UK Ancestry visa for Commonwealth nationals
Key facts:
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Initial 5 years
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Allows any lawful work
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If you are from a Commonwealth country, and at least one of your grandparents was born in the UK or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, this can be a great UK visa option. Grandparents born in Southern Ireland before independence in 1921 were born in what was then still the UK, so they qualify too.
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Ancestry Visa applications usually must be made from your home country.
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The visa allows any lawful work, or study, but you should be able to support yourself without recourse to public funds.
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After an initial 5 years on an ancestry visa, most people qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you do not, for example due to spending a lot of time out of the UK, you can apply to extend the Ancestry visa for a further 5 years.