Immigration Corner | Eligibility for obtaining a UK Ancestry visa

Dear Mr Bassie,

One of my grandparents is British and I would like to know whether I am eligible to apply for a UK Ancestry visa. Any information would be appreciated.

DD

Dear DD,

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.

Those persons must also prove one of their grandparents was born in the United Kingdom (UK), the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and should meet the other eligibility requirements.

Persons should be aware that the earliest they can apply is three months before travelling. They should receive a decision on their visa within three weeks when applying from outside of the United Kingdom, if persons need a faster response time.

Please note that a UK Ancestry visa costs £637. Persons should also be aware that they may also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of their application, and should check how much they will have to pay before applying.

Successful applicants will be permitted to 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 your visa for a further five years, or apply to settle permanently in the UK (apply for ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

WHAT IS PERMITTED

With a UK Ancestry visa, persons are allowed to work, study and also bring their partner or child. The work can be:

• Paid or voluntary;

• Full-time or part-time;

• In self-employment or in a job where someone employs the applicant.

However, persons cannot change, that is, ‘switch’ into this visa if they arrived in the UK on a different visa. Persons with this type of visa are also not eligible to receive public funds.

ELIGIBILITY

Persons must prove that they are 17 years old or over, and that they have enough money, without help from public funds, to support and house themselves and any dependants. They should also show that they can, and plan to, work in the UK.

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.

Persons can also claim ancestry if they or their parent were adopted; their parents or grandparents were not married. However, persons cannot claim UK ancestry through step-parents.

I hope this helps.

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 past global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com