Parent visa: Indian citizen in India โ United Kingdom
Indian citizens apply online for a UK family visa to live in the UK and care for their child, then give biometrics at a UK visa application centre in India.
A UK family visa to live in the UK to care for your child, where the child is under 18 and is a British or Irish citizen or settled in the UK. Granted for 2 years and 9 months.
- Validity
- 2 years and 9 months on this visa (an extension grants a further 2 years and 6 months).
- Entries
- Multiple entry while the visa is valid.
- Max stay per visit
- 2 years and 9 months, after which you can apply to extend.
When to start
Start 30 daysโ3 months before your travel date.
Getting an appointment in India
- Delhi & Mumbai: usually 1โ2 weeks for a slot; peak season can stretch towards 4 weeks.
- Tier-2 centres (Pune, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad) often have earlier slots โ a train ticket can beat the wait.
- The New Delhi centre relocated in early 2026 โ confirm the current address on the official VFS site before you go.
- Applicants report slots opening 7โ21 days out in normal months โ book the moment you pay your fee.
You can apply to live in the UK to care for your child.
Your child must be under 18 on the date you apply (or have been under 18 when you were first granted leave) and be a British or Irish citizen or settled in the UK.
Unless you are exempt, you must pass at least level A1 on the CEFR scale or hold a degree taught in English.
Complete the online family visa application as a parent and pay the fee.
Book and attend an appointment at a UK visa application centre to provide your fingerprints and a photo. Take your passport โ you'll usually get it back the same day.
If you apply outside the UK you'll usually get a decision within 12 weeks.
What you'll need
- Passport โ Your passport, taken to your biometrics appointment; you'll usually get it back the same day. โ verified
- Proof of your child's age and status โ Evidence your child is under 18 (or was under 18 when you were first granted leave) and is a British or Irish citizen or settled in the UK. โ verified
- Evidence of your knowledge of English โ A pass at level A1 CEFR or above from an approved provider, or a degree taught in English. โ verifiedยท you are not exempt from the English language requirement
Where you'll apply
Apply online from outside the UK, then attend an appointment at a UK visa application centre (VFS Global) in India to give your biometrics.
Fees
| Family visa (parent) applied for outside the UK | GBP 2064 |
Gotchas to watch
- Your child must be under 18 on the date you apply, or have been under 18 when you were first granted leave.
- Applying inside the UK is much slower โ it currently takes about 12 months to get a decision, versus about 12 weeks from outside the UK.
