Ancestry Visa

If you are a commonwealth citizen who has a grandparent that was born in the UK then you could be eligible for a UK Ancestry Visa.

A UK Ancestry visa must be applied for from outside the UK. If you are already in the UK, you will not be able to ‘switch’ to the UK Ancestry visa but you can extend your stay if you are already in this category of visa.

As part of a successful UK Ancestry visa application you will need to show that you can and plan to work in the UK. After you have lived and worked in the UK for a period of five (5) years you can apply to settle in the UK.

Your ancestry

You must show that you have a grandparent born in one of the following circumstances:

• in the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• before 31 March 1922 in what is now the Republic of Ireland
• on a British-registered ship or aircraft