UK Family Visa

If you are a British citizen or a permanent resident of the UK, you can bring your foreign national family member to the country by choosing one of five different UK Family visa options. Each category is intended for a specific family member such as your foreign spouse, fiancé(e), or children among others, granting them a UK Visa that they can use to stay long-term in the United Kingdom.

Continue reading to find out about the various types of family visas, who qualifies for each one, and answers to common questions from applicants.

What are the Different Types of UK Family Visas?

As there is no general UK Family Visa, here is a list of each of the 5 different choices, which family members they are for, and what they offer:

UK Spouse Visa

If you have married your foreign partner and want them to stay with you longer in the country and work toward permanent residence, you can sponsor them for a UK Spouse Visa. This visa permits your spouse to stay and work in the UK long-term for up to 2 years and 9 months. They can also extend their length of stay after it expires by applying for a UK Spouse Visa Extension.

UK Fiancé(e) Visa

If you want to bring your partner to the UK to marry, you can sponsor them for a UK Fiancé Visa. This allows your non-British citizen partner to reside in the United Kingdom for up to 6 months during which time you will need to marry them or forfeit the visa. Upon getting married, they can apply for a UK Spouse Visa to extend their stay in the country as a married partner.

UK Visa for Children

As a British citizen domiciled in the United Kingdom, you can also bring your foreign children to come and live with you, provided they are under 18 years of age. You can sponsor them for a UK Child Visa, which will allow them to stay with you permanently in the country.

UK Adult Dependent Relatives Visa

A UK Adult Dependent Relative Visa is available for parents, grandparents, siblings, and children over the age of 18, provided they have a disability that requires them to be dependent on you for support. If you're a UK citizen or permanent resident, you can sponsor their entry into the United Kingdom.

UK Parent Visa

If you are a foreign national with a child who is a British citizen or permanent resident, you are eligible for a UK Parent Visa. This long-term visa grants you up to 2 years and 9 months in the country, with the possibility for an extension after it expires.

Requirements for a UK Family Visa

The eligibility requirements and mandatory items differ depending on the visa. If you are a UK citizen, you may be required to sponsor your family member for certain applications. The non-British citizen applicant will typically have to complete an English language test at a certain level for some of the visas and meet the age requirement.

As a sponsor, you are expected to prove that you hold sufficient funds to support your family members during their stay in the UK and provide concrete evidence that you are related to the foreign applicant. You also need to be settled in the UK and be a British citizen or permanent resident.

On a general level, the following documents are required for most applications:

• A valid passport or travel document
• A completed application form (for the specific visa)
• A passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), color photograph of the family member(s)
• Payment of the visa fee
• Proof of relationship documents (i.e: photographs, shared billing documents, birth certificates)
• Proof that the foreign applicant will be financially supported during their stay (i.e: bank statements)
• Proof of English language proficiency (i.e: language test results)
• Any supporting documents relevant to the application, if required

UK Family Visa Application Process

After meeting all the eligibility requirements and preparing all the right documents, the application is submitted initially to the VFS in Thailand, a government-contracted organization. The Center receives the application and forwards it to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for further processing. After the UKVI approves the application, they then pass it along to the UK Embassy in Bangkok.

While VFS receives your application and collects your biometrics, they are not responsible for assessing your application. The UKVI is the organization that reviews your application and makes a final decision on it.

What Siam Legal Can Do For You

To make it easier for you to sponsor your family members (or if you are a foreign national wanting to apply for a UK Family Visa), connect with Siam Legal’s UK visa team in Thailand for extra assistance. Our team has more than 20 years of experience providing legal and immigration services, so we have the skills and knowledge to help you bring your family into the UK quickly and smoothly.

Our UK Family Visa services cover all aspects of your application:

• An in-depth review will be conducted of both your and your family member’s background to verify eligibility for the chosen visa.
• Consultation sessions will be provided to examine what type of UK Family Visa is appropriate for your family members.
• A checklist of required documents will be provided for the application upon request.
• Our team will prepare the visa application thoroughly before it's submitted, making sure there are no visible errors or missing documents.
• Our team will handle the submission of your family member’s application entirely on their behalf.
• Our staff will arrange all correspondence with the relevant agencies assessing the application to provide updates.
• You and your family will have access to our UK Visa specialist hotline for unlimited assistance over the phone.

Contact Siam Legal today to unite with your family in the United Kingdom as swiftly and easily as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I receive a document checklist for any UK Family Visa application?

Yes, we can provide a detailed checklist of all the items you need to collect and provide for your chosen UK Family Visa application. Simply contact Siam Legal’s foreign visa team in Thailand and request one.

How do I meet the financial requirements?

For your foreign family members to be able to apply for a UK Family Visa (or for you to qualify for a UK Parent Visa), you need to fulfill the minimum financial requirements. You must show you have enough funds to support your loved ones during their stay in the United Kingdom without having to seek government support at any time.

There are two ways you can satisfy this requirement:

• Have an annual income of £29,000
• Maintain at least £88,500 in your savings account for 6 months before an application is submitted

How much do you charge for your UK Family Visa services?

There is no fixed charge for our services and the amount of money you need to spend depends on which visa you or your family members are applying for. For instance, we charge a different fee for a UK Spouse Visa as opposed to a UK Parent Visa.

This fee only includes access to our UK Family Visa services. It does not include the fees for the actual visa, the tuberculosis exam, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), or the application to be submitted to VFS.

How long is the application process?

In general, non-settlement category visas, such as the UK Fiancé Visa, typically take 2-3 weeks to be processed. Settlement category visas, such as the UK Spouse Visa, can take between 2-3 months on average. If you are an applicant for a UK Family Visa, you can also apply for priority service to speed up your application, available by the UKVI at an additional cost.

Note that processing times for applications are not always the same. If the British Embassy asks for additional documents or there are errors in your application, this can cause delays. You can also monitor the progress of your application online, but the outcome of your application will not be decided until all your documents have been fully provided.

How do I expedite the application process for any of these Family Visa applications?

You or a family member can speed up an application by applying for either a priority service or a super-priority service.

• If you choose a priority service for your application, you end up paying £500 (or the international equivalent) to complete the process within as early as 5 working days.
• On the other hand, if you want to expedite the application even further, you can pay £1,000 to choose the super-priority service. This option will deliver the visa within a day.

What can I do if a Family Visa application is rejected?

If you or a family member (depending on who is the applicant) has received notification from immigration services that the application was rejected, you may be able to reapply, depending on the reason given. Reach out to Siam Legal’s foreign visa team for assistance in reapplying.