Indefinite leave to remain (permission to stay as a refugee, humanitarian protection, Discretionary or Section 67 Leave)

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Family reunion

Your partner or child may be able to join or stay with you in the UK if both of the following are true:

  • you were part of a family or in a relationship before you were forced to leave your country
  • you have protection status (permission to stay as a refugee or person with humanitarian protection)

If their application is successful, your family members will be allowed to come to or stay in the UK with the same permission as you.

If you formed your family after you left your country, your partner or child must first apply for a visa to join you in the UK.

When your partner or child cannot join you

Your partner or child cannot join you if:

  • you do not have protection status 
  • you’re a British citizen 
  • you’ve not received a decision on your asylum claim
  • you’re under 18
  • you have discretionary leave

They may be eligible to apply for the following instead:

Eligibility

Your partner and any children must meet the following requirements.

Partner

Your partner is someone you’re in a genuine relationship with. You must be able to prove one of the following:

  • you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
  • you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
  • you’ve been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you’re working or studying in different places, or it’s not accepted in your culture

You’ll also need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:

  • communicate regularly with each other
  • support each other financially
  • care for any children you have together

Children

Your child is:

  • under the age of 18
  • not married or in a civil partnership and does not have a partner
  • living with their parent (except when they’re at boarding school, college or university as part of their full-time education)

If your child is aged 18 and over, they can apply as a child if all of the following apply:

  • your child is dependent on your financial and emotional support
  • the parent of the child is in the UK or they’re eligible to come to the UK for family reunion and are planning on travelling to the UK
  • your child does not live an independent life and cannot afford essential living costs
  • your child has no other relatives for support and cannot get support or work in the country where they are living

Apply outside the UK

Your partner or child must apply online for family reunion.

They’ll also need to attend a visa application centre (VAC) to have their fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken.

Apply in the UK

Your partner or child can apply by email or by letter.

UKVI Family Reunion Team
acscincountryfamilyreunion@homeoffice.gov.uk

  
UKVI Family Reunion Team  
Admin Team  
Level 0  
Capital Building  
Liverpool  
L3 9PP  

Providing biometric information and supporting documents

When your family member applies, they’ll be asked to make an appointment at a Service and Support Centre to provide their fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) and have their supporting documents checked.

Getting a decision

If your family member has not heard back after 9 months, they can contact UK Visas and Immigration if they’re:

Choose ‘Something else’ to get to the right contact details.

Fees

There’s no fee for applying for family reunion for eligible family members. 

View a printable version of the whole guide

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