United Kingdom ancestry
This page explains how Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent who was born in the United Kingdom may be able to apply for permission to live and work here.
If this page does not answer all your questions, you can contact us.
If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth country and one of your grandparents was born in the United Kingdom (including the Channel Islands or Isle of Man), you have United Kingdom ancestry.
You can come here to work if you can show that:
- you are a Commonwealth citizen;
- you have a visa or other form of permission to enter the United Kingdom because of United Kingdom ancestry, or your permission to stay here in this category has previously been extended;
- you are aged 17 or over;
- you have a grandparent who was born in the United Kingdom (including the Channel Islands or Isle of Man) or a grandparent who was born in what is now the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922;
- you are able to work and you plan to do so in the United Kingdom; and
- you can adequately support and accommodate yourself and your dependants without help from public funds (see rights and responsibilities for more information on what this means).
You must obtain permission to enter the United Kingdom on the basis of United Kingdom ancestry before you travel here. We call this permission entry clearance. It will be in the form of a visa or entry clearance certificate. To obtain it, you should apply to the British diplomatic post in the country where you live. For information about visas, see our visa services website.
If you have already entered the United Kingdom with a different kind of visa, you cannot switch to the United Kingdom ancestry category. We will only give you permission to stay in the country on the basis of United Kingdom ancestry if:
- you entered the United Kingdom holding entry clearance based on your United Kingdom ancestry; or
- we have already given you leave to remain based on United Kingdom ancestry.
If you come to the United Kingdom in this category, you will not need a work permit.
You will be allowed to stay for five years. After five years, you will be able to apply to live here permanently provided you still meet the requirements for United Kingdom ancestry and you have worked continuously in the United Kingdom for five years. See the section on settlement for details of how to apply.
See extending for information on how to apply to extend your stay using form FLR(BID) if you do not wish to apply for settlement.
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Terms explained
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Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent countries that consult and co-operate in the common interests of their people to promote international understanding and world peace. All of the member countries, except for Mozambique, have experienced direct or indirect British rule, or have been linked administratively to another Commonwealth country. For a list of members, and more information, see the Commonwealth Secretariat website.
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Diplomatic post
A British diplomatic post is a United Kingdom embassy, high commission or consulate.
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Leave to remain
Leave to remain is permission to stay in the United Kingdom, either temporarily (limited leave to remain) or permanently (indefinite leave to remain).