Book a consultation

Family route guidance

Build your next chapter with the people who matter.

Living together in the UK may be an opportunity for your family. Understanding whose status the move depends on helps you explore that possibility without treating every relationship as the same visa case.

Find my next step →Explore the guides ↓
South Africa to the UK · practical guidance
Family preparing for a move to the UK
Your family · your future

A useful answer first

Does having family in the UK mean I can move there?

Joining a British or settled partner raises a different route question from joining someone with temporary work or study permission. A relative offering a home or financial support does not, on its own, create a right to live in the UK.

Picture the difference

Joining a settled spouse and accompanying a spouse who has a work visa can both bring a household together, but they are not interchangeable applications.

Your next useful decision

Identify who you want to join, their UK status and which members of your household hope to move. This gives the enquiry a useful starting point.

Compare family and dependant questions →

Support that fits the question

What would Move Up help you with?

A family review can bring the relationship, sponsor’s position and household circumstances into one discussion. Agreed representation can address the individual applications and the evidence relevant to that route.

When another starting point makes more sense

A temporary trip to see relatives may belong in visitor guidance. A relative’s offer to help financially is not the same as an eligible family route.

Before paid work begins, confirm the written service scope, professional fee and separate government or third-party charges. A focused review and full application representation are different appointments.

Compare learning, review and representation →See the relevant fee breakdown →

A client’s experience

Reassurance during a spouse application

Supportive guidance helped the reviewer feel reassured throughout a spouse-visa application.

Kacey · Paraphrased client feedback

One person’s experience, shared to help you understand the support. Your circumstances and outcome may differ.

Plan your costs

A clearer view of what you may pay.

Government charges and professional help are separate costs. Start with the application that matches your circumstances.

Family visa — adult partner application

Enquire for current fee

Total for this application, including the listed charges

Fees reviewed Enquire for current fee

See the fee breakdown
UK government visa / passport fee
Enquire for current fee
IHS healthcare surcharge
Enquire for current fee
Move Up professional fee, excl. VAT
Enquire for current fee
VAT on Move Up fee
Enquire for current fee
Courier
Enquire for current fee
Bank transaction charges
Enquire for current fee
Rounding
Enquire for current fee

Contact us to confirm the current fee breakdown.

Each example covers the named applicant and period. Additional applicants, document work and optional services may change the cost.

Confirm my feesExplore all fee guides

At your pace

How far along are your plans?

I’m exploring possibilitiesFind useful answers without starting an application.I’m building a planConnect the route with costs, family and timing.I’m ready to talkUnderstand what a first conversation can cover.

An existing refusal or approaching expiry? Start with the time-sensitive matter.

Explore family routes

Go deeper into the question that matters to you.

Choose a topic to see what each guide will help you understand.

Understand the route 3 guides

Partner and spouse visas

Connect the relationship with the UK partner's status, household circumstances and application location.

Read this guide ↗

Family reunification

Bring the household picture together: who is joining whom, their status and the relationships the evidence must explain.

Read this guide ↗

Planning a family settlement application

Bring relationship, financial, accommodation and application-location questions into one preparation plan.

Read this guide ↗
Family circumstances 8 guides

Dependant visa questions

Start with the main applicant's route, then explore how a partner or child's position needs to be considered.

Read this guide ↗

Access to a child in the UK

Explain the relationship, contact arrangements and child's circumstances before investigating the relevant application.

Read this guide ↗

Adult dependent relative questions

Explain the relative's care needs, dependency and circumstances before investigating the relevant family route.

Read this guide ↗

Bringing a child to the UK

Look at the child's relationship to the adults, their circumstances and the evidence needed to explain the family arrangement.

Read this guide ↗

Marriage and nationality questions

Separate a family immigration route from the nationality question and identify which facts require investigation.

Read this guide ↗

Parent visa questions

Explore the parent-child relationship and household circumstances before assuming which family application applies.

Read this guide ↗

Right of abode questions

Investigate nationality and historical status records before choosing how to document a possible right of abode.

Read this guide ↗

Unmarried partner questions

Explain the relationship history and supporting evidence before investigating how the partner route applies.

Read this guide ↗
Costs and next decisions 4 guides

Family financial evidence

Understand which financial facts and records need review for the household and proposed application.

Read this guide ↗

Spouse visa processing questions

Separate preparation and appointment time from decision timing when planning the family's move.

Read this guide ↗

English-language evidence

Identify the evidence or exemption question relevant to the particular family application before arranging a test.

Read this guide ↗

Review and appeal questions

Preserve the full decision and its instructions so the available response and relevant timing can be assessed.

Read this guide ↗
Life after arrival 6 guides

Extending a spouse visa

Review current permission and changes in the household before preparing the evidence for the next application.

Read this guide ↗

Family applications from inside the UK

Connect current permission, application history and family circumstances before choosing the next in-country step.

Read this guide ↗

Further leave to remain

Review the current route and the evidence that needs updating before preparing an extension application.

Read this guide ↗

Indefinite leave to enter

Check the existing status, family circumstances and route history before investigating an indefinite-leave-to-enter question.

Read this guide ↗

Returning resident questions

Bring together previous settlement evidence and time spent outside the UK before reviewing a proposed return.

Read this guide ↗

Settlement questions

Organise permission and residence history before checking the requirements relevant to a settlement application.

Read this guide ↗

Keep exploring the wider questions.

Find more guides connected to this opportunity and the practical decisions around it.

Browse more family routes guidance ↗

Your next conversation

Let’s talk about what comes next for you.

Tell us who you hope to join and what living together would make possible. We can help you understand the relevant family route and plan the case-specific work with you.

Talk to Move Up ↗

Put your plans into context

Get help with your next step.

Use a focused questionnaire to share the facts with Move Up.

Family visa assessment

Connect your next questions

Joining a family member with European nationality

The former EEA family permit is no longer valid for travel to the UK. An EU Settlement Scheme family permit is a different application with its own eligibility rules; European nationality or marriage alone does not establish eligibility.

Start with your family member's UK status, residence history and your relationship. Read the official EU Settlement Scheme family permit guidance, then ask Move Up which family enquiry fits your circumstances. You can also use our existing family questionnaire to share the facts.

Optional journey measurement

Optional measurement is off by default. JavaScript is needed to enable it; browsing and reading do not require it.