The UK has set out 10 conditions that applicants and their sponsors must meet before an elderly parent or grandparent can move to Britain under the Adult Dependent Relative route.
The requirements apply to applicants and their UK-based sponsors, and remain in force in 2026.
Who can apply and what care must be needed
The following conditions apply to anyone seeking to bring an elderly parent or grandparent to Britain under this route:
1. The applicant must be aged 18 or over and must be the parent, grandparent, son, daughter, brother, or sister of a person already living in the UK.
2. The applicant must require long-term personal care to carry out everyday tasks due to age, illness, or disability.
3. The required level of care must be either unavailable in the applicant’s home country — meaning no suitable person there can reasonably provide it — or unaffordable, even with financial support from the UK-based sponsor.
4. The applicant must apply for and receive entry clearance before travelling to the UK. No exceptions are made for arrivals without prior approval.
5. If tuberculosis screening rules apply to the applicant’s country of residence, they must present a valid medical certificate confirming they have been tested and do not have active pulmonary tuberculosis.
6. The sponsor must be a British citizen, settled in the UK, hold protection status, or be a qualifying EEA national with leave granted under Appendix EU.
7. The sponsor must prove they can provide adequate housing, financial support, and personal care for the applicant without drawing on public funds.
8. The sponsor must submit evidence of income or savings covering the six months immediately before the application date. Different rules apply for self-employment income, non-employment income, or sponsors on maternity, paternity, adoption, or sick leave.
9. The sponsor must sign a formal maintenance undertaking confirming that the applicant will not access public funds. This undertaking covers five years from the applicant’s arrival date if they are being granted settlement, or the full duration of temporary permission if that applies instead.
10. If the applicant receives public funds during the period covered by the undertaking, the UK government may recover those funds from the sponsor who signed it.
What the UK sponsor must provide
The sponsor must be a British citizen, settled in the UK, hold protection status or be an eligible EEA national with permission under Appendix EU.
They must show they can provide suitable accommodation, financial support and personal care without relying on public funds. Sponsors must also provide evidence of income or savings for the six months immediately before the application.
Separate rules apply to self-employment and non-employment income, as well as to sponsors on maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave.
The sponsor must sign a maintenance undertaking promising to support the relative without recourse to public funds. For an applicant granted settlement, the undertaking lasts five years from arrival. If the applicant receives temporary permission instead, it covers the full period of that permission.
If the relative claims public funds during the period covered by the undertaking, the government may seek to recover the money from the sponsor.
What happens after arrival
A parent or grandparent sponsored by a British citizen or someone settled in the UK is granted settlement on arrival. In other cases, the relative receives temporary permission that ends on the same date as the sponsor’s permission.
The relative may then apply for settlement or further permission to stay in line with the sponsor’s immigration status.
If a parent or grandparent applies at the same time as their partner, only one of them needs to meet the long-term care requirement.
The route places strict responsibilities on both the applicant and sponsor, particularly around care needs and financial support. – Key Localization Notes:
