UK Sets New Rules for Child Immigration Under Protection Route

The UK government has published detailed eligibility conditions for children seeking to join close relatives in Britain under the protection route. Children must be under 18 at the time of application, have no other family members able to support them, and must not be living independently.

Examples of independent living include marriage or moving into one's own home, which disqualifies a child from applying. The sponsoring relative in the UK must be a close family member, such as a grandparent, sibling, stepparent, aunt, or uncle; notably, a parent does not qualify.

Additionally, the relative must hold protection status, indicating they have permission to remain in the UK as a refugee or with humanitarian protection, and must be able to financially support the child without public funds. A significant restriction is that the sponsoring relative cannot be settled in the UK or a British citizen, meaning those with indefinite leave to remain or citizenship must use the standard family visa route instead.