UK Ancestry Visa
Note that Commonwealth nationals who have a grandparent who was born born in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922 are also eligible to apply for a UK Ancestry Visa. The Ancestry Visa for the UK also offers full freedom to work in the UK which includes working as a self-employed person or starting your own business. See also the indefinite leave to remain UK as well as the UK Dependent Visa and the UK visa application. This outside the UK Ancestry Visa.
UK Ancestry Visa Requirements:
- You must be 17 years of age or over at application;
- You must be a citizen of a commonwealth country;
- Additionally you must have a grandparent who was born in the United Kingdom: or
- You must have a grandparent who was born in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man; or
- Likewise you must have a grandparent that was born in the Republic of Ireland prior to 31 March 1922;
- You must be intending to and be able to work in the United Kingdom;
- You must be in a position to support yourself and any dependents without claiming public funds.
Note the list of Commonwealth countries. These do change so check with the relevant Embassy if you qualify for a British Ancestry visa. The Embassy pages are listed below for each of the countries:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Kenya
- Samoa
- Australia
- Kiribati
- Seychelles
- The Bahamas
- Lesotho
- Sierra Leone
- Bangladesh
- Malawi
- Singapore
- Barbados
- Malaysia
- Solomon Islands
- Belize
- Maldives
- South Africa
- Botswana
- Malta
- Sri Lanka
- Brunel Darussalam
- Mauritius
- Swaziland
- Cameroon
- Mozambique
- United Republic of Tanzania
- Canada
- Namibia
- Tonga
- Cyprus
- Nauru
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Dominica
- New Zealand
- Tuvalu
- Fiji Islands
- Nigeria
- Uganda
- The Gambia
- Pakistan
- United Kingdom Ghana
- Papua New Guinea
- Vanuatu
- Grenada
- Rwanda
- Zambia
- Guyana
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- Zimbabwe
- India
- St Lucia
- Jamaica
- St Vincent & The Grenadines
Additional Information:
- You must continue to meet the requirements of the UK ancestry visa; and
- You must have spent 5 years continuously in the UK;
- Likewise you must be able to show that you have an employment history for the 5 year period;
- You must not spend more than 90 days each year outside of the UK for a for 5 years for ILR;
- You can apply for an extension of stay if you did not meet the requirements for the ILR.
