I'm in a minor state of panic and am hoping you can help calm me down.
About to start my UKF application, but my father is an a$$hole and is refusing to provide a DNA sample.
My parents never married, my father is not on my birth certificate. A paternity test carried out in 1990 forced him to legally acknowledged me. He paid court ordered maintenance until I turned 18. However, the clerk of the court here in South Africa is unable to find the case file
He is on my UK-born sister's birth certificate (I have ordered a copy of this from GRO). I have contacted a DNA testing company on the accredited list on gov.uk. They indicate that a legal half-siblingship DNA test will be accepted by the Home Office as proof of paternity (£375 + £70 for doctor). They claim that the half-siblingship DNA test has been successfully used to confirm paternity to the satisfaction of the Home Office in other instances.
Please could one of you weigh in here? Have you used a half-sibling test? Or other DNA tests carried out on the father's close relatives? What was your experience?
I would appreciate any advice or guidance enormously!
Thanks.