UK ancestry visa via Irish connection and family costs

[ScaredSh*tless]

Good day everyone, I have a few questions to ask and am hoping you can help

I am 43 and live in South AFrica (born South African) with my husband of 14 years and 2 minor children. My paternal Grandfather was born in the Republic of Ireland in 1909.

I know that i can apply for the Irish FBR and that way get my Irish passport. But due to long waiting times this is not ideal for us. My elderly father lives alone in the UK and is not well, for this reason we would like to join him ASAP. Once we are there we will start the process of registering on the Irish FBR and apply for my Irish passport from there.

1. Am i correct in saying that if he was born in Ireland before 1 April 1922 I can apply for a UK ancestry visa?
2. What is the criteria for my husband of 14 years and two minor children to join me?
3. How much does the visa cost PER PERSON? (is the same for everyone? dependant visas as well?)
4. What is the medical surcharge and how much would that be per person?
5. The 1600 GBP that has to be in the account to show self support, is that per person or for all of us? We will be both be working ASAP (we have always been self employed and will most probably open a business there as well) so will be earning and supporting ourselves in a very short period of time. So would we need 6400 GBP or just 1600 GBP for all of us?
6. All in all can someone give me a rough idea of how much we are going to need, for a family of four, to apply for the ancestral visa (self support money, visa and medical surcharge from South Africa)


Thank you in advance for any help and advice, I have found these forums to invaluable and thank all of you in advance or the great service!

[CR001]

1. Am i correct in saying that if he was born in Ireland before 1 April 1922 I can apply for a UK ancestry visa?

Correct yes, provided you have all the original documentation.
https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa/docume ... st-provide
https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa/eligibility

Your ancestry
You must also show that you have a grandparent born in 1 of the following circumstances:

in the UK, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
before 31 March 1922 in what is now the Republic of Ireland

2. What is the criteria for my husband of 14 years and two minor children to join me?

There isn't really any, he is applying as your dependent and are the children. You need to provide evidence that you intend to work, your husband can submit the same evidence. The whole family will need a TB test certificate. All your birth/marriage certs must be original and birth certs must be unabridged ones.

3. How much does the visa cost PER PERSON? (is the same for everyone? dependant visas as well?)

£496 visa fee EACH. You will also have to pay £1000 Immigration Health Surcharge EACH. The fee is the same for each applicant, no discount. I worked out to bring my parents back (they were here and left), they need roughly R30,000 each just to apply. That excludes the funds you have to show in your bank account to prove you can support yourself, roughly R25,000 - R30,000 EACH.

4. What is the medical surcharge and how much would that be per person?

£1000 as stated above.

5. The 1600 GBP that has to be in the account to show self support, is that per person or for all of us? We will be both be working ASAP (we have always been self employed and will most probably open a business there as well) so will be earning and supporting ourselves in a very short period of time. So would we need 6400 GBP or just 1600 GBP for all of us?

Per person as stated above.

6. All in all can someone give me a rough idea of how much we are going to need, for a family of four, to apply for the ancestral visa (self support money, visa and medical surcharge from South Africa)

Depending on exchange rate, roughly R120,000 just for the visa application fees PLUS the roughly R100,000 in funds to support yourselves.

[ScaredSh*tless]

1. your reply...

Thank you very much for the info! Its allot of money but its a throw up between time or money for us at this stage. A few more questions if i may.

I do have all original documents, including my grandfather's original Irish birth certificate in 1909. My mother and father as well as my grandparents were never married though. Do they require their marriage certificates? and what can i submit in leu of them?
What other supporting documents should we submit? Do they need a CV? We are self employed, will they want to see proof? if so, what kind of proof?
Bank account statements?
Anything else you can add would be appreciated, its already quite a cost, id like to sidestep using an agent if possible and cut the costs by applying for ourselves. Is this advisable?

Thank you again

[CR001]

1. your reply...

Thank you very much for the info! Its allot of money but its a throw up between time or money for us at this stage. A few more questions if i may.

I do have all original documents, including my grandfather's original Irish birth certificate in 1909. My mother and father as well as my grandparents were never married though. Do they require their marriage certificates? and what can i submit in leu of them?
What other supporting documents should we submit? Do they need a CV? We are self employed, will they want to see proof? if so, what kind of proof?
Bank account statements?
Anything else you can add would be appreciated, its already quite a cost, id like to sidestep using an agent if possible and cut the costs by applying for ourselves. Is this advisable?

Thank you again

As long as your parents are BOTH named on your birth certificate this should be fine. You will obviously also need the kids unabridged birth certs to prove you are their parent.

If you give me a while till a bit later, I will dig out the correspondence and document map of when I did my Ancestry visa in 2008 and list exactly what documents we sent. Mine was complicated by an adoption and misspelt names but had no issue in getting the visa which took just 2 days. I used an agency for mine due to the complication with names and the adoption (only had photocopies of this paperwork) but there is no need to use one. It is one of the easiest visas to get.

Pity you didn't do this a couple of years ago before the Immigration Health Surcharge came into effect in 2015.

[ScaredSh*tless]

It's actually been such a run around, you wont believe me, weve been trying to get back for years, and tried the ancestral visa route before but was told i do not qualify due to grandad being born in the Republic... i only last night found the date info!! LAST NIGHT!!

Its driving me nuts... we could have been there years ago!

I trust unabridged birth certs are sufficient and i do not need vault copies? I have certificates for everyone, including marriage and death (where applicable that is )

[CR001]

You don't need death certs. Only birth and marriage.

[ScaredSh*tless]

You don't need death certs. Only birth and marriage.

Is unabridged ok or do they have to be vault copies?

[CR001]

I supplied both when I did my Ancestry

[CR001]

What is your fathers UK status?

Nevermind, I see from your husbands previous posts that he has an Irish passport.

[ScaredSh*tless]

What is your fathers UK status?

Resident in the UK (essex) since the 80's on an Irish passport, born in South Africa

[CR001]

Yup, just check your/husbands previous posts and edited my post.

[ScaredSh*tless]

Yup, just check your/husbands previous posts and edited my post.

We have both posted before! but i have no idea on how to find his previous posts unfortunately ... Iv just hijacked his profile (My username would have been a little different methinks )

[ScaredSh*tless]

another shot in the dark (sorry for the replies)

Is the visa cost the same for a minor? (health insurance and support funds) Our youngest son is only 3

[CR001]

another shot in the dark (sorry for the replies)

Is the visa cost the same for a minor? (health insurance and support funds) Our youngest son is only 3

Yes, each applicant pays the same and meets the same requirement.

[CR001]

Yup, just check your/husbands previous posts and edited my post.

We have both posted before! but i have no idea on how to find his previous posts unfortunately ... Iv just hijacked his profile (My username would have been a little different methinks )

Link below.

ireland/asylum-while-waiting-for-fbr-so ... l#p1424013