UK Family visa parent route under Appendix FM.

Appendix FM is the part of the Immigration Rules that covers family visas. Within it, the parent route (paragraphs E-ECPT.2.1–2.4) allows a parent outside the UK to join a child who is living in the UK, where that child is British, settled, or has pre-settled status.

The route has two possible grounds for eligibility — you need to meet one of them:

1. Sole parental responsibility. You alone make all major decisions about the child. The other parent has no role — by choice, death, or court order. This must be proven with contemporaneous records, not just a statement.
2. Seven-year child residence. The child has lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years, and it would not be reasonable to expect the child to leave the UK if the application were refused.

Additionally, the applicant must show adequate maintenance (enough income to support the family without public funds), suitable accommodation, and English at CEFR level A1.

Parents applying to join a child in the UK where the child is British, has indefinite leave to remain, or pre-settled status. This includes parents who have sole day-to-day care, parents where the other parent has died or is absent, and parents whose child has spent 7 years in the UK.

• Partner route applicants. If you are the spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner of a British or settled person, you need the partner route (Appendix FM, section E-ECP), not the parent route — even if you have children together.
• Adult dependant relatives. The parent route is for joining a minor child. If you are an elderly parent needing care from an adult child in the UK, that is the Adult Dependant Relative route (different, very restrictive rules).
• Visitor visa applications. If you only want to visit your child temporarily, apply as a Standard Visitor — do not use the parent route.
• Parents with shared responsibility. If you share parental responsibility with the other parent (who lives with or near the child), you do not qualify under the sole-responsibility ground. The seven-year child residence ground may still apply.

Sole parental responsibility means that one parent has the exclusive right to make decisions about the child's upbringing, and exercises that right in practice. The Home Office starts from the presumption that both parents share responsibility unless the applicant proves otherwise.

Strong evidence includes:

• Court orders granting sole custody or residence to you.
• A court order or formal agreement limiting the other parent's contact — or confirming no contact.
• Letters from the child's school addressed only to you, discussing progress, attendance, or disciplinary matters.
• GP or hospital letters showing you as the sole contact for the child's healthcare.
• A detailed witness statement explaining: what happened to the other parent (death, abandonment, domestic abuse leading to separation), how long you have been the sole decision-maker, and who helps with childcare when you work.
• Evidence from a social worker, health visitor, or children's services confirming your role.

What weakens the claim: evidence that the other parent attends school events, is registered as an emergency contact, pays maintenance, or has regular contact — even if you describe it as minimal. The Home Office takes a functional view: if the other parent is in the picture at all, sole responsibility is harder to prove.

The second ground applies when the child has lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years. Since the child's private life is established in the UK, the question becomes: would it be reasonable to expect this specific child to leave?

The caseworker considers: the child's age, how long they have lived in the UK, whether they are at a critical stage of education (e.g. approaching GCSEs), their ties to the UK (friends, extended family, community), the strength of their ties to the country they would be expected to move to, and whether the parent could realistically relocate with the child. A child who has spent their entire life in the UK, attends school here, and has no connection to the parent's home country has a strong case.

Unlike the partner route (which has a minimum income threshold), the parent route uses an adequate maintenance test. The basic calculation:

1. Calculate the household's total weekly net income (after tax and National Insurance).
2. Subtract weekly housing costs (rent or mortgage, council tax).
3. The remainder must equal or exceed the amount an equivalent British family would receive in income support.

Income from employment, self-employment, pensions, savings, and certain benefits can all count. The applicant must provide 6 months of bank statements, pay slips, an employment letter, and a detailed budget. A single mistake in the calculation can cause a refusal — double-check every figure against current benefit rates on GOV.UK.

English: CEFR level A1 (speaking and listening) for entry clearance, from an approved test provider. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries and holders of a degree taught in English are exempt — confirm your exemption on GOV.UK before skipping the test.

Accommodation: The applicant must have adequate accommodation for the family without recourse to public funds. A tenancy agreement or title deed, a property inspection report, and a letter from the landlord or owner confirming the family can stay are standard evidence.

Tuberculosis: If applying from a country listed in Appendix T of the Immigration Rules, you need a TB test certificate from an approved clinic.

Immigration Health Surcharge: Payable as part of the application — check the current IHS rate on GOV.UK at the time of application.

Maria is a Nigerian national. Her daughter, aged 9, is a British citizen who has lived in Manchester since birth with Maria's late sister (the child's legal guardian). The sister died 8 months ago. Since then, Maria has been the child's sole decision-maker — she enrolled the child in a new school after the bereavement, registered with a new GP, and began counselling sessions. The child's biological father has never been involved and is not named on the birth certificate. Maria's application includes: the child's British passport, the sister's death certificate, school and GP letters addressed only to Maria from the period after the sister's death, a letter from Children's Services confirming Maria's sole care role after the sister's death, a witness statement from the child's social worker, Maria's employment contract and 6 months of bank statements, a tenancy agreement for a two-bedroom flat in Manchester, and her IELTS Life Skills A1 certificate. She applied for entry clearance from Lagos; the application took 18 weeks.

• Applying under the wrong route. If you are in a relationship with a British or settled partner, you need the partner route — even if you have children together. The parent route is for parents who are not partners of someone in the UK.
• Assuming sole responsibility without proving it. Many refusal letters note that the applicant claimed sole responsibility but the evidence showed the other parent attending school events, paying maintenance, or having weekend contact. The test is functional, not aspirational.
• Miscalculating adequate maintenance. Income support rates change annually. If you used last year's figures, the calculation may fail. Check the current rates at the date of application.
• Missing child status proof. A child's British passport or settled-status share code is essential — a birth certificate alone does not prove the child's UK status.
• Applying inside the UK when not eligible. The parent route is designed for entry clearance from outside the UK. In-country switching is only available in limited circumstances.
• Weak accommodation evidence. A letter saying "Maria can stay with me" without a tenancy agreement, property inspection report, or evidence of the property's size is usually insufficient.