dependent 16 yr old's settlement visa ... newbie here help needed :0

[Calmbeforethestorm]

so here I am ... looking for clarification and help in regards to a family settlement visa.

Basically I have a step brother in Pakistan who is 16 years old. We share a dad and our mothers are different my dad is a British national. My dad has always financially supported his son and now wants to have him come the UK and join the rest of the family.

basically I'm confused as to what documents will be needed to support the application. I am more concerned that the fact my dad had this child outside wedlock will hinder his case. As the mother has not been involved in my step brothers life since birth, she gave him to my paternal uncles family and left.

we have documents like birth certificate, my dads employment documents, bank account details....will all this be sufficient? also we are happy to provide a DNA report from a home office approved company

will the lack of info on the mother be an issue?


All help and advice is greatly appreciated thank you

[secret.simon]

Does your father have legal sole responsibility for your half-brother. either by way of a court order or a written agreement between the parents?

[Calmbeforethestorm]

unfortunately no.....its more of an unofficial responsibility as my dad provides for him financially and makes sure all his needs are catered for

[CR001]

Then likely it will be an issue, given the child is 16 years old already and he only now wants to bring him to the UK. I assume your father is not British born but British through naturalisation??

Sole Responsibility (click)

[Calmbeforethestorm]

my dad suffered from a 'bout of a guilty conscious' for years because he had extra marital affairs I'm afraid that's what caused him to not bring the child over sooner

yes he came to the Uk when he was a teen and through his settlement and working here gained British citizenship.

Also I have recently become closer to my step brother and have visited him twice in the last few months. I want him to join our family and be a part of our lives it seems unfair that he has missed out on so much through no fault of his own.

I have tried getting legal advice off 2 solicitors one told me it would be a tier 2 visa the other said a family settlement visa and they made it sound too easy to be true. that's why I chose to post on here. Because I need to understand what possible complications there may be in relation to applying for a family dependent settlement visa

[secret.simon]

Was your half-brother (he is not a step-brother if the two of you share a parent; step-siblings are unrelated by blood) born after your father got his British citizenship?

Was he named on the child's birth certificate (I think it is unlikely given that the child was born in Pakistan)?

I would wait for JAJ's and others to advise further, but it may be possible to register your half-brother as a British citizen using Form UKF.

Be aware (and you may wish to advise him of this too) that while he may be a British citizen by descent, his children will not be British citizens unless they were born in the UK.

[Calmbeforethestorm]

Ahan yeah we have a parent in common biologically we share a father so your right he is my half brother I just have a habit of calling him my step brother

yes hes on his birth certificate and we are willing to provide a DNA so there's no question of parentage.

Think we might struggle with the sole responsibility bit and since his mothers not on the "scene"

my dad does provide financially for him entirely.

sorry forgot to add that he was born after my dad gained his citizenship

[secret.simon]

Go through the requirements for Form UKF and wait for others to advise further.

[secret.simon]

Was your half-brother born after the date on your father's naturalisation certificate?

[Calmbeforethestorm]

yes from recollection my dad was neutralised in the 80's so way before my half brother was born

[Calmbeforethestorm]

just a quick update...

went to see am immigration solicitor today and I've left the consultation more confused then before
It was a quick 5 min free consultation and was rushed but the general gist of it was that we needed to apply via the family settlement route, application cost of £2000'ish solicitor fee of £700. with the main objective being to prove "sole responsibility" but she said its hard to prove this and most cases fail due to this element, and that success comes at the appeal stage. which would cost another £1500.

when I mentioned the UKF form as an option she totally shrugged it off without an explanation when I pressed her as to why it wasn't applicable she just said "the settlement route is better"

I got the distinct feeling she wasn't too familiar with it and I've done various searches about the UKF form but there isn't much information about it. I did have a look at the guidelines an on paper it does seem like a route we could take

any info will be greatly appreciated