Entry Clearance Limited Leave To Enter As An Adopted Child

Under Appendix Adoption, an adopted or prospective adopted child may be granted settlement or limited permission to enter the United Kingdom, depending on the adoption route and the immigration status of the adoptive parent or parents. Applications under this route are assessed by UK Visas and Immigration against specific eligibility, suitability, and evidential requirements set out in the Immigration Rules. 

Specialist Adopted Child Visa Solicitors

Our expert team of child visa solicitors in London specialise in child visa entry clearance applications. Our specialist child visa solicitors have successfully helped thousands of clients with the child visa entry clearance applications. Our best team of child visa solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable and fixed fee immigration services concerning your child visa entry clearance application. Ask a question to our expert child visa solicitors for free immigration advice or submit an online request to book an appointment for detailed legal advice for your child visa entry clearance application.

Application Process

The following is the step-by-step application process for Entry Clearance as an Adopted Child. 

• Identify the correct adoption route under Appendix Adoption, such as a Hague Convention adoption, recognised overseas adoption, de facto adoption, or a child coming to the UK for adoption.  

• Confirm whether a Certificate of Eligibility is required for the specific adoption route and obtain confirmation from the relevant UK Central Authority where applicable. 

• Prepare the required supporting evidence, including the child’s identity documents, adoption or guardianship documents where relevant, evidence of the adoptive parent or parents’ immigration status, and evidence of maintenance and accommodation. 

• Complete and submit the online entry clearance application for temporary permission as an adopted or prospective adopted child under Appendix Adoption, ensuring all information matches the supporting documents. 

• Pay the application fee and Immigration Health Charge, where applicable, as required by UKVI.  

• Upload supporting documents and attend the biometrics appointment at the designated visa application centre to enrol fingerprints and a photograph. 

• Respond to any UKVI requests for further information while the application is under consideration, if additional evidence is requested. 

• Receive the decision on the entry clearance application, and if granted, make arrangements for the child to enter the UK within the validity of the visa, with temporary permission granted in line with the Immigration Rules where the application does not result in settlement. 

What are the Requirements for a Successful Entry Clearance Application as an Adopted Child? 

An adopted child may be granted temporary permission under Appendix Adoption of the Immigration Rules where strict legal requirements are met. The child must be under the age of 18 and must not be leading an independent life, including meeting the relevant requirements concerning having a partner and living with their parent.

The application must be made to accompany or join the relevant adoptive parent or parents, whose immigration status must meet the requirements of the applicable Appendix Adoption route, which may include British citizenship, settled status or a right to stay in the UK without restriction, being admitted for settlement, or holding or being granted permission on a route to settlement. 

The adoption or proposed adoption must meet the requirements of a recognised route under Appendix Adoption, such as a Hague Convention adoption, a recognised overseas adoption, a qualifying de facto adoption, or a child coming to the UK for adoption. Where required under the relevant adoption route, there must be clear evidence of a genuine transfer of parental responsibility, and the adoption must not have been arranged primarily to secure the child’s entry to the UK. Where required, evidence that a Certificate of Eligibility has been issued by the relevant UK Central Authority must be provided. 

In addition, the applicable financial and accommodation requirements must be met. Where the adequate maintenance requirement applies, the adoptive parent or parents must demonstrate that the child will be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, while where an adoptive parent is on a route to settlement, the relevant financial requirement for a dependent child under that route must be met.

The application will also be considered against the suitability requirements of the Immigration Rules, and the child’s best interests must be treated as a primary consideration in the immigration decision. 

Length and Conditions of Temporary Permission as an Adopted Child 

Where a child is granted entry clearance under Appendix Adoption on a limited basis, the length of leave depends on the nature of the adoption and the immigration status of the adoptive parent or parents. In cases where a child is entering the UK for the purpose of adoption, including under the Hague Convention route where the adoption is to be completed in the UK, or under the Coming to the UK for Adoption route, permission to enter the UK is granted for 24 months to allow the adoption process to be completed in the UK. 

