The UK Ancestry visa for Canadians with a British grandparent

If you are a Canadian or other Commonwealth citizen with a grandparent born in the UK, this visa lets you live and work in Britain for five years and then settle. Who can apply, what it costs, and the options for Americans, who cannot use it.

The UK Ancestry visa lets Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the UK live and work in Britain for five years. After that, you can extend or apply to settle permanently. There is no salary threshold and you do not need a sponsoring employer. Canadians are Commonwealth citizens, so this route is open to anyone in Canada with a UK-born grandparent.

The visa is not open to US citizens. An American passport alone does not qualify, however British your grandparents were. If you are American, skip to options for US citizens.

Who can apply

You can apply if you are one of these:

• a Commonwealth citizen, which includes Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders
• a British overseas citizen, British overseas territories citizen or British national (overseas)
• a citizen of Zimbabwe

You must also:

• be 17 or over
• have a grandparent born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
• be able to work, and plan to work, in the UK
• have enough money to support and house yourself and any dependants without public funds

Which grandparents count. A grandparent born in what is now Ireland before 31 March 1922 counts. So does one born on a ship or aircraft registered in the UK or belonging to the UK government. You can claim if you or your parent were adopted, or if your parents or grandparents were not married. You cannot claim through a step-parent.

The rule covers any one of your four grandparents, on either side of your family.

What it lets you do

With a UK Ancestry visa, you can:

• work in any job, paid or voluntary, full-time or part-time
• be self-employed
• study
• bring your partner and children

You cannot get public funds. You also cannot switch into this visa from inside the UK. If you are in Britain on another visa, you must apply from abroad.

What it costs

Each partner or child who comes with you pays their own fees. Under-18s pay a lower surcharge of GBP 776 a year.

There is no fixed savings figure. You show with bank statements that you can support yourself and any dependants. The statements must be dated within 31 days of your application.

The documents you need

• a current passport
• your full birth certificate
• the full birth certificates of the parent and grandparent your claim is based on
• evidence that you plan to work in the UK, such as job offers or a business plan if you will be self-employed
• bank statements or similar proof of funds

You may also need marriage certificates or a deed poll if names changed, adoption papers, and proof of your relationship with a partner or children applying with you.

Full birth certificates show parents’ names, which is how you prove the chain from you to your grandparent. Order them early. Records from the UK and Canada can each take time to arrive.

How to apply

1. Check your line. Confirm which grandparent was born in the UK and gather all three birth certificates.
2. Apply online. The earliest you can apply is three months before you travel.
3. Give your biometrics. Book an appointment at a visa application centre for your fingerprints and photo.
4. Wait for a decision. You usually get one within three weeks. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

Partners and children. Your partner can come if you are married, in a civil partnership, or have been in a relationship for at least two years. Children under 18 can come if they live with you and are not married or in a civil partnership. Each applies online for their own visa.

Extending, settling and citizenship

After five years, you have two choices:

• Extend for five more years. You can extend as many times as you like while you still qualify. The fee is GBP 1,407 plus the surcharge. Decisions usually take eight weeks.
• Apply for indefinite leave to remain (settlement). You need five continuous years in the UK on the visa, with normally no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months. You must still be a Commonwealth citizen, able to support yourself and planning to work. If you are 18 to 64, you must meet the English language requirement and pass the Life in the UK Test. You can apply 28 days before you reach five years.

The English test is getting harder. Changes to the Immigration Rules laid on 5 March 2026 require B2 English in speaking and listening for Ancestry settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027. Settlement rules more generally may change, so check the current rules as you approach five years.

Citizenship. Once you have held indefinite leave to remain for 12 months and lived in the UK for five years, you can apply to become a British citizen. You must pass the Life in the UK Test, meet the English requirement, and not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK in those five years.

Options for US citizens

The Ancestry visa needs Commonwealth citizenship, so a US passport does not qualify. A grandparent born in the UK does not change that. These routes are worth checking instead:

• You may already be British. If one of your parents was a British citizen when you were born, you might be British automatically. GOV.UK has a checker for people born outside the UK.
• A second passport may open the route. If you also hold Canadian, Australian or another Commonwealth citizenship, you can apply as that citizen.
• An Irish-born grandparent. If a grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, you may be able to become an Irish citizen through the Foreign Births Register. Irish citizens can live and work in the UK under the Common Travel Area.
• A UK job offer. The Skilled Worker visa needs a licensed employer and usually a salary of at least GBP 41,700 a year, or the going rate for the job if that is higher.
• Talent and graduate routes. See the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas.

Our guide to moving to the UK compares each route for Americans and Canadians.

What catches people out

• The grandparent must be UK-born. A grandparent who was British but born in Canada or elsewhere does not qualify you.
• You must apply from outside the UK. You cannot switch from a visitor stay or another visa.
• You must be able and plan to work. Bring evidence such as job offers or a business plan.
• Younger Canadians have another option. If you are 18 to 35, the Youth Mobility Scheme lets you live and work in the UK without any family link.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm your eligibility with GOV.UK before you apply.