UK Lists 5 Categories Of People Eligible For Private Life Visa To Stay In Country
- The UK government has outlined five specific categories of people already living in the country who can apply to remain on the basis of their private life
- Applicants must meet strict residency requirements, including continuous stays of 7, 20 years or more, depending on which category they fall under
- Successful applicants can initially stay for 2 years and 6 months, with a pathway to settlement after 5 or 10 years depending on their category
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The UK government has set out five distinct categories of people currently living in the country who qualify to apply for permission to remain on the basis of their private life.
According to the UK government's official guidance, the private life visa is only open to those already residing in the UK.
Source: UGC
Applicants must prove they fall into one of the five recognised categories to be considered eligible.
The 5 Categories of People Who Qualify
The first category covers children under 18 who have lived continuously in the UK for at least seven years, where it would be unreasonable to expect them to leave.
The second applies to young people aged between 18 and 24 who have spent more than half their life living continuously in the UK.
The third covers adults aged 18 and over who have been in the UK for less than 20 years but can demonstrate they would face very significant difficulties living in the country they would be required to return to.
The fourth category is for anyone who has lived continuously in the UK for 20 years or more.
The fifth covers people born in the UK to a parent who already holds, or is in the process of applying for, permission to remain on the basis of private life.
Family members can be included in the same application, although each person is assessed individually.
How Long Successful Applicants Can Stay
Those granted the visa are initially permitted to stay for two years and six months. However, children under 18 who have lived in the UK for at least seven years, and young adults aged between 18 and 24 who have spent half their life in the UK, may apply to stay for five years instead.
Settlement timelines also vary by category. Applicants in the first two categories can apply to settle after five years, while those in the remaining eligible groups must wait ten years before applying for settlement.
The visa can be extended in further two-and-a-half-year periods, and all applications must be submitted online. Processing currently takes around 12 months, though applicants may pay for a faster decision.
For those who cannot afford the application fee, a fee waiver is available. Qualifying reasons include having no home and being unable to afford one, being unable to cover essential living costs such as food or heating, or having a very low income where paying the fee would negatively affect a child's wellbeing.
UK speaks about visa-free entry under healthcare arrangement
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported about UK's S2 Healthcare Visitor route that allows eligible nationals to enter without a visa if they meet specific medical treatment conditions.
EEA and Swiss citizens, along with nationals from other listed countries, qualify for visa-free entry under this route.
Source: Legit.ng
