Securing a UK Ancestry Visa can be life-changing. With so much at stake, you will need to ensure you complete the application form correctly and provide all necessary supporting documents to evidence your eligibility.

While you will be required to work while in the UK, there are no restrictions on the type of work you can undertake while on the Ancestry Visa. For example, you could be self-employed or start your own business, making the Ancestry Visa a more attractive route into the UK than many other business-related and entrepreneurial visa schemes.

We are experienced UK immigration specialists offering guidance and support to individuals in relation to UK Ancestry Visa applications. We can advise on the eligibility criteria you will need to evidence for a UK Ancestry Visa and the process you will need to follow for your application. We can also help where you have dependants applying with you.

For specialist Ancestry Visa advice, contact us.

Ancestry Visa eligibility

The following criteria would need to be met by anyone wanting to apply for a UK ancestral visa:

• You must be a Commonwealth citizen
• You must be applying from outside the UK
• You must be able to prove one of your grandparents was born in the UK
• You are able and intend to work in the UK
• You are aged 17 or over
• You have enough money to support yourself and any dependants while in the UK

In addition to the above, you will need to show that your relevant grandparent was either:

• Born in the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• Born before 31 March 1922 in what is now the Republic of Ireland
• Born on a British-registered ship or aircraft

You can also claim ancestry if you or your relevant parent were adopted. UK ancestry cannot, however, be claimed through step-parents.

How to apply for a UK Ancestral Visa

Applications are made by completing the online form and submitting supporting documents in your home country. You will also need to pay the relevant visa processing fee.

You will also be required to submit biometric information at a visa application centre.

Visa processing times can vary between embassies, but for postal applications, you should expect a decision in around 8 weeks. In-person applications are generally decided on a same-day basis.

Eligibility for the UK Ancestry Visa under the intention to work and financial support requirements are not always straightforward. While each case will be taken on its own merit, taking professional advice to help compile and submit your application will help ensure you present a comprehensive case to the Embassy.

How long does the UK Ancestry Visa last?

The maximum amount of time a person can spend in the UK on an Ancestry visa is 5 years. After this, you should be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain, providing you meet all the requirements, for example:

• You continue to satisfy the requirements of the UK ancestry visa
• You have spent a period of five continuous years in the UK
• You have worked throughout that five-year period
• You have not spent more than 90 days each year outside the UK during this qualifying period

If you don’t qualify for ILR or do not wish to apply for ILR, it is possible to apply to extend your Ancestry Visa status.

How much does the UK Ancestry Visa cost?

The fee to apply for entry clearance with a UK ancestry visa is £516.

In addition to the visa application fee, you will also have to pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) as part of your application to allow you to use the National Health Service once living in the UK.

The IHS will be calculated on the basis of how much leave is granted, typically at a rate of £624 per year.

How long is processing for the UK ancestry visa?

Ordinarily, application decisions are given within a matter of weeks, although applicants are advised to confirm processing times when making their application as COVID may impact processing operations.

Premium services for faster processing may also be available for an additional fee and depending on what country you are applying from.

Can my partner and family join me in the UK?

Under an Ancestry Visa, you will be permitted to bring certain family members to live with you in the UK, including your unmarried partner, spouse, civil partner and dependent minor children.

They will usually be granted the same period of leave as the main visa applicant and can also take up employment.

For dependants to apply with you, you must show:

• There will be adequate accommodation for both you and your partner, without recourse to public funds, that you own or occupy exclusively
• You and your partner will also be able to maintain yourselves adequately without recourse to public funds
• Your partner does not intend to stay in the UK beyond any period of leave granted to you as the primary visa holder
• Your partner does not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal

In addition, specific relationship requirements must be met to qualify as the unmarried partner of the primary visa holder, namely:

• Any previous marriage or civil partnership, or similar relationship, by either partner has ended
• You are not blood relatives
• You have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage or a civil partnership of two years or more, and
• You both intend to live together as partners during the primary visa holder’s stay in the UK, and the relationship is genuine and subsisting

To apply for entry clearance from outside the UK as the partner or dependant of someone with a UK ancestry visa, this must be done online. Ideally, it is best that you and your partner submit any application at the same time to enable you to travel together to the UK, although your partner can apply at a late date to join you.

Your partner can also apply to switch their visa from a different category if they are already in the UK. However, if they were last granted entry clearance as either a visitor or short-term student they will not be eligible to do so. They will also be ineligible if they were granted temporary admission or temporary release.

As part of the application process for entry clearance and/or leave to remain, your partner will need to enrol their biometric information, ie; a scan of their fingerprints and a digital photograph of their face, either at a visa application centre in their country of residence or at a UKVCAS service point if applying to switch or extend their leave from within the UK.

Having submitted their application and paid the relevant visa fee, your partner will also need to file any documentation in support.

Renewing the Ancestry Visa

A UK Ancestry Visa will be granted for a period of up to 5 years.

You have the option to apply to extend the visa for a further period of leave, provided you continue to meet the eligibility requirements, or you may consider applying to settle in the UK on a permanent basis.

The best option for you will very much depend on your individual circumstances, including how long you intend to remain in the UK and whether your previous stay has been continuous.

What if the application is refused?

Ancestry visa applications can be refused for many reasons, including failure to provide sufficient documentary evidence of the requirements.

In most cases, there is no right of appeal unless an error has been made in which provides grounds to request an administrative review of the decision. Take legal advice if you are unsure of your options after being refused the visa.

Ancestry Visa Help

Our experienced immigration advisers can work with you to help you secure your UK Ancestry Visa. We will work with you to assess whether your heritage makes you eligible which can include sourcing and locating family history documents for you, to use as evidence for the Home Office.

We will also perform a document check and fill your application out using expert knowledge. Our services also involve one of our lawyers producing a Letter of Representation. This letter references your supporting documents, relevant UK immigration laws and cases in support of your application. This will maximise your chances of a successful UK Ancestry Visa application.

Get in touch online today or call 0208 638 5532 o to speak to an expert immigration adviser, or complete the online inquiry form.