Where an adoptive parent is on a route to settlement, under the Recognised Overseas Adoption or De Facto Adoption route, where temporary permission is granted, the child’s permission normally ends on the same date as the relevant adoptive parent’s immigration permission. 

Limited permission granted under Appendix Adoption is normally subject to conditions allowing work and study, but without access to public funds. It does not in itself confer settlement, although the child may subsequently apply for settlement under paragraph 298 of Part 8 or on the route their adoptive parent is on, subject to meeting the relevant requirements.

What are the common Reasons for Refusal of Adopted Child Entry Clearance Applications 

Entry clearance applications for temporary permission as an adopted child may be refused where UKVI is not satisfied that the legal requirements of Appendix Adoption have been met. This may include situations where the requirements of the relevant adoption route are not met, including where an overseas adoption relied upon under the Recognised Overseas Adoption route is not recognised under UK law or by an order of the High Court, where there is insufficient evidence of a genuine transfer of parental responsibility where this is required under the relevant adoption route, or where the adoption appears to have been arranged primarily to facilitate entry to the UK. 

An application may be refused if a required Certificate of Eligibility is not provided. Refusal may also occur where route-specific requirements, such as habitual residence or the immigration status of the adoptive parent or parents, are not met, or where the relevant financial and accommodation requirements linked to the parent’s immigration route are not satisfied. An application may also be refused where the applicant falls for refusal under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules. The child’s best interests must be treated as a primary consideration when UK Visas and Immigration makes a decision on the application.

How Can We Help?

The immigration solicitors at Sunrise Solicitors are experts in dealing with applications for entry clearance for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child. The quality of our service is self-evident from the clients’ reviews about the service provided by our immigration lawyers. You can contact us if you are seeking legal help from immigration lawyers in London in relation to your Entry Clearance Application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child and our immigration solicitors will provide you fast, friendly, reliable, honest and professional immigration service.

If instructed to represent you regarding your Entry Clearance application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child, the casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors will include the following:

• Taking detailed instructions from you and advising you about the relevant immigration laws and procedures to be adopted by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) in your entry clearance application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child;
• Discussing your Limited Leave to Enter application in detail with you and advising you about the weaknesses and strengths of your application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child;
• Advising you about the documentary evidence to be submitted in support of your entry clearance application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child;
• Checking all the relevant documents to ensure that the documents to be submitted in support of the application are in accordance with the Home Office, UKVI requirements;
• Arranging for the property inspection report for the accommodation occupied by the UK sponsor to comply with the Home Office requirement of adequate accommodation;
• Completing the online application form for Entry Clearance for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child and discussing the same with you;
• Submitting the entry clearance application form online and arranging an appointment for you to hand over your application at a designated application centre;
• Preparing a sponsorship declaration for the UK sponsor to confirm his/her relationship to the applicant and to confirm that the UK sponsor will maintain and accommodate the applicant in the UK without public funds, if necessary;
• Preparing detailed statement of the applicant or the UK sponsor, if necessary, to explain the background of their relationship and covering the potential issues in the case;
• Preparing a cover letter to introduce and support the Entry Clearance application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child wherein our immigration solicitors will explain in detail how all the requirements of the rules are being met for Limited Leave to Enter to be granted by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO);
• Liaising with the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO), if necessary, for a timely decision on the Limited Leave to Enter application;
• Protecting your interests while your Entry Clearance application for Limited Leave to Enter as an adopted child is pending with the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) and making further representations in support of the application, if necessary;
• Doing all the follow up work until decision is reached on your Entry Clearance application.

Our Fixed Fees For Entry Clearance For Limited Leave To Enter As An Adopted Child

Our fixed fees for entry clearance application as an adopted child are as given in the fee table below:

The agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of the adopted child visa visa entry clearance application and the volume of casework involved in the application. In addition to our fixed fee for the adopted child visa entry clearance, the applicant also has to pay the Home office UKVI fees for the UK visa entry clearance application.