UK Ancestry visa

The Ancestry visa is one of the most generous routes in the UK system — and one of the least known outside the countries it serves. If you are a Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK, it gives you five years of unrestricted work rights with no sponsor, no salary threshold and no English test at the application stage.

Who qualifies

You must be a Commonwealth citizen (the route is also open to British overseas citizens, British overseas territories citizens, British nationals (overseas) and citizens of Zimbabwe), aged 17 or over, with a grandparent born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (births in Ireland before 31 March 1922 also count). The link runs through birth, not residence — a grandparent who emigrated as a child still qualifies you. You prove the chain with birth and marriage certificates across the generations, which is usually the real work of the application. In practice the route is most used by applicants from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

What you can and must do

Work is unrestricted: any employer, any pay, self-employment included. You must show that you intend to work and are able to work, and that you can support yourself initially — there is no fixed savings figure, but evidence matters. Partners and children can apply as dependants. Time on the route counts in full towards settlement.

Costs and settlement

The visa costs £726 (revised 8 April 2026) plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year — over five years the surcharge is the dominant cost. After five years, keeping within the 180-days-in-any-12-months absence rule, you can apply for ILR (£3,226); extending for another five years (£1,407) is also possible if you are not ready. Compared with Skilled Worker, there is no salary test at settlement — for those who qualify by descent, the absence of a sponsor and of a salary test is the main practical difference between the two.