Parent of a Child Student visa
Last verified 5 September 2026 against GOV.UK sources·Page updated 5 September 2026
| Who | One parent (or legal guardian) of a Child Student aged 4–11 |
|---|---|
| Fee | £726 applying from outside the UK; £1,407 to extend inside, plus IHS £1,035 a year |
| Money | £1,560 a month for parent and child (up to 9 months), plus £625 a month per additional child |
| Work and study | Not permitted — and no access to public funds |
| Length | Granted in stages (typically up to 12 months at a time), renewable while the child is under 12 |
| Settlement | No — the route ends when the child turns 12 |
This visa lets one parent live in the UK with a young child at an independent school. It is deliberately narrow: it exists so that a 6-year-old at a prep school isn’t separated from both parents — not as a way for a family to relocate.
The restrictions that define it
The parent cannot work, cannot study, and cannot access public funds. Only one parent can hold the visa at a time — the other parent visits as a visitor. Financially, you must show £1,560 a month for yourself and the child (held for up to nine months, so £14,040), plus £625 a month for each additional Child Student you care for, on top of outstanding school fees. If you apply at the same time as the child, meeting the child’s financial requirement covers you both; after 12 months living in the UK, the evidence requirement falls away.
The 12th-birthday cliff
The visa exists only while the child is aged 4 to 11. When the child turns 12, the parent’s route ends — the expectation is that older children board or use approved care arrangements. This shapes decisions from the start: the choice of school (boarding capacity from year 7), and any hope of the parent staying longer needs a different visa in their own right — there is no path from this route to settlement, and time on it does not build towards one.
Is it the right structure?
For a child under 12 at a day school, this is the only structure that works. But compare alternatives before committing: full boarding removes the need for the parent visa entirely, and a parent who independently qualifies for a work route (Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Ancestry) gets work rights, longer horizons and a settlement path — with the child as their dependant instead.
Route to settlement and citizenship
This visa does not lead to settlement and cannot be switched into a settlement route from inside the UK. It ends when the child's Child Student permission ends or the child turns twelve.
There is no citizenship path from this route.