If your spouse or family member is a permanent resident in the UK and you wish to come to the country to live with them, you will need to apply for a dependency visa for UK. The Dependent Visa category is designed to allow families to stay together in the UK; however there are certain criteria that must be met in order to apply.
Who Is Eligible To Apply For Dependency Visa For UK?
In order to be eligible to apply for a dependency visa, you must have a close family member who is willing to be your sponsor and who is already either a UK citizen or a permanent resident within the UK. Generally in order to qualify as a dependent you must be either the spouse or civil partner of your sponsor or a child of the sponsor who is aged less than 18 years. If your sponsor is an EEA national, a dependent child is classed as being under the age of 21 years. You will only be eligible to apply for a dependents visa if you can demonstrate that you will be able to support yourself financially once you arrive in the country as you will not be able to access any public funds. This means that your sponsor must be able to show they can provide enough money for you to live in the UK.
There is also an Adult Dependency Visa which is designed to allow elderly relatives such as aged parents or grandparents of the sponsor to come and live with their family member in the UK. In order to qualify to apply for an Elderly Dependent Relative Visa, there is extra documentation which must be supplied. This will include medical information to prove that you require long-term personal care as a result of age, disability or illness. You will also have to prove that you are unable to receive suitable care in your home country either because you have nobody there to support you or because you cannot afford to pay for the necessary care. Financial information must also be provided to demonstrate that you will be cared for by your sponsor without the need to apply for any public funds.
What Are The Conditions Of A Dependency Visa?
If you are granted a dependents visa you will be granted permission to enter the country and to live anywhere in the UK without any restrictions. You will also be permitted to apply for any job and to work in any field of employment at any level without any limits. You will however not be entitled to apply for any public funds.
How Long Can You Remain In The UK On A Dependency Visa?
If you are successful in your application for a dependents visa, you will be given permission to stay in the UK indefinitely. This means that you can live in the UK for as long as you like without having to apply for a renewal of your visa. Once you have been continuously resident in the UK for a period of at least 5 years, you will be entitled to apply for naturalization as British Citizen if you wish.
How to Apply For a Dependency Visa
You can either apply for a dependents visa from outside the UK or from inside the UK as long as you do not already hold a visitor's visa. You must complete the relevant application form and pay the required fee. You must also submit all necessary paperwork including financial and medical evidence required to support your application.
