Free Childcare Hours – Parent with ILR, 9-Month-Old Child on Dependent Visa (MN1 Pending)

[RFA]

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate some guidance on a few points relating to free childcare hours for my baby.

I have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), and my online status says “access to public funds, if eligible”. I meet the work and income criteria for the working parents’ scheme (15 hours currently, increasing to 30 hours from 2025).

My baby is 9 months old, born in the UK. We’ve submitted an MN1 application to register him as a British citizen under section 1(3), but the application is still pending — we haven’t done biometrics yet. So, at present, he’s still technically on a dependent visa and under immigration control.

For context, I was previously on a Skilled Worker visa, and my spouse is still on a dependent visa linked to that Skilled Worker route (they haven’t yet switched to ILR).

Here are my questions:

Can I apply for the free childcare hours now (before biometrics or MN1 approval), or do I need to wait until my child becomes a British citizen?

Can we actually access/start using the free childcare hours while the MN1 is pending, or must we wait until citizenship is granted?

Does the child’s current status (still under immigration control and likely subject to No Access to Public Funds) affect eligibility if the parent is eligible and has recourse?

Will using the free childcare hours now (while the child is on a dependent visa) affect his citizenship application in any way?

Will this have any negative consequences on my own future British citizenship application as the parent claiming childcare?

From what I understand, the scheme is applied through the parent — and as long as the parent has ILR and access to public funds, and the child lives in England and is of eligible age, then it should be fine.

Would really appreciate any insights from others who’ve been through this or have official clarification.

Thanks in advance!