Bringing step children with me on an ancestral visa

[andybeak]

Hi,

I'm eligible for an ancestry visa.

My wife has two children from a previous marriage. We are solely responsible for their well-being but the father shares joint custody with my wife.

I'm pretty sure I can bring my wife on my ancestral visa but I want to make sure that I can also bring my step children.

I don't think that showing I can support them will be a problem as I expect to earn £40k a year and my wife should also be able to work if required.

What visa will I be able to bring my step-children come on as dependents of me and my wife? What documents will I be required to get to show that they are indeed dependent on me and my wife?

[vinny]

197(vi).

[Nicole417]

Hi Andy Beak - I am in the same situation. Did you manage to find out if the Step Kids can go on your ancestral?

[andybeak]

Hi,

Yes it was possible.

We were leaving from South Africa so had to have a consent letter from him to allow them to leave. The UK immigration officer took the presence of this letter to indicate that we were not the primary caregivers and that their father still played a parental role.

The visas were initially declined on those grounds but we were granted the visas on appeal. We approached a solicitor for help and my best advice is to get a good one (we used Breytenbach's who have offices in London and South Africa).

We needed to show that we were the primary caregivers - so we supplied letters from their school, from their doctors, from their grandparents, and from their biological father. We also got letters from their friends parents saying that it was always us who gave permission when the kids have a sleep over. I gave bank statements showing that I opened pocket money accounts for them and was giving them pocketmoney. Basically we provided all the documentation we could to show that my wife and I managed every aspect of their lives - school, health, social, etc.

He was supportive of them leaving the country because he realized that the UK was the best option for them. I imagine that it would be substantially more difficult had he opposed the move.

Our appeal had to show that we only provided the letter of consent in order to comply with South African law and that it was not an indication of parental responsibility.