UK Releases 10 Conditions for Bringing an Elderly Parent or Grandparent to the Country
- The UK government outlined the specific conditions a sponsor must meet to bring an elderly parent or grandparent into Britain under the Adult Dependent Relative route
- The applicant must need long-term personal care for everyday tasks due to age, illness or disability, and that care must be unavailable or unaffordable in their home country
- The UK sponsor must sign a maintenance undertaking and prove they can support the relative for up to 5 years without relying on public funds
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The UK government has published the conditions that must be met before a British citizen or settled resident can bring an elderly parent or grandparent to live in the United Kingdom through the Adult Dependent Relative route.
The rules, which remain in effect in 2026, set out a strict list of requirements that both the applicant and their UK-based sponsor must satisfy before entry clearance can be granted.
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Conditions for bringing parent or grandparent to the UK
The following conditions apply to anyone seeking to bring an elderly parent or grandparent to Britain under this route:
1. The applicant must be aged 18 or over and must be the parent, grandparent, son, daughter, brother, or sister of a person already living in the UK.
2. The applicant must require long-term personal care to carry out everyday tasks due to age, illness, or disability.
3. The required level of care must be either unavailable in the applicant's home country — meaning no suitable person there can reasonably provide it — or unaffordable, even with financial support from the UK-based sponsor.
4. The applicant must apply for and receive entry clearance before travelling to the UK. No exceptions are made for arrivals without prior approval.
5. If tuberculosis screening rules apply to the applicant's country of residence, they must present a valid medical certificate confirming they have been tested and do not have active pulmonary tuberculosis.
6. The sponsor must be a British citizen, settled in the UK, hold protection status, or be a qualifying EEA national with leave granted under Appendix EU.
7. The sponsor must prove they can provide adequate housing, financial support, and personal care for the applicant without drawing on public funds.
8. The sponsor must submit evidence of income or savings covering the six months immediately before the application date. Different rules apply for self-employment income, non-employment income, or sponsors on maternity, paternity, adoption, or sick leave.
9. The sponsor must sign a formal maintenance undertaking confirming that the applicant will not access public funds. This undertaking covers five years from the applicant's arrival date if they are being granted settlement, or the full duration of temporary permission if that applies instead.
10. If the applicant receives public funds during the period covered by the undertaking, the UK government may recover those funds from the sponsor who signed it.
UK: What happens after arrival
Where the sponsor is a British citizen or is settled in the UK, the elderly relative is granted settlement upon arrival. In all other cases, the applicant receives temporary permission to remain, which expires on the same date as the sponsor's own permission.
The relative can then apply for settlement or further leave to stay in line with the sponsor's immigration status.
If a parent or grandparent is applying alongside their partner, only one of the couple needs to meet the long-term care requirement, provided both are applying at the same time.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the UK had listed four categories of people who can sponsor their adult dependent relatives to join them in Britain.
People who can bring family members to UK
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the UK had shared the categories of people eligible to bring their family members as dependents under special arrangements.
According to the guidance, an individual must be an employee, official, or representative of a recognised international organisation listed on GOV.UK to qualify under this route.
Each of these individuals may bring a qualifying partner or child who lives in their household as a dependant, but only where this is permitted under the relevant legislation or agreement held with that international organisation.
Source: Legit.ng
