UK Ancestry

The UK Ancestry category provides a route of entry and stay in the UK for Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent who intend to work in the UK.

The route is often considered attractive as:

1. •

   it does not require sponsorship by a UK-based employer, which can be a costly and burdensome process

2. •

   there is no English-language requirement for entry to the UK

3. •

   it allows the main applicant to bring their dependent partner and children to the UK

4. •

   permission is granted for five years in one go, making it cheaper than other routes, and

5. •

   it ultimately leads to settlement in the UK after five years

Although the Immigration Rules for the route were simplified from 1 December 2020 for the post-Brexit immigration system via Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 813, few substantive policy changes were made. The route, which previously sat in Part 5 of the Rules, still has no points allocations and is therefore not a ‘points-based’ route.