Ancestry visa

Grant and I will be emigrating to the UK on an ancestry visa.  

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

This visa is available to Commonwealth citizens over the age of 17 years, who are descended from a grandparent who was born in the UK.   In our case, Grant's paternal grandparents were born in the UK.  

In order to apply for an ancestry visa one needs to prove the ancestral line from the  grandparent to the applicant, to do this the following documents have to be provided: 

• a copy of the UK-born grandparent's birth certificate (sourced via this website)
• the relevant parent's unabridged birth certificate
• if the ancestral line is being traced through the maternal line, and name changes have occurred through marriage, then the relevant marriage certificates will be necessary.
• the applicant's unabridged birth certificate

Other documents that are required are:

• if a spouse is applying as a dependent - the marriage certificate and proof that the relationship has existed for some time (the appropriate length of time seems to be at least 2 years)
• proof that the applicant intends to work in the UK (CV and correspondence with employment agencies or prospective employers)
• Bank statements to prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and your dependents
• Proof that adequate accommodation will be available on arrival in the UK 
• Copies of previous passports and UK visas that may have been granted in the past

You also have to have TB screening done at an approved centre, pay the visa fee (currently £516 per applicant)and the NHS surcharge (£2000 per applicant from 8 January 2019).

For all the information on the ancestral visa, there is a pdf provided by the UK government here.

You can apply for an ancestral visa 3 months before your intended date of travel.  On your application you state your intended date of travel and when your passport is returned to you it will contain a vignette that allows you 30 days to enter the country from the intended date of travel.  So for example our intended date of travel was entered as 17 November 2018 and our vignette is valid from that date to 17 December 2018.  It is a common misconception that you have 30 days to leave the country from the date that your visa is granted, but this is not so.

The ancestral visa (without paying extra for priority) normally takes roughly 15 working days to process.  (Ours took 9 working days)

You will also receive a letter with your passport - this letter needs to be available when you enter the UK as it is possible they will ask for it at immigration.  The letter also has details of the post office which you must go to to collect your BRP (Biometric Resident Permit).  Once you enter the UK on your ancestral visa you should collect your BRP within 10 days.  This card is effectively your proof that you are legally entitled to reside in the UK.