Partner of a British citizen or settled person
Bringing your children
This section is for the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen or a person who is settled here who had applied on or before 8 July 2012 for a visa to come to the UK.
If you had not applied for a visa under this category by that date, please see the main Partners section for the different rules that apply to you.
This section explains how your children can apply to enter or remain in the UK with you, if you are (or are applying as) the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen or a person settled here.
Children aged under 18
The Children of British citizens and settled people section describes the requirements that your children must meet if they want to enter or remain in the UK. It also explains how they can apply from abroad.
If you are applying for a visa to come to the UK as a husband, wife or civil partner, and you want to bring your children with you, you must name them on your visa application. However, they will also need to apply for their own visas.
If you and your children are already in the UK in a different immigration category, and you want to 'switch' into the the category of husband, wife or civil partner, you can include your children in your FLR(M) application. They will not need to make their own applications. See the Applying from inside the UK page.
If you have completed your probationary period in the UK and are applying for permision to settle here permanently (known as 'indefinite leave to remain'), you can include any children aged under 18 in your SET(M) application if they do not already have indefinite leave to remain. See the Settlement pages.
Children aged 18 or over
If you have children who are aged 18 or over, they cannot apply as your child dependants. They may be able to apply to enter the UK as other dependent relatives in exceptional circumstances.
If you have completed your probationary period in the UK and are applying for permision to settle here permanently (known as 'indefinite leave to remain'), you must not include any children aged over 18 in your application (even if they were under 18 when they were given permission to stay as your dependent children). If they are not already settled here, they must apply for settlement separately using application form SET(F).