How to bring a Dependant Adult to the UK
- Omayemi Mac-Jaja
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Bringing Family to the UK: A Clear Guide to the Adult Dependant Relative Visa
The Adult Dependant Relative visa route is for adult family members who require long term personal care provided by certain UK based family members. These UK based family members are referred to under the relevant Immigration Rules as “Sponsors”.
The Adult Dependant visa is intended for applicants who need long-term personal care to carry out daily activities due to age, illness, or disability, and where such care is either unavailable or unaffordable in their country of residence. The applicable Immigration Rules for this visa are set out at Appendix Adult Dependent Relative visa (ADR).
This article summarises the requirements for an ADR visa application.
Is there a minimum age requirement for applicants?
Applicants and their sponsors must be at least 18 years of age to apply for an ADR visa.
Which Adult Dependant Relatives can apply for the ADR visa?
The following family members of a UK based sponsor are eligible to apply:
Parent
Grandparent
Son or Daughter
Brother or Sister
Which UK based family members are permitted to be sponsors?
Under Appendix Adult Dependent Relative visa route, only the following UK based family members may act as sponsors:
British citizens
Irish citizens
Persons settled in the UK (Persons who have Indefinite Leave to Remain [ILR]).
Persons in the UK with protection status (generally persons with refugee status, humanitarian protection and those granted humanitarian permission to stay on a protection route).
In certain cases, persons with Pre - Settled status / Appendix EU Leave
What is the level of dependency that an applicant must have to satisfy the care requirement?
The applicant must be able to demonstrate that due to age, illness or disability, they require long-term personal care to perform everyday tasks.
The ADR route is intended for applicants who need assistance with routine daily living and personal tasks, rather than those who simply wish to live with family members in the UK.
Is it a requirement that adequate care is not available in the applicant’s home country?
The applicant must show that the care they require cannot be arranged in their country of residence, even with financial support from their UK sponsor, for any of the following reasons:
· The care they need is unavailable and there is no person who can reasonably provide it in the country where they reside
or
· the care is not affordable.
What are the financial, accommodation and care requirement in the UK for an ADR visa?
The UK based sponsor must be able to demonstrate that they can provide the applicant with:
adequate maintenance
adequate accommodation
adequate care
and these must be without recourse to public funds.
The sponsor must provide evidence of adequate income in accordance with Appendix Adult Dependent Relative, which in turn refers to Appendix FM–SE. The required documentation will depending on the sponsor’s income source, such as employment, self-employment, or income from non – employment sources.
Is a signed maintenance undertaking required for an ADR visa?
UK based sponsors for ADR visa applicants are required to sign a maintenance undertaking confirming that their relative will not have access to public funds and that they (the sponsor) will be responsible for their relative’s maintenance and accommodation.
How long the UK based sponsor will be required to provide this support will depend on the UK based sponsor’s Immigration status.
· Where an ADR visa applicant is being granted settlement, the period for which UK based sponsor will need to provide the required support with respect to maintenance, accommodation and care will be for a period of 5 years;
or
· The duration of the period of permission being granted if the ADR visa applicant is being granted temporary permission to stay.
UK based sponsors supporting ADR visa applicants should be aware that if their relative accesses public funds during the period covered by the maintenance undertaking, the UK government may opt to recover those costs from the sponsor.
What are the validity and procedural requirements for ADR applications?
The application must satisfy the ordinary validity requirements, including:
The application must be submitted using the appropriate online form.
Applicants must pay the relevant fee and Immigration Health Charge.
Applicants are required to provide their biometrics.
Applicant must provide a validi passport or identity document.
Where the applicant lives in a country that requires a Tuberculosis (TB) certificate, they must obtain one confirming that they do not currently have the disease.
Can first time ADR visa applications be submitted from within the UK?
First time ADR visa applications can generally not be submitted from within the UK. In other words, applications on ADR route should be made from outside the UK. This should not to be confused with extension applications made on this route.
Where an applicant is already in the UK, they may however make a Human Rights based application raising similar or exceptional circumstances as a basis to remain in the UK, however this is not the same thing as submitting an ADR visa application.
Can I bring my other parent to remain with me in the UK if only one of my parents meets the ADR visa requirements?
If a couple, who are both the parents or grandparents of a UK based sponsor, apply as Adult Dependent Relatives, only one of them needs to demonstrate that they require long term personal care. However, it must be shown that the required level of care cannot be obtained in the country of residence; and if the healthier partner is present there, they must not be a person who can reasonably provide that care. In addition to this, the other requirements still need to be met, for example the accommodation and maintenance requirements.
Conclusion
This route has a high threshold, simply showing a close family relationship on its own is not sufficient. ADR visa applications must typically be supported by strong evidence of:
the applicant’s health or care requirements
the reasons those needs cannot reasonably be met in their home country
the sponsor’s financial situation, accommodation, and care arrangements in the UK.
If you require more detailed advice on Adult Relavtive Dependant Visas, please contact Omayemi Mac-Jaja who is an experienced solicitor with Stefani Solicitors. He can be reached on +44 7861298426 or by sending an email to Omayemi@stefanisolicitors.com.
References
The Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules Appendix Adult Dependent Relative [Updated 8 April 2026]
Home Office Guidance: Family Policy Adult dependent relatives [Version 7.0]
Immigration Rules: Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence [Updated 8 April 2026]
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