Settlement on the Parent Route: Requirements and Process

Who the Parent Route Is For

GOV.UK's parent route page describes it as a way to live in the UK to care for your child, for a parent who does not qualify on the partner route. The rules sit in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

Conditions about the child

• under 18 on the date you apply, or under 18 when you were first granted permission on this route and not living independently
• living with you, unless they are living away from home in full-time education
• not married and not in a civil partnership
• living in the UK and either a British or Irish citizen, or settled in the UK, or holding pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or having lived in the UK continuously for 7 years

Conditions about you

• sole or shared parental responsibility for the child. GOV.UK adds that where it is shared, the other parent must not be your partner and must be a British or Irish citizen or have settled or pre-settled status
• where the child lives with their other parent or carer, access to the child in person, agreed with that parent or carer or ordered by a court

The 5-Year and 10-Year Routes

GOV.UK's settlement page for parents gives two qualifying periods: at least 5 continuous years on the 5-year route, and at least 10 continuous years on the 10-year route. The visa itself is granted for 2 years and 9 months at a time and is extended until the qualifying period is complete.

Which route an application is placed on is a Home Office decision on that application. This site does not assess which would apply to any individual. Our guides on exceptional circumstances under Appendix FM and on settlement through long residence cover the neighbouring rules.

Money: What GOV.UK Actually Requires

There is no published minimum income for the parent route. GOV.UK states the requirement as being able to financially support yourself without claiming public funds, taking income and housing costs into account. The £29,000 minimum income belongs to the partner route and does not apply here.

At the settlement stage GOV.UK applies the support requirement to the 5-year route only: proving you have enough money to support and house yourself and your dependants without relying on public funds. Our guide to the adequate maintenance test explains how that kind of requirement is assessed. GOV.UK publishes no threshold figure for it, so this guide gives none.

Evidence of the Relationship with the Child

The requirement is a genuine and subsisting parental relationship. Documents that go to it include:

• the child's birth certificate naming you as a parent
• evidence of your involvement in the child's life, such as school and medical records
• court orders about residence or contact, where they exist
• evidence that the child lives with you, or evidence of the in-person access described above where they live with their other parent or carer

The published list of documents for the application is on GOV.UK. Our settlement documents checklist collects the general ones.

Requirements at Settlement

• Continuous residence: at least 5 continuous years on the 5-year route, or 10 on the 10-year route. GOV.UK publishes no day limit on absences for the family routes. The 180 days in any 12-month period figure belongs to the work routes; see our guide to absences for which routes it covers.
• The child's status: GOV.UK requires the child to be living in the UK and either settled — a British citizen or a person with indefinite leave to remain — or applying for indefinite leave to remain at the same time as you.
• English language: a recognised English qualification at least at level B1 in speaking and listening, or a degree taught or researched in English. See our guide to English at settlement. The level rises to B2 from 26 March 2027 on the routes named in the statement of changes HC 1691.
• Life in the UK test: required at ages 18 to 64. See our guide to the test at settlement.
• Money: on the 5-year route only, enough to support and house yourself and your dependants without relying on public funds.

The English requirement has published exemptions, including applicants aged 65 or over, applicants with a physical or mental condition that prevents them meeting it, and nationals of the countries GOV.UK lists as majority English speaking.

Cost and Decision Time

GOV.UK states that settlement costs £3,226 for each person applying, and that you will usually get a decision within 6 months of providing your fingerprints and photograph. It also says you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision.

The earliest an application can be made is 28 days before you meet the requirement for time spent in the UK. Our breakdown of settlement costs and guide to processing times cover the rest. The route pages are on GOV.UK: indefinite leave to remain if you have a family member in the UK.

After Settlement

Settlement carries the same rights whichever route reached it. See what settlement allows, and the route from settlement to citizenship for the requirements that come after.

Questions and answers