Children
If you are a permanent resident of the United Kingdom or you have been given permission to live here permanently, you may be able to bring your children to live here permanently.
You may bring your child to the United Kingdom if you can show that:
- you currently live and are settled in the United Kingdom legally, or have permission to come here to settle, with no time limit on your stay;
- you have adequate accommodation where you can all live without help from public funds and
- you are the child's parent - this includes the stepfather or stepmother of a child whose father or mother is dead, both the father and mother of an illegitimate child, and an adoptive parent in certain defined circumstances.
Your child must show that he/she:
- is not leading an independent life;
- is not married or in a civil partnership;
- has not formed an independent family unit; and
- is aged under 18.
Children cannot normally come to live in the United Kingdom if one parent is living in another country, unless the parent living in the United Kingdom has sole responsibility for the child or there are serious reasons why the child must be allowed to come here.
Your child must obtain permission to enter the United Kingdom before travelling here. This is called 'entry clearance'. It will be in the form of a visa or entry clearance certificate. To obtain it, he/she should apply to the British diplomatic post in the country where he/she lives.
