Family visa (dependent child)

United Kingdom · for applicants from Nigeria

Verified · 22 June 2026

For a child under 18 to join or stay with a parent who has (or is being granted) permission under the family route, or who is British/settled. Child must not lead an independent life and must be adequately maintained and accommodated without public funds.

Rules last verified: 22 June 2026 · by Beatrice B

At a glance

Embassy processing

About 12 weeks

Our turnaround

5–7 working days

Done-for-you Standard

Government fees

~£3,169

≈ ₦5,796,101

Why applications get refused

Sole responsibility / consent not shown

Where one parent is abroad, sole responsibility or consent not evidenced.

Fix: Provide consent letters or evidence of sole responsibility / serious-and-compelling circumstances.

Maintenance/accommodation not adequate

Cannot show the child is supported without public funds.

Fix: Evidence income and suitable accommodation covering the child.

Document checklist

Required

Child's current passport

When: "all"

Birth certificate showing parentage

When: "all"

Parent's immigration status evidence

When: "all"

This shows your parent is British, settled, or already on a qualifying family route, which the child's visa depends on.

Consent from both parents / sole responsibility evidence

When: "where one parent is not applying"

Where only one parent is applying or already in the UK, the officer needs to see that parent has sole responsibility for the child, or has valid consent from the other parent.

Common mistake

Not documenting consent or sole responsibility, or serious-and-compelling circumstances, is a common reason for refusal.

Financial & accommodation evidence

When: "all"

The officer needs to see the child is maintained and accommodated without recourse to public funds.

Common mistake

Not evidencing enough income and suitable accommodation to cover the child is a common reason for refusal.

TB test certificate

When: "Nigeria"

The Home Office needs proof you do not have infectious tuberculosis before granting entry for a stay of 6 months or more from a listed country.

Common mistake

Leaving the chest x-ray too late is a common error, since the certificate is only valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray and must come from an approved clinic.

Application timeline

1. Prepare your application

Gather documents, draft supporting letters, complete forms

1–3 weeks

2. Rekoja review (if Done-for-you)

Specialist checks your file before you submit

5–7 working days

3. Submit online or at visa centre

Biometrics appointment may be required

1 day

4. Embassy decision

Standard processing. Priority options may be available.

About 12 weeks

All-in government fees

These are the fees you pay to the government, not Rekoja's service fee. Shown at the indicative exchange rate.

Mandatory

Visa application fee

£2,064

3,775,056

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), per year

£1,035

1,893,015

Tuberculosis (TB) test at an approved clinic (IOM Nigeria charges about $94; the price is set by the clinic, not the Home Office)

£70

128,030

Biometric enrolment

£0

0

Total government fees

3,169

≈ ₦5,796,101

Optional

Priority / super-priority service (optional)

£500

914,500

Indicative. 1 GBP = 1829 NGN · 2026-08-03. Government fees change. Confirm on the official website before paying.

What a free chatbot cannot do

A free AI can tell you the rules. Rekoja does the harder part: we verify them against the official government source, prepare the actual application file, catch what gets people refused, and a specialist checks everything before you submit. We stand behind our work.

  • Rules verified against the official source, with the date
  • Document checklist built for your specific profile
  • The inconsistency check that catches what gets people refused
  • A human reviews your complete file before submission

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Common questions about the Family visa (dependent child)

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Real outcomes

100% approved

Based on 12 reported outcomes across all Rekoja cases. This is a look back at past cases, not a prediction. The embassy decides; past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

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Not a visa decision or legal advice. Rules shown are as of the last verification date above. Immigration rules change. Confirm before filing. The embassy decides, not Rekoja.