The UK government has officially listed the four categories of relatives a sponsor can bring to Britain through the Adult Dependent Relative visa route.
The UK government guidance sets out strict relationship requirements that an applicant must meet before they can be considered for entry clearance or permission to stay as an Adult Dependent Relative.
UK Adult Dependent Relative visa rules recognise parents, grandparents, children, and siblings of eligible sponsors.
According to the UK government, an applicant must be one of the following in relation to their sponsor:
- Parent
- Grandparent
- Son or daughter
- Brother or sister
The official statement read: “An applicant applying for entry clearance or permission to stay as an Adult Dependent Relative must be one of the following,” and then lists the four qualifying relationships.
This means that other family members, such as aunts, uncles, cousins, or in-laws, do not qualify under this particular visa route, regardless of the level of dependency or care required.
The Adult Dependent Relative route is designed for relatives who need long-term personal care due to illness, disability, or age, and who cannot access the required level of care in their home country. Meeting the relationship requirement is one of several conditions an applicant must satisfy to be granted entry or leave to remain under this category.
Both the relationship to the sponsor and the nature of the dependency must be demonstrated for an application to succeed.
Simply being a parent, grandparent, child, or sibling of a British citizen or settled person in the UK is not sufficient on its own; the care need must also be established.