The UK government has set out specific requirements that must be met to bring an elderly parent or grandparent into Britain under the Adult Dependent Relative route. These requirements apply to applicants and their UK-based sponsors and are in force in 2026. The applicant must have required long-term personal care for everyday tasks due to age, illness, or disability, and that care must be unavailable or unaffordable in their home country.
To qualify, the applicant must be aged 18 or over and be the parent, grandparent, son, daughter, brother, or sister of a person already living in the UK. They must require long-term personal care to carry out everyday tasks due to age, illness, or disability. The required level of care must be either unavailable in the applicant's home country or unaffordable, even with financial support from the UK-based sponsor.
The UK 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. They must prove they can provide adequate housing, financial support, and personal care for the applicant without drawing on public funds. The sponsor must also 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. 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.
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. The applicant must apply for and receive entry clearance before travelling to the UK, with no exceptions made for arrivals without prior approval. 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.
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. The UK government has emphasized that these requirements aim to ensure that applicants receive the necessary care and support while in the UK.
Key points
- The UK sponsor must sign a maintenance undertaking confirming that the applicant will not access public funds for up to 5 years.
