Children, elderly relatives and family reunion

Overview

There is no single "family reunion visa". Which route applies depends on who is joining whom, and on the immigration status of the relative in the UK. The main routes are:

• children joining a parent who is British, settled, or here on a partner or parent visa
• children joining a close relative, such as a grandparent or older sibling, who has refugee or humanitarian protection status
• adults who need long-term personal care from a relative in the UK, known as adult dependent relatives

The biggest recent change concerns refugees. The refugee family reunion route closed to new applications at 3pm on 4 September 2025, pending a review. Partners and children of people with protection status must now apply under the ordinary family rules, which include the £29,000 financial requirement. Applications made before the cut-off are still being decided under the old rules.

Two further changes apply in 2026. If a refugee sponsor claimed asylum on or after 2 March 2026 and has a shorter grant of permission, their partner's permission ends on the same date as theirs. From 8 October 2026, an application to join a close relative with protection status can be refused if the applicant is 18 or over.

Who can apply

These routes are for:

• children under 18 joining a parent who is British, Irish or settled in the UK
• children of someone who holds or is applying for a partner or parent visa
• children of a parent with refugee or humanitarian protection status
• children under 18 with no other family to care for them, joining a grandparent, sibling, step-parent, aunt or uncle who has protection status
• adults aged 18 or over who need long-term care from a parent, son, daughter, grandchild, brother or sister in the UK

Husbands, wives and partners have their own routes: see our Spouse visa, Civil partner visa and Unmarried partner visa pages. Relatives of people on work or study visas usually apply as dependants on that route instead.

Requirements

Children joining a parent

• Age: the child must be under 18 when they apply. A child who was first granted permission under 18 can usually extend after turning 18.
• Not independent: the child must not be married, in a civil partnership, or living an independent life.
• Both parents: usually both parents must be settled or applying together. One parent is enough if the other has died, if that parent has had sole responsibility for the child's upbringing, or if there are serious and compelling reasons.
• Money and housing: the child must be adequately maintained and housed without public funds.

Where the parent is on a partner visa, the family must meet the partner financial requirement of £29,000 a year. A parent with protection status must meet the same figure, even if they are single. Children joining a parent who is already settled are assessed on adequate maintenance instead: whether the family's income, after housing costs, is enough to support them. Children do not need to meet an English requirement.

Sole responsibility is often the hardest point. For example, a mother settled in London whose son has lived with his grandmother in Lagos since he was small must show that she, not the father or grandmother, has made the important decisions about his life: school, health and where he lives.

Adult dependent relatives

• Relationship: the applicant must be the sponsor's parent, grandparent, son or daughter, brother or sister, and aged 18 or over.
• Need for care: because of age, illness or disability, the applicant needs long-term personal care with everyday tasks, such as washing, dressing and eating.
• No care at home: even with the sponsor's financial help, the care is not available in the applicant's country, with no one there who can reasonably provide it, or it is not affordable.
• Support in the UK: the sponsor can provide adequate maintenance, accommodation and care without public funds, and signs an undertaking to do so, normally for 5 years.

The test is strict. It is not enough that a parent is lonely, or that the family would prefer to care for them personally. Detailed medical evidence and evidence about care options and costs in the home country are essential. There is no English requirement.

Children joining a relative with protection status

This route is for a child under 18 who has no family able to support or care for them, joining a close relative (not a parent) who has refugee or humanitarian protection status but is not yet settled or British. The relative must have enough money to care for the child without claiming benefits.

How to apply

1. Identify the correct route and form. This depends on the relative in the UK and their status, so check it first.
2. Gather evidence of the relationship, such as birth certificates, and of the sponsor's status, income and housing.
3. For an adult dependent relative, obtain detailed medical reports and evidence about local care.
4. Arrange certified translations and a TB test where needed.
5. Apply online and pay the fee, and the Immigration Health Surcharge where it applies.
6. Give fingerprints and a photograph at a visa application centre abroad, or a UKVCAS service point in the UK.
7. If granted, set up a UKVI account to access the eVisa.

Adult dependent relatives must apply from outside the UK.

Costs

• the Home Office application fee, which is considerably higher for adult dependent relatives
• the Immigration Health Surcharge, payable when limited permission is granted but not when settlement is granted straight away
• a priority fee, if available and wanted
• medical reports, TB tests, translations and, where documents are weak, DNA tests

Current fees appear on this page and on our UK visa fees page. Use our visa cost calculator for a family total. Fee waivers are available in some cases, mainly for applications made in the UK.

Processing times

Applications from outside the UK usually take about 12 weeks, including adult dependent relative applications and children joining a relative with protection status. Priority, where offered, usually brings a family decision to about 30 working days. In the UK, most child applications take about 8 weeks, or about 12 months on the 10-year route. Super priority is not available for adult dependent relatives.

Partners and children

An elderly parent or grandparent can apply together with their partner, and only one of them needs to require care. The partner must apply at the same time. Children born in the UK to a parent on a family visa can be added to the parent's next application, or apply separately.

Extending your stay and settlement

A child joining a British or settled parent is usually granted indefinite leave to enter on arrival. A child joining a parent on a partner or parent visa receives permission in line with the parent and settles with them.

An adult dependent relative of a British or settled sponsor is granted settlement immediately and does not need to extend. Where the sponsor has pre-settled status or protection status, the relative's permission runs in line with the sponsor's, and they extend or settle when the sponsor does. A child joining a relative with protection status also stays in line with that relative and can apply to settle when the relative does.

Children who are settled may later be able to register as British citizens: see our British citizenship page.

How we can help

We start by working out which route fits your family and what the Home Office will focus on. We then build the evidence around the point that decides the case: sole responsibility, the need for care, or the sponsor's finances.

For adult dependent relatives, we help you obtain medical and care evidence that addresses the Rules directly. For families of refugees, we advise on the family rules now in force and on whether an exception to the financial requirement may apply.

We prepare the application and legal representations, deal with Home Office requests, and advise on appeals if an application is refused.

Frequently asked questions

I have refugee status. Can my wife and children join me?

Not through family reunion, which is closed to new applications. They can apply under the family rules, which means meeting the £29,000 financial requirement unless refusal would have unjustifiably harsh consequences for your family.

Can my elderly mother come to live with me?

Only if she needs long-term personal care and that care is not available or affordable where she lives, even with your help. Wanting to be together is not enough on its own.

My child is 17. Is it too late?

No, but apply before the 18th birthday. A child applying from abroad is not refused just because they turn 18 while waiting for a decision.

Does my child need an English test?

No. Children applying on the family routes do not need to meet an English requirement.

My nephew's parents have died. I have refugee status. Can he join me?

Possibly. If he is under 18 and has no other family who can care for him, he may apply to join you as a close relative with protection status.

My child was born in the UK. What do I do?

If you are on a family visa, add your child to your next application or apply for them separately. If you are settled or British, your child may already be British or able to register.