Apply on the basis of your Private Life in the UK

A Private Life visa application is for a person who is already living in the UK and wants permission to stay because of the private life they have built here. It is different from a spouse, partner, parent or work dependant application because the focus is not simply on joining a family member. The Home Office looks at residence, age, personal history, integration, family circumstances, obstacles to return and the strength of the applicant’s established life in the UK.

This route can be relevant to children who have lived in the UK for a long period, young adults who have spent more than half their life in the UK, adults with 20 years’ continuous residence, and adults who have lived in the UK for less than 20 years but would face very significant problems living in the country they would have to go to.

Private life applications are highly evidence-sensitive. A strong application should not simply state that the applicant has lived in the UK for a long time. It should explain the legal route, prove the timeline, address immigration history carefully and provide a clear evidence bundle that answers the Home Office test directly.

You can only apply on the basis of private life if you are already living in the UK. The route may apply if you are under 18 and have lived continuously in the UK for at least 7 years, and it would be unreasonable to expect you to leave the UK.

It may also apply if you are aged between 18 and 24 and have lived continuously in the UK for more than half your life; if you are 18 or over, have spent less than 20 years in the UK and would face very significant problems living in the country you would have to go to; if you have lived continuously in the UK for 20 years; or if you were born in the UK to a person who has, or is applying for, permission to stay on the basis of private life.

The correct route depends on the applicant’s age, length of residence, immigration history, family position and available evidence. This is why private life cases should be assessed carefully before submission.

Private Life applications are made from inside the UK. Home Office fees and healthcare surcharge figures can change, so figures should be checked before submission.

GOV.UK currently states that Private Life visa decisions take about 12 months. Some applicants may be able to pay for a faster decision, but availability can depend on the route, application type and service at the time of submission.

Because the decision time can be lengthy, the application should be prepared carefully before it is submitted. A weak evidence bundle can create avoidable delay, uncertainty or refusal risk.

A Private Life visa is usually granted for 2 years and 6 months. Some children and young adults may apply to stay for 5 years instead where they meet the relevant residence category.

A person who already has private life permission can usually apply to extend for a further 2 years and 6 months before their current permission expires. Extension applications should continue to show that the route remains correct and that the applicant’s residence, private life and circumstances remain properly evidenced.

The Private Life route can lead to indefinite leave to remain, but the qualifying period depends on the applicant’s category and immigration history. GOV.UK states that children who were born in the UK and have lived here for 7 continuous years since birth may be able to apply immediately for ILR on the basis of private life.

Children and young adults who arrived as children may be able to apply for ILR after 5 continuous years on a relevant visa where the most recent visa was granted on the basis of private life as a child, or as a young adult aged 18 to 24 because they had spent half their life in the UK.

Adults can apply to settle on the private life route if they are over 18, have lived in the UK for 10 continuous years with a relevant visa and have previously been granted a visa on the basis of private life. Settlement planning should be reviewed well before the final extension expires.