Immigration Corner | Eligibility for a UK ancestry visa

Dear Mr Bassie,

I would like to know under what circumstances someone can apply for a UK ancestry visa.

LG

Dear LG,

Persons can apply for a UK ancestry visa if they are one of the following: a Commonwealth citizen; a British overseas citizen; a British overseas territories citizen; a British national (overseas); or a citizen of Zimbabwe.

They must also prove one of their grandparents was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and they should be able to meet the other eligibility requirements.

Please note that the earliest persons can apply is three months before travelling. It should also be noted that they should get a decision on the visa application within three weeks when applying from outside the United Kingdom. It may be possible for applicants to pay for a faster decision and interested persons should make inquiries.

Please note that the cost of a UK ancestry visa is £531. Applicants may also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of their application. Persons should check how much they will have to pay before applying.

HOW LONG PERSONS MAY STAY

Persons can stay in the UK for five years on this visa. Persons who have lived in the UK for five years on this visa may be able to either apply to extend their visa for a further five years or make an application to settle permanently in the UK (that is, apply for ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

WHAT PERSONS CAN AND CANNOT DO

With a UK ancestry visa, persons can work, study and bring their partner or child.

Work can be paid or voluntary; or full-time or part-time. Please be aware that it can also be in self-employment or in a job where someone else employs the applicant.

Please note that persons cannot change (‘switch’) into this visa if they arrived in the UK on a different visa and they will not be eligible to get public funds.

ELIGIBILITY

Person must prove that they are 17 years or over. Also, persons should have enough money without help from public funds to support and house themselves and any dependents. They should also plan to work in the United Kingdom.

ANCESTRY

Persons must show that they have a grandparent born in one of the following circumstances:

• In the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

• Before March 31, 1922 in what is now Ireland

• On a ship or aircraft that was either registered in the UK or belonged to the UK government

Also, please be aware that persons can claim ancestry if they or their parent were adopted and if their parents or grandparents were not married. However, persons cannot claim UK ancestry through stepparents.

I hope that this helps.

All the best.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com