If your child is British, Irish or settled in the UK and you are not in a relationship with the child's other parent, you can apply under the parent route. It leads to settlement after five years where the financial and English requirements are met, or after ten years where they are not.
Who qualifies
- Your child is under 18 when you apply (or was when you were first granted leave), lives in the UK, and is a British or Irish citizen, settled, or has pre-settled status having lived here before 1 January 2021. From inside the UK, a child who has lived in the UK for seven continuous years also qualifies where it would not be reasonable for them to leave.
- You have sole parental responsibility, or shared responsibility where the other parent is not your partner and is British, Irish or settled, or you have direct in-person access to the child as agreed with the other parent or carer or by court order.
- You take, and intend to continue taking, an active role in the child's upbringing.
- You can support and house yourself and any dependants without public funds; the income threshold for partners does not apply, but the Home Office looks at your income and housing costs.
- English at CEFR A1 unless exempt.
Parents who are in a relationship with the child's other parent apply as a partner instead.
Evidence
Birth certificate, evidence of your role in the child's life (school, GP and nursery letters, photographs with context, contact arrangements), any court orders with the court's permission to use them, and the other parent's status. Evidence must be less than four years old.
This is not a complete list. What you need depends on your circumstances, and the documents vary from case to case. Your solicitor will tell you exactly what applies to you.
Length and settlement
Two years and nine months, then extensions of two years and six months. Settlement after five years on the route where the requirements are met; see indefinite leave to remain. Applications from inside the UK relying on the seven-year child rule currently take about 12 months.
Fees
£2,064 from outside the UK, £1,407 from inside, plus the health surcharge of £1,035 a year. A fee waiver is available where you cannot afford the fee. Correct on 13 October 2026.
What we do
We advise which route applies, gather evidence of your relationship with your child, and where contact is disputed we can act in the family court as well as in the immigration application.
Ask a question
If you are not sure which route applies, ask a solicitor and we will reply by phone or email. For an open discussion with other applicants, see ukspousevisa.co.uk, our separate site about partner visas.
