Citizenship Areas
Support for eligible parents applying to join or remain with a child in the UK under the family route.
We assess the child’s age, nationality or immigration status and residence, including any relevant continuous-residence provisions.
We review parental responsibility, care or contact arrangements and the parent’s continuing role in the child’s upbringing.
If you qualify under the partner route, that route must be used instead. We assess the family’s circumstances before recommending the appropriate application.
This family route is separate from accompanying a child at an independent school. For that service, see Parent of a Child Student.
We assess the parent’s circumstances alongside the child’s position, family arrangements and immigration history.
Assess the child’s status, parenting arrangements, existing permissions and any earlier immigration issues.
Advise on relevant supporting information and assess the applicable requirements, exceptions and family-life considerations.
Assist with the application and required identity process, including case-specific representations where appropriate.
Review the grant and conditions, family arrangements and timing of any further application.
We assist with overseas applications, eligible switches and further leave applications within the UK. The appropriate application, including FLR(FP) where relevant, depends on the case.
We can assess the relevant financial and language position, any exemptions and fee-waiver eligibility. Detailed advice is tailored to the application rather than a standard checklist.
We assess how the parent is involved in the child’s life, including responsibility, where the child lives and any agreed or court-ordered contact arrangements.
The child’s residence and family circumstances can affect the available application. A child having lived in the UK for seven years does not automatically grant the parent permission.
Where the standard pathway is not available, we can assess relevant exceptions and the individual family circumstances before advising. Outcomes depend on the full case.
Other eligible children may be included in a family application. We review their age, existing permission and care arrangements individually.
A child may already hold immigration permission or have a claim to citizenship. The appropriate application should be checked before proceeding.
We can review related applications together, including any different expiry dates and the effect of a new parent grant. A successful parent application does not automatically update each child’s status.
We assist with further leave applications and review continued eligibility, the existing pathway and any changes in parenting or family circumstances.
Existing grants and the child’s age or changing circumstances need to be assessed together. The correct next step should not be assumed from the title of the previous visa.
We can advise on significant changes to the child’s living arrangements, parental responsibility, contact or the wider family’s status.
We review the conditions of the grant, including work and study permission and any public-funds restriction, and advise on the appropriate application or response where circumstances change.
A parent grant may lead to settlement after a qualifying period, subject to the applicable pathway and conditions. Five-year and ten-year arrangements should be assessed against the actual grants and immigration history.
We review the appropriate settlement application, including SET(M) where applicable to the parent pathway, and any relevant legacy provisions. Earlier time on another route does not automatically count towards the five-year parent period.
Naturalisation has its own status, residence, absence, language, good-character and other conditions. Having a British child does not automatically make a parent British.