UK Right of Abode Visa Guideline
The Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK, entitles a person to live and work in the United Kingdom without restriction.
Duration of a UK Right of Abode
There is no time restriction placed on people immigrating to the UK via this route. The Certificate will remain valid for the life of the passport.
Benefits of UK Right of Abode
Applying for the Right of Abode will result in a successful applicant being entirely free from British immigration control. This means that a holder will no longer need to gain permission from an Immigration Officer in order to enter the United Kingdom and may commence living and working in the UK without restriction.
This route to the United Kingdom imposes no work restrictions like short-term UK visit visas, often referred to as tourist visas or travel visas and unlike skills based immigration services such as the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, this route does not require an assessment based on points to qualify. Unlike UK business visas, candidates do not need to create jobs or invest in the United Kingdom and successful applicants do not need a UK work permit visa.
UK Right of Abode Visa eligibility
All British citizens automatically have this right. In the case of dual nationals, i.e. people who are citizens of more than one country, it is possible to get a Certificate placed in their passport.
This right may also apply to some people who are not dual citizens but are from a Commonwealth country. Commonwealth citizens qualify under the following circumstances.
- If they are UK citizens
- If they were born before January 1st 1983 and have a parent who was born in Great Britain
- If they are a Commonwealth woman and married a person before January 1st 1983 in one of the above categories (Note Below. Pakistan and South Africa were not included in the Commonwealth before January 1st 1983 and as a result their citizens do not qualify)
To demonstrate that you qualify you must be able to produce either:
- A United Kingdom passport which describes you as a British citizen or as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies.
- A foreign or Commonwealth passport which contains a certificate of entitlement
Dependants
Spouse immigration and dependant immigration is permitted under UK visas of this class. Dependants of persons who qualify may enter the country in order to settle, if they apply for UK entry clearance from their home country. Spouses and dependants under this category must enter the country with a qualifying person. At the end of their grant of leave they must apply for an extension in order continue their stay.
Dual Nationality
As outlined above, changes to legislation have made this immigration category redundant in many cases, however it remains a valuable option for people whose home country does not support dual citizenship and which would withdraw nationality upon a successful application for British citizenship.
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