Family Visas

Who can apply

Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to apply for a Family Visa to live with a family member in Jersey. You must apply outside of Jersey to join a:

spouse or partner
fiancé or proposed civil partner
child (under the age of 18 years old)
parent
adult dependant relative

The Family visas: apply, extend or switch page on GOV.UK provides more information on the available routes. This web page information is based on UK Immigration legislation. Jersey immigration legislation is aligned with the UK however it is not the same.

Applying to enter Jersey

Any application made via GOV.UK will be referred to Jersey Customs & Immigration where it will be assessed against the relevant section of the Jersey Immigration Rules.

Applying to extend a Family Visa

Any application made to extend a Family Visa must be sent directly to Jersey Customs and Immigration.

Applying as a spouse, partner or fiancé

To apply as a partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.

Your partner must also either:

be a British or Irish citizen
have settled in the UK, for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status, they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021

You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.

If your partner has settled or pre-settled status you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.

You must be able to prove 1 of the following:

you're in a civil partnership or marriage that's recognised in the UK
you've been living together in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership, in that it is more than a boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship, for at least 2 years when you apply
you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
you've been in a relationship for at least 2 years akin to marriage or civil partnership when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you're working or studying in different places, or it's not accepted in your culture

You also need to prove you:

you have a good knowledge of English
you can maintain and accommodate yourself without recourse to public funds
that any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended (if apply as a fiancé or civil partner)

Applying with your children

You can add children to your application as dependants if both of the following apply:

they are under 18 when you apply
they do not live an independent life, for example, they've left home, got married and had children

When applying to bring a child with you to Jersey from a previous relationship you will need to demonstrate that you have sole responsibility for the upbringing of that child.

Applying as a parent

If you are not eligible to apply to be a spouse or partner, you might be eligible to apply as a parent. Your child:

must be under the age of 18 years old
must not be living an independent life
must be living in Jersey
must be settled in Jersey, is a British citizen or holds indefinite leave to remain or settled status or pre-settled status

In addition, you must be able to prove that you have sole or shared parental responsibility for the child you are joining and will be taking an active part in their upbringing in Jersey.

Applying as an adult dependant relative

You can apply for an adult dependant relative visa for a relative to join you in Jersey where you can prove:

you need long-term care to do every day personal and household tasks because of illness, disability or your age
you're 18 or over
the care you need is not available or affordable in the country you live in

You must also prove the relative you're joining in Jersey can accommodate and care for you without recourse to public funds for either:

the whole time your relative has permission to stay in Jersey
5 years, if your relative is a British citizen or settled in Jersey

What you will need

Proving you can maintain and accommodate

You will need to demonstrate that you can maintain and accommodate yourselves and any dependants in Jersey without accessing public funds.

In Jersey, an applicant will need to demonstrate that available net income (once rent has been removed) is sufficient to maintain and accommodate themselves and that their net income is greater than a similar household claiming income support.

Knowledge of English

You may be required to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply. You must meet the following English language requirement in one of the following ways:

have passed an A1 English language test or above, held at Highlands College
be a national of a majority English speaking country (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, USA)
hold a degree taught in the UK or a majority English speaking country (excluding Canada)
have obtained a foreign academic qualification (not a professional or vocational qualification) deemed by the ECCTIS (UK ENIC) for the UK to meet the recognised standard of a bachelor's or master's degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught or researched in English

Children under the age of 18 years old and adults over the age of 65 are exempt form the English language requirement.

Immigration language requirements and citizenship test

How to apply

You must apply for your visa, and pay the relevant UK fee, from abroad before you travel to Jersey and demonstrate that you meet all the application criteria. You will usually get a decision within 12 weeks of the date you attend the Visa Application Centre, however, it may take up to 24 weeks before you receive a decision.

Apply for a visa from outside the UK

If approved your visa as a:

spouse or partner will be granted for 2 years and 9 months
fiancé will be granted for 6 months

Applying for an extension to an existing family visa

On the expiry of your permissions, you will be able to apply an extension as a spouse or partner or switch from fiancé to spouse or partner and pay the relevant immigration and nationality fees. You will usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

You must apply for an extension directly to Jersey Customs and Immigration using the application form on extending your stay in Jersey.

When you can settle permanently

The earliest you can apply to settle in Jersey (Settling in Jersey: indefinite leave to remain) is after you've lived in Jersey for 5 years continuously on a family visa as a partner.

You won't be able to include time you've spent in the UK:

on any other visa
as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner