uk visa enquiry

Things to know about UK Ancestry Visa

UK Ancestry Visa allows the following nationals to live, work and study in the UK if one of their grandparents was born in the UK, Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.

  • Commonwealth citizens
  • British overseas citizens
  • British territories overseas citizens
  • British national (overseas)
  • Citizens of Zimbabwe

UK ancestry visa allows all the above citizens to live in the UK because of their ancestral connection to the UK. 
Before you think of applying for a UK ancestry visa, you should know a few things as mentioned below about UK ancestry visa:

Eligibility for UK Ancestry visa

You need to meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for a UK ancestry visa: 

  • You must be one of the following:
  • A Commonwealth citizen that includes several countries such as Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and many others, 
  • A British overseas citizen, 
  • A British territories overseas citizen, 
  • A British national (overseas) or 
  • A citizen of Zimbabwe 
  • You must have one of your grandparents born in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man. 
  • You must be aged 17 or over
  • You must show that you would be able to support yourself and any dependents financially without relying on public funds
  • You must show your intention to work in the UK during your stay in the country
  • You and any dependents must produce a TB test certificate if you come from a country where TB is prevalent.

How to apply for a UK ancestry visa?

You must apply for a UK Ancestry Visa from your home country or a country where you are legally resident. You need to apply online. 
To complete the application, you need to pay the relevant application fee of £637 and schedule an appointment to submit your biometric information at a local visa application center. You also need to Immigration health Surcharge of £1035 per year. Once you have paid the fees, you can then submit your application. 

After that, you will have to submit your passport and other documentary evidence to support
your application. 
A decision on your UK Ancestry Visa application should be made within 3 weeks. However, depending on your circumstances it may take longer. 
After the complete assessment of your application, you will be sent an email confirming a decision has been made on your application, and after that, you need to collect your passport alongside the decision letter.

Documents to submit

You need to submit the following documents with your UK Ancestry Visa application. The list includes but is not limited to:

  • Your valid current passport (with a blank page for your visa) or a valid travel document
  • Your full birth certificate
  • The birth certificates of your parent(s) and grandparent(s) as UK ancestry documents on which your ancestry is based on 
  • Documents such as bank statements, salary slips etc. to prove that you would be able to support yourself and any dependents financially and the documents must be dated within 31 days from when you submit your application
  • Documents such as a job offer you have received or a business plan if you are self-employed to show your plan to work in the UK

You may have to submit more documents depending on your circumstances.

How long can you stay?

You can stay for 5 years in the UK on a UK Ancestry Visa. After you have completed 5 years in the UK you can apply for an extension of another 5 years or settlement in the UK. 

What you can and cannot do on this visa?

You can work, study, and bring your partner or child on this visa. Your work can be paid or voluntary, full-time or part-time, self-employed, or in a job where you are employed by someone else.
You cannot switch to a UK ancestry visa from any other visa you came up with and you cannot get public funds.

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Visa and Migration is a private OISC regulated company (F201500999) and is not an official Government body. If you would like to prepare and submit your UK immigration application yourself you can do so by visiting the UKVI website.