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You need a family visa to live with a family member in the UK for more than 6 months.
You can apply for a family visa to live with your:
If you’re visiting the UK for 6 months or less, check if you need a Standard Visitor visa or Marriage Visitor visa.
You can apply to extend your stay with your family member if you’re already in the UK on a family visa.
You can extend at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires.
If you’re extending to stay with the same family member, you’ll only get up to 28 days left on your current stay added to your new visa.
You must live in the UK for a certain amount of time before you’re eligible for settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’). Before you extend your visa, check how much time you need to settle in the UK.
You might be able to apply to stay on the basis of your private life if you’ve lived in the UK for many years already.
If you came to the UK on a different visa, you might be able to switch to a family visa to stay with your:
You can switch at any time before your current permission to stay in the UK expires.
How much it costs depends on who you’re joining and how you apply.
| Apply outside the UK | Apply in the UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost if joining your partner, parent or child | £1,846 | £1,048 |
| Cost for each dependant added to your application | £1,846 each person | £1,048 each person |
How much it costs depends on what permission your relative has.
If they have temporary ‘protection status’ (permission to stay as a refugee or with humanitarian protection) it costs:
Otherwise, it costs:
£3,250 if you’re applying from outside the UK
£1,048 if you’re applying from inside the UK
Let your bank know that a large amount of money will be coming out of your account – otherwise it might cancel your payment.
If you cannot pay the fee, you may be eligible for a fee waiver in certain situations – for example if you cannot afford a place to live or your essential living costs.
You might also need to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.
For each adult (18 or older) it costs:
£1,560 if you’re staying for 2 years and 6 months
£1,872 if you’re staying for 2 years and 9 months
£3,120 if you’re staying for 5 years
For each child (under 18), it costs:
£1,175 if you’re staying for 2 years and 6 months
£1,410 if you’re staying for 2 years and 9 months
£2,350 if you’re staying for 5 years
If you’re applying from the UK, you may be able to pay an extra £1,000 for the super priority service to get a faster decision.
You cannot use the super priority service if you’re applying as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative.
Once you’ve got your decision letter, your biometric residence permit will take up to 10 working days to arrive.
You might be able to apply to settle in the UK if you had permission to stay in the UK as a partner when either:
You might be able to apply for ‘family reunion’ to join a partner or parent who has either:
In some circumstances you cannot apply for, or switch to, a family visa.
You cannot apply for a family visa if your family member is in the UK temporarily on a work visa or student visa.
You can apply to stay with them as a dependant instead.
You’ll usually need to leave the UK to apply for a family visa if either:
However, you might be able to switch to a family visa in the UK if you have either: