UK Family Visas for US Citizens

The Dependent Child Visa UK allows US citizens who intend to join their partners in the UK to bring their children with them. If your application is successful, your children will be able to live and study in the UK for as long as the visa have is valid.

If, however, you are a UK national applying to bring your child who is a US citizen to the UK, they will automatically be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain after their arrival.

The main requirement for the Child Dependent Visa UK is for at least one parent to be based in the UK. Additional requirements are:

• The child is younger than 18 years old
• The child is not living an independent life
• The child is not married and does not have their own family
• You are able to financially support the child after they arrive in the UK, without relying on public funds
• You can prove that you and the child are related.

If you are a US citizen applying to join your partner who is a British national or has settled status in the UK and you want to bring your child with you, it is also necessary to prove that taking care of the child is your sole responsibility.

The visa application fee for those applying from the US is . For those applying from within the UK, the fee is  . It is possible to use the premium service when applying from the UK. It costs  for the priority service typically granting a decision after 5 days, or for a decision after 2 working days. 

The Unmarried Partner Visa UK allows US citizens who are in a committed relationship with a British national or someone who has settled status in the UK to join them. Both heterosexual and homosexual couples can apply for the visa as long as they can prove that their relationship is genuine and that they intend to stay and live together in the UK permanently.

US citizens applying for the Unmarried Partner Visa need to provide evidence that one of the following statements applies to their UK-based partner:

• They have British or Irish citizenship
• They hold Indefinite Leave to Remain or settled status in the UK
• They are a citizen of a member state of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and were residents of the UK before 1 January 2021
• They are under humanitarian protection in the UK or have refugee status here.

Additional requirements for US citizens wanting to apply for the Unmarried Partner Visa include:

• You and your partner are 18 years old or older
• You and your partner are not related
• You and your partner have a genuine and ongoing relationship
• You and your partner have met each other in person and preferably have lived together
• You and your partner have no ongoing relationships with other people.

For those applying from the US or another country that is not the UK, the application fee is £1,938  . You will also need to pay £1035  for the Immigration Health Surcharge. In most cases, the application processing time is between 10 – 12 weeks. If you need to know the outcome sooner, you can apply for the priority service that costs £500 and allows you to receive the decision within 30 days. If your application is urgent, it is possible to pay £1000  and have it processed within just 24 hours.

A family visa is for those wishing to join a family member who lives in the UK as a citizen or permanent resident. You will need to have a spouse, partner, fiancé, fiancée, proposed civil partner, child, parent, or relative who will provide for your long-term care to sponsor you. Each of these family visa types has specific requirements that you will need to fulfill to have a successful application.

Some requirements apply to the family member you are joining. Usually, they will need to be one of the following:

• A British or Irish citizen.
• A holder of settled status or indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
• An EU, EEA, or Swiss national with pre-settled status in the UK.
• A holder of refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
• A holder of a Turkish Businessperson or Worker visa.

All UK Family visas also require you to meet stringent financial requirements that ensure you won’t need state support to survive in the UK. This general requirement is detailed in the section below.

The British Government requires an elementary understanding of the English language to obtain a family visa. It usually requires you to have passed a test for A1 standard or higher on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is also worth getting a test at a B1 level if you are capable, as that is the standard for a settlement application after you have fulfilled your residence period. Furthermore, you also need to pass an A2 speaking and listening test.

Another way to prove English competency is to have an academic qualification taught or researched in English. An Ecctis assessment is needed to prove this if the qualification was not obtained from a British institution.

However, this requirement is waived for US citizens, with the expectation that the vast majority will speak English already. The only case it would be needed is for people living in the USA but don’t have American citizenship, and also don’t have citizenship in any of the other nations for whom the requirement is waived, such as Australia.

The exact information and documents that you need to provide will depend on the nature of your relationship with the family member that you want to join in the UK. However, the standard requirements include the following:

• The names of yourself, the UK-based family member, and any dependents joining you.
• Your date of birth.
• A valid passport or travel ID.
• Copies of your previous passports’ photo page and visas, and entry stamps.
• Information about your previous immigration applications.
• Information on any previous criminal convictions.
• A national insurance number, if you have one.
• Parents’ date of birth and nationality (for applications from outside the UK).

A range of evidence is also needed to show that you and your UK-based sponsor fit the financial requirements. This can include a bank statement with your income included, six months of payslips, and a letter from your employer. The employer’s letter should include the following:

• Confirmation of employment.
• Job title or position.
• Length of employment.
• Contract type.
• Earnings before tax and national insurance payments.
• Confirmation that payslips are genuine.

Although unlikely for US citizens, a certified translation is needed if you are submitting any documents that aren’t already in English or Welsh. Likewise, a tuberculosis test is required for individuals coming from high-risk nations, for which the USA is not.

Once your application is submitted, all that’s left to do is wait for it to be processed. This will take around eight weeks for those applying as the partner, spouse, child, or adult coming to be cared for by a UK resident or citizen. The processing time extends to 12 months if you are applying as the parent of a UK-based child. Please note that processing times can be substantially longer if your application has issues or the Home Office is experiencing a backlog. You can also pay for priority processing if you need an answer to your application urgently.

Once your visa has been processed, you will receive the result. If it has been accepted, you will have instructions on what to do next and when you can come to the UK. Meanwhile, if your application is rejected, you cannot come to the UK. Your refusal letter will confirm if you have the right to appeal. You can also launch an administrative review or reapply, having fixed any issues with your application.