In June 2022, the government changed the rules in respect of Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK for children. If a child is eligible, they may now be able to secure Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK after seven years on the basis of their right to a private life.

The changes take into account the fact that for a child, the previous term of 10 years is a very long period and their life can be well-established in a shorter time.

At Saxon Solicitors, we specialise in immigration law. If you need assistance making an application for indefinite leave to remain on your behalf or on behalf of a child, we will be happy to help. Our immigration solicitors have an in-depth understanding of the complex UK immigration system and we can make sure that your application is as strong as possible.

A range of paperwork will need to be included with your application providing evidence of eligibility. We will advise you of the best documents to include in support.

We understand how important Indefinite Leave to Remain is for you and your family. You will find our team to be friendly and supportive as well as outstanding immigration lawyers.

We provide our services in Urdu, Arabic, Kurdish, German and Dutch as well as English.

The new private life immigration rules for children

The private life route to Indefinite Leave to Remain is based on giving someone the right to live in the UK because they have developed a private life there.

The residence requirements for a young person who is aged under 18 at the date they make an application are that:

(a) They must have lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years; and
(b) The Home Office must be satisfied that it would not be reasonable to require them to leave the UK

To be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain on the basis of the 7-year child private life route, the young person must:

• Have met the continuous residence requirements, ie:
  
  • They were born in the UK and have lived in the UK for a continuous period of at least 7 years; or
  • They arrived in the UK as a child and:
    
    • They first received a visa on the basis of having an established private life at the age of 18-64; and
    • They were a child when they arrived in the UK; and
    • They have lived in the UK continuously for 5 years and have held a valid visa during all of that time
• Pass a Life in the UK test if they are aged between 18 and 64
• Have the minimum required standard of English, which can be evidenced by taking a certified test

Where an individual was aged between 18 and 25 when applying and they arrived in the UK before they were 18, they will need to show that they have spent at least half of their life living continuously in the UK.

Contact our expert indefinite leave to remain solicitors

If you would like to apply for indefinite leave to remain for a child, we will be happy to put together a strong application and advise on the paperwork that needs to accompany it.

To speak to our UK indefinite leave to remain solicitors in Manchester, ring us on 0161 795 9955 or fill in our contact form below and we will call you back.

We deal with applications for indefinite leave to remain for clients throughout England and Wales.