Applying For Uk Ancestry Visa In Australia
Anyone who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United Kingdom and who can trace their lineage to ancestors who left three generations ago can apply. This article discusses how you can file your UK Ancestry Visa application in Australia by giving tips on how to look up your family history, the documents required for submission, the value of the visa and where you can get more assistance whilst applying.
The Uk Ancestry Visa is issued to applicants who have a grandparent in the United Kingdom. It gives you the right of residence within the United Kingdom, and it also allows you to enter into other European countries such as France, Germany and Spain. It’s issued for six months, after which time it can be extended for another three years. Other than that, if you want further legitimacy for staying in the United Kingdom, you would need to apply for Permanent Residence or even Naturalisation.
If you meet the requirements of the UK Ancestry Visa, then you could also be eligible for a British Passport. There are provisions (and anomalies) in nationality law allowing a claim from a UK-born grandparent.
Requirements of the UK Ancestry Visa
The main criteria for qualifying for a UK Ancestry Visa are:
- Any grandparent (a grandfather or a grandmother) born in the UK;
- You are 17 or older;
- You have a Commonwealth Passport (this includes Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada); AND
- Intention to move to the UK to live and work.
There are no financial requirements to be met, no upper age limit, and you can bring over your spouse and any dependent children.
How could I qualify for British Nationality?
Having a grandparent born in the UK means that one of your parents is (or was) British. If it can be shown that this parent is “British Otherwise Than by Descent“, then British Nationality can be passed from this parent to you. In other words, British Nationality passes two generations – from your UK-born grandparent to you.
While it is a complex area of British Nationality law, the general categories are:
- You or a parent born in a Qualifying Territory;
- Children under the age of 18;
- You or a parent was Registered as a British Citizen;
- Your parents were married before 1949, and your Paternal Grandfather was born in the UK.
How do I find out?
We suggest following our 4 STEP PROCESS, designed to simplify the complex laws of British nationality (and to avoid unnecessary and expensive application fees) to find your answer:
Step 1: Determine whether you have a Standard Route (birth in the UK before 1983, or a parent born in the UK before 1983)
Step 2: If not, complete our free Nationality Assessment
Step 3: Order a free Status Trace
Step 4: Conduct a Citizenship Report
