If you are a dependent adult and you have a relative who lives in the UK and is a British citizen or has settled status, you can apply for an adult-dependent relative visa. Here, dependent adult means someone who is 18 or over and requires long-term personal care to perform daily activities due to age, illness, or disability. Such a person may apply for an adult-dependent relative (ADR) visa if the care is either unavailable or not affordable in their country.
Under Appendix Adult Dependent Relative rules, an adult dependent relative of someone who is one of the following can apply for an ADR visa.
You can apply for an ADR visa only if you are unable to perform daily activities due to age, illness, or disability. You must also demonstrate that you need long-term personal care that only your relative in the UK can provide. You or your relative cannot recourse to public funds for your care.
Your relative must sponsor you. You can apply for the visa only from outside the UK. You cannot apply to switch to the ADR visa. If you in the UK then you can only submit an application outside the rules.
Once your application is granted Indefinite Leave to Enter which is a permanent settlement status if your relative in the UK is either a British citizen or has settled status. You generally get full access to the NHS and local authority social care services; however you cannot claim public funds.
You may get limited leave to remain if they have limited leave to remain as a person with protection status or under the Appendix EU. Thus, you get leave in line with the sponsor.
You can apply for settlement when your sponsor applies for the same. Your adult dependent relative visa will expire if your relative receives indefinite leave to remain before you. Your partner can also apply at the same time as you if they are the other parent of the sponsor, irrespective of their own health status.
You may be granted an ADR visa only when you prove that you need long-term care and that care can only be provided by your relative in the UK.
You must be aged 18 or over at the date of application.
This is the key requirement for a UK adult-dependent relative visa. You must demonstrate that you cannot perform daily activities due to age, illness, or disability. You must also demonstrate that you need long-term care and that care is either not available in your country or you cannot afford it there. You must have the only option of being taken care of by your relative in the UK. This generally depends on circumstances.
You can be a parent, a grandparent, a brother or sister, or a son or daughter of your relative cum sponsor in the UK.
Are you a parent or grandparent of the sponsor? If yes, you must not be in a subsisting relationship with a partner unless your partner is also a parent or grandparent of the sponsor. If your partner is not a parent of the sponsor, you will not be able to apply for the adult dependent relative visa.
If your partner is the other parent of the sponsor, they must apply at the same time as you. If they don’t, you will not be able to apply for an adult dependent relative visa.
You must submit documents to prove your relationship with the sponsor. For example, you can submit birth certificates or adoption papers.
You must demonstrate that you are physically, financially, or emotionally dependent on your relative. Physical dependency means you cannot perform daily tasks such as washing and dressing. Financial dependency refers to the fact that you cannot support yourself financially in your home country. Emotional dependency refers to the fact that your well-being is linked to your relative in the UK. Emotional dependency is tough to prove. This generally depends on circumstances.
You must demonstrate that your relative in the UK will fully take care of your maintenance, accommodation, and care without recourse to public funds. If your relative in the UK is a British citizen or has settled status, they will have to sign a 5-year undertaking to this effect. You can check the details on Maintenance and Accommodation guidance The accommodation in the UK must either be owned or occupied exclusively by the sponsor. Maintenance can be met by any combination of the funds available to the sponsor and the applicant.
You need to follow the below steps to apply for a UK adult-dependent relative visa.
The first step is to check whether you meet the eligibility requirements. We have mentioned the eligibility conditions above.
You must have the supporting documents for the ADR visa application. For example, a birth certificate or adoption papers are required to prove the relationship between you and your relative. Similarly, you need to prove your dependency on the sponsor. You will be told the documents you need to upload at the time of application.
You must apply online. You can complete the application in one go or save it and fill it out later.
You must pay the ADR visaapplication fee. The application fee depends on the immigration status of your relative in the UK. If they have temporary ‘protection status,’ it costs you £404. In other cases, the ADR visa application costs you £3,250. You may be eligible for a fee waiver in certain circumstances if you cannot pay the visa fee.
You also have to pay the healthcare surcharge fee of £3,250 per year per person.
You need to submit your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) to prove your identity. You can submit your biometric information at a visa application center (VAC) in your country or another country (if there is no VAC in your country).
You can get your documents scanned at the VAC if you did not submit them online.
After you have completed the above steps, you need to wait for the decision on your adult dependent relative visa application. You should receive a decision within 12 weeks. However, it may take longer depending on your circumstances.
You will be informed about whether your visa application has been approved. If approved you should get ready to travel to the UK and if refused you will be told if you have the options such as appeal.
Are you confused about a UK adult-dependent relative visa? If so, you should seek help from UK immigration like us. We are UK immigration specialists. If you are stuck with the ADR visa application, we can help you complete the process without any hassle. If you have any urgent queries, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261.
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