You must be the lone parent traveling with your child to the UK in order to qualify for a Parent of a Child Student Visa. The child’s other parent must reside abroad and is not eligible to seek to move to the UK with you. If your other kids have child student visas or are applying for them, you are permitted to bring them along.
You can apply for a Parent of Tier 4 child visa if:
You can’t put a price on peace of mind.
Speak to our assessment team now to confirm your eligibility and options for free on 0800 970 2727.
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
This
visa usually lasts for either 6 or 12 months. After that, you can get extensions
for 12 months at a time until your child reaches 12 years of age.
You’ll
be given a shorter visa and won’t be able to extend that visa if your child is
going to:
● have their 12th birthday in the next 12 months
● finish their final year at school in the next 12 months
You
must leave the UK when your visa expires in either case, and can’t switch to a
different visa category. If your child is staying in education in the UK
without you, you must make arrangements for their ongoing care.
You
can:
● extend your visa for 12 months at a time, as long as you continue to
meet the eligibility requirements
You
can’t:
● switch into a different immigration category from a ‘Parent of a
Tier 4 child visa’ when it expires
● get public funds
● make your main home in the UK
● take paid work
● study
● bring other family members (‘dependants’) with you on your
application – they must apply separately
To be eligible for a Parent of a Tier 4 child visa you must:
● have enough money to support yourself and any dependants while in the UK
● maintain a second home outside the UK
● plan to leave the UK at the end of your visit
● be able to meet the cost of the return or onward journey
Your child must:
● be under 12
● be studying at or about to start studying at an independent fee-paying day school in the UK
● have a Tier 4 (Child) visa or be in the category ‘students in the UK under the immigration rules in place before 31 March 2009’
When
you apply you’ll need to provide:
● a current passport or other valid travel identification
● your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where
you have to take the test
You’ll
need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.
You’ll
also have to show documents that prove you:
● have a permanent home outside the UK
● have money to support you and your children or have relatives or
friends that will support you in the UK
● have booked (or can afford) travel to leave the UK at the end of
your stay
● were not last admitted to the UK under the Approved Destination
Status Agreement with China
You’ll
need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English
or Welsh.
You
may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
You
can apply to extend your stay for as long as you and your child continue to
meet the eligibility requirements.
You
must apply while you’re still in the UK and at least 4 weeks before your
original visa expires.
How long you can stay
You
can apply to extend your stay for 12 months at a time.
How long it takes
A
decision will be made:
● within 8 weeks for online applications
● usually on the same day if you use the premium service
You’ll
be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, eg:
● if your supporting documents need to be verified
● if you need to attend an interview
● because of your personal circumstances, eg you have a criminal
conviction
Once
you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as
long as you applied before your last visa expired.
