A child who is under the age of 18 years old who has lived continuously in the UK for at least 7 years can apply under the private life route, if it can be proved that it is not reasonable to expect that child to leave the UK.
Child 7 Year Visa Eligibility Requirements
In order to qualify under the private life route within the immigration rules, the child must the below requirements.
- Child is living in the UK
- Be under 18 years of age
- Has spent at least 7 years continuously in the UK (discounting any period of imprisonment)
- It would not be reasonable to expect the child to leave the UK.
It is important to note that a 7-year residency does not automatically grant leave, and evidence must be presented to show that it would be unreasonable to expect the kid to leave the UK. Many factors influence the outcome of a child’s application, including but not limited to consideration of the child’s best interests, parents’ immigration status, financial circumstances, circumstances in the country to which the child would be required to travel, medical conditions or special needs, well-being and psychological impact on the child’s life, and so on.
The successful applicant will be granted leave to remain in the UK for 30 months under the 10-year route to settlement, which allows the applicant to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 10 years of continuous residence in the UK under this visa category. Single parents can apply through the parent route under the Immigration Rules, Appendix FM. The Immigration Rules include no particular provision for granting leave to the parents or relatives of a child who has lived in the UK for seven years and has neither parent’s status. Depending on the circumstances, however, the parents may be able to petition for leave outside of the restrictions. If the child is found eligible for leave, the family should be awarded leave in accordance with the private life route.