UK Ancestry Visas
If you are a Commonwealth citizen and you are able to show that one of your grandparents was born in the UK (including Southern Ireland prior to 31 March 1922) you may apply for a visa that will allow you to stay here for a period of up to 5 years. During that time you may work without restriction, whether employed or self-employed.
You may also freely exit and re-enter the UK multiple times. You must apply for this visa outside the UK – usually from your home country.
Please note that if you are applying for an ancestry visa from South Africa or Australia, you should contact our Cape Town or Melbourne office.
To be eligible you must show that:
- You are a Commonwealth Citizen.
- You are aged 17 years or over.
- You have a grandparent who was born in the UK
- You are able to work and intend to take or seek employment in the UK for the duration of your visa
- You are able to support and accommodate yourself and any dependants without recourse to any public funding
You may bring your spouse, partner and/or dependant children (under 18) with you. They are allowed to stay for the same length of time as you are, and there are not usually any restrictions on working.
Ancestry visas are normally issued for 5 years. At the end of that period, if you have lived in the UK continuously (you may not spend more than 90 consecutive days out of the country), you may apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). If you have an ancestry visa that was issued before April 2006, it will most likely be for 4 years. If your ancestry visa is for 4 years, you may apply for a year extension, and then for ILR if you wish to.
After spending 12 months on ILR, you may be eligible for UK citizenship, which is referred to as naturalisation as a British citizen.
Call to speak with a 1st Contact immigration consultant to find out how we can help you to apply for this visa or take an online assessment.
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