VisaProAdviserVisas, migration and life abroad
Family visa routes for partners, children and relatives: UK dependant rules, EEA family permits, US public charge interviews, Italian reunification and appeals.
8 articles tagged family visa
How parental responsibility differs from guardianship and why it matters when applying for children's entry to Britain as dependants.
The Home Office grants at least 3 months of legal status regardless of your partner's visa type. Where to apply and what rights you keep — explained for 2026.
Sponsoring a UK Standard Visitor visa? You need proof of relationship, immigration status, 6 months of payslips, bank statements, and a CRB check.
A child born in the UK who has lived there continuously for 7 years qualifies for ILR directly — not the 2.5-year private life visa. Here's why that matters.
An agent split one family appeal into five, never filed the appeal bundle. The result: nearly six years of waiting before the tribunal finally won.
USCIS officers now examine age, education, medical history, and sponsor income even when I-864 is approved. What evidence is needed at a family visa interview in 2026.
A family visa lets someone join or stay with a relative who already lives in a country, usually a citizen or settled resident who acts as sponsor. In the UK, most partner, parent and child routes sit in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, and UK Visas and Immigration decides applications on behalf of the Home Office. A refused family application that raises a human rights claim under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.
In the United States, family-based immigration starts with Form I-130, filed with USCIS by a citizen or permanent resident relative. Once the petition is approved, the case moves to the National Visa Center and a consular interview, where the sponsor's Form I-864 Affidavit of Support is checked against the public charge ground. Immediate relatives of US citizens are not subject to annual numerical caps, while other family preference categories are.
In the EU, relatives of third-country nationals rely on the Family Reunification Directive 2003/86/EC, while family members of EU citizens fall under the Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC. A visitor visa is often confused with a family route, but visiting relatives on it gives no right to live, work or settle in the host country.