
- On a British-registered aircraft or ship, or
- In the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, or
- Prior to the 31st of March 1922, in what is now known as the Republic of Ireland.
You can also apply for the UK Ancestry Visa if you or your parents (through whom you are claiming ancestry) are adopted. In this case, you need to include in your application form evidence of legal adoption. It should be noted, however, that it is not possible to apply for a UK Ancestry visa through step-parents.
Immigration is rarely straightforward, often ruling out exceptions with restrictive legal implications marking the merit of each application. For this reason visa applications often seem intricate and complicated.
Please contact us for more information. We advise you to seek assistance from our immigration specialists as soon as possible. We are here to help you.