Entry Clearance For UK Visa As A Child Of A Member Of HM Forces

You can apply for entry clearance for UK visa as a child under the age of 18 of a member of HM forces who is a foreign or Commonwealth citizen. The applicant will have to meet all the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules as set out in Appendix Armed Forces of the Immigration Rules.

Requirements For Entry Clearance For UK Visa As A Child

According to paragraph 43 of Appendix Armed Forces, an entry clearance and leave to enter as the child of a member of HM Forces will be granted to an applicant who:

• was either:
  • under 18 years of age at the date of application; or
  • aged 18 or over at the date of application; and was last granted leave to enter or remain under paragraph 43 or 47 of Appendix Armed Forces or paragraph 276AH of these Rules;
• is outside the United Kingdom;
• is not married or in a civil partnership;
• has not formed an independent family unit;
• is not leading an independent life;
• has made a valid application for entry clearance and leave to enter as the child of a member of HM Forces;
• does not fall to be refused on the grounds of suitability under paragraph 8 or 9 of Appendix Armed Forces;
• meets the general eligibility requirements in paragraph 42 of Appendix Armed Forces;
•  either:
  • meets the financial requirement in Part 12 of Appendix Armed Forces; or
  • in a case in which sub-paragraph (b)(i)(aa), (b)(i)(dd) or (b)(ii) of paragraph 42 applies will be:
    • accommodated adequately by the parent or parents the applicant will be joining without recourse to public funds in accommodation which the parent or parents own or occupy exclusively; and
    • maintained adequately by that parent or those parents without recourse to public funds; and
• has not applied and does not qualify for indefinite leave to enter under paragraph 45 of Appendix Armed Forces.

General Eligibility Requirements

According to paragraph 42 of Appendix Armed Forces, the general eligibility requirements to be met by the child of a member of HM Forces are that:

• the applicant is the child of a parent who is:
  • a foreign or Commonwealth citizen who is a serving member of HM Forces; or
  • a discharged member of HM Forces who has been granted, or who is being granted at the same time as the applicant, leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 13-19 of Appendix Armed Forces or paragraphs 276E-QA of Immigration Rules or under the concession which existed outside these Rules whereby the Secretary of State exercised her discretion to grant leave to enter or remain to a member of HM Forces who has been medically discharged; or
  • a member of HM Forces who is a British Citizen; and
• the applicant meets one of the following criteria:
  • the applicant’s other parent must:
    • also come within paragraph 42(a) of Appendix Armed Forces; or
    • have been granted leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 23-33 of Appendix Armed Forces or paragraph 276S, 276V or 276AE of Immigration Rules; or
    • be being granted leave to enter or remain under paragraphs 23-33 of Appendix Armed Forces or paragraph 276S, 276V or 276AE of Immigration Rules at the same time as the applicant; or
    • have died; or
  • the parent under paragraph 42(a) of Appendix Armed Forces has sole responsibility for the applicant’s upbringing; or
  • there are serious and compelling family or other considerations which make the applicant’s exclusion from the United Kingdom undesirable and suitable arrangements have been made for their care.

Duration & Terms Of Leave

Entry clearance and leave to enter granted under paragraph 43 of Appendix Armed Forces will be granted:

• for whichever is the shortest period of:
  • 5 years; or
  • the remaining duration of the applicant’s parent’s enlistment; or
  • the remaining duration of the applicant’s parent’s leave; and
• subject to a condition of no recourse to public funds.

How Can We Help?

Our expert team of immigration solicitors specialise in entry clearance applications for children of members of HM Forces who are foreign or Commonwealth citizens. If instructed to represent you regarding your application for UK visa as a child of a member of HM Forces who is a foreign or Commonwealth citizen, we will carry out all the work on your application until a decision is made by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on your clearance application. The immigration casework to be carried out by our expert team of immigration solicitors will include the following:

• Assessing your eligibility for UK visa as a child by considering all your personal circumstances;
• Advising you on the weaknesses and strengths of your child visa entry clearance application;
• Advising you on the relevant documents to be submitted in support of your child visa entry clearance application;
• Assessing your documents to ensure that the documentary evidence is as per requirements of the Home Office UKVI immigration Rules;
• Completing and submitting the online application form to apply for child visa entry clearance by gathering all the relevant information from you and your sponsor;
• Helping you with paying the child visa application fee;
• Where necessary, preparing detailed witness statement of the applicant and/or the sponsor explaining the background of their relationship and other relevant factors pertaining to the child visa entry clearance application;
• Preparing a detailed cover letter to introduce and support your child visa entry clearance application;
• Uploading online all the relevant supporting documents and scheduling an appointment for submission of passport and enrolment of your biometrics;
• Liaising with the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) for a timely decision on your child visa entry clearance application.

How Much We Charge?

Unless your matter is extremely complicated, our fixed fees for child visa entry clearance application from outside the UK are given in the fee table below:

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