Dilemma of UK’s Adult Dependent Relative visa

Dilemma of UK’s Adult Dependent Relative visa

UK’s Adult Dependent relative visa is applicable for dependents who are coming to be cared for i.e. the applicant is an adult dependent relative

The rules require that the ‘sponsor’ who can be a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter required to be living permanently in the UK.

In addition, the applicant is required to show that:

• they are 18 or over
• they need long-term care to do every day personal and household tasks because of illness, disability or age
• the care they need is not available or affordable in the country that the applicant is living in
• the sponsor whom the applicant will be joining in the UK will be able to support, accommodate and care for them without claiming public funds for at least 5 years

The clauses that the applicants "require long term care for every day personal and household tasks" and "the care they need is not available or affordable in the country that the applicant is living in" these clauses have in effect set the threshold so high for any applicant that it is almost an impossibility for an applicant to be granted a visa.

Here is the story of Arun IT engineer from India who entered the UK on the erstwhile Tier 1 HSMP who has now naturalized as a British citizen, he earns an annual gross salary of £70,000 – 90,000 in addition to his immediate family i.e. spouse and children, Arun has one sister who is married and lives with her family and in-laws and his elderly mother. Arun sends monies to his mother on a regular basis for her living expenses, his mother suffers from arthritis and migraine - however he is unable to bring her to the UK as the guidelines for the Adult Dependent Visas require that the applicants need to prove that they"require long term care for every day personal and household tasks" and that "the care they need is not available or affordable in the country that the applicant is living in" however this is a purely economic rationale and completely misses out the importance of family ties in the well being of the elders. While Arun is only too happy to purchase private insurance and to support and accommodate his parents, he does not meet the other criteria.

Till such time as the lawmakers decide to widen the scope to include the concept of family ties and the relevance of emotional support in the well being of the senior citizens, it will be impossible for scores of migrants like Arun to enjoy complete family life especially at a stage when they are now able and willing to support their parents without any recourse to public funds.

An application for Adult Dependent Relative can be costly, complex and time consuming if you would like to evaluate the merits of your application, book an appointment with our Immigration experts for an objective assessment of the same. Call on +91 98191 27002 or email us to book your consultation in person, over the telephone or Skype.

Hemang Laheru has a Mba in Strategic Marketing from The University of Hull, UK. Hemang has experience with Dhl Global Forwarding as a Consultant. He is one of the leading Mumbai based immigration consultants in India.