# Apply as an Ancestry Visa Dependent from a Tier 5 (youth mobility) Visa



## NZjames (May 23, 2017)

Hi all,

I have been living with my partner in the UK on a Tier 5 Visa since November 2015, and I recently returned home to New Zealand to apply for an ancestry visa, which was successful.

I was under the understanding that my (unmarried) partner of 4 years would be able to apply to switch from her Tier 5 visa to a a dependent of my ancestry visa within the UK.

We have been preparing the application for submission but received some troubling news from an adviser on the UKVI phoneline today, who said that it was not possible to switch to the ancestry dependent visa from a Tier 5 youth mobility visa within the UK, and that she would have to return to NZ to do so. Previous calls to the UKVI phoneline had gone fine, and they didn't mention that it would be a problem to apply within the UK.

It is possible to switch onto the ancestry dependent visa from a tier 5 youth mobility visa within the UK?

Thanks for your help.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Yes, you can switch from Tier 5 to Ancestry dependent visa.

You have to have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage for two years - it does not sound as though you have as you have been in a relationship only since Nov 2015; and you have already returned to NZ to apply for another visa.


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## NZjames (May 23, 2017)

Crawford said:


> Yes, you can switch from Tier 5 to Ancestry dependent visa.
> 
> You have to have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage for two years - it does not sound as though you have as you have been in a relationship only since Nov 2015; and you have already returned to NZ to apply for another visa.


Hi, we lived together in New Zealand prior to moving to the UK since August 2013, so we have been living together for nearly 4 years now.

I got the ancestry visa in NZ but my partner didn't because she could not stay in NZ for long enough, and we thought that she could apply in the UK once I got my visa.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

The rule is two years of continuous co-habitation at the point of application, with documents to prove such.

If, at the point of application, you have this then you could apply. Your time in NZ will not count if you have 'gaps' in your history.


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## NZjames (May 23, 2017)

How long would a gap be considered to be? We were only apart for 2 weeks.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Why don't outline your dates of living together and times apart and under what circumstances (visitor visa, work visa, youth visa etc).?

The forum could provide better info then.


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## NZjames (May 23, 2017)

Basically, we moved in together in NZ in August 2013, and lived there until July 2015.

We travelled in Europe until November 2015, where we settled in the UK on Tier 5 visas. We have substantial evidence to show that we were travelling and staying together the whole trip.

We have lived together in the UK since then. In March we went back to NZ, when she stayed for 2 weeks and I stayed 4 weeks so I could get the ancestry visa, which was approved and granted. I am back in the UK now (we were apart for only 2 weeks), and we want to submit an application with her as my dependant on my ancestry visa.

We thought that she could submit an application for this within the UK, but someone on the UKVI helpline said it could only be done from NZ. I have seen conflicting advice on this so I wanted to try find out if it was possible to submit this application within the UK, and to see if there was anyone who has done the same.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

The rules were changed in 2013 or 2014 regarding switching from Tier 5 to Ancestry dependent visa. Joppa replied to an earlier posting regarding this.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/br...uk/886882-switch-dependent-ancestry-visa.html

If you apply in November 2017 (two years since the start of your Tier visas) with only a two week gap in your history because of applying for Ancestry visa I think you stand a good chance of doing so.

Your travelling together won't count.


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## NZjames (May 23, 2017)

I wanted to post an update to our Visa application for the benefit of anyone who stumbles across this page looking for advice.

We consulted an immigration lawyer who said that the 3 months where we were travelling had no fixed address would not count against our application, as we could prove that we were together this whole time (photos, booking reciepts, etc), and had been living together prior to travelling. This was a big relief, as the original visas started while we were travelling, and we didn't arrive in the UK until 2 months of the 2-year visas had already passed (meaning that we couldn't have 2 years habitation in the UK together). 

After putting together a huge timeline of our relationship, we applied and booked the premium service centre in Croydon, as we didn't want to face the prospect of having no decision made for months. The dependency visa was successful and all approved after about 4 hours.


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Good news.....


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## Canada MD (Aug 29, 2017)

NZ James. I am in the same boat except for my partner and I are from Canada. I have called the immigration phone line about 6 times and each time they have said that you cannot switch from a tier 5 to the dependent of an ancestry visa from within the UK, but you are saying that it worked? I would love to hear more about this!?


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## james272 (May 8, 2018)

Hey James, I'm also James from NZ. My partner and I are planning to move to London in September. She will apply for the Ancestry Visa and I will apply as her dependent. Similar situation to you. 

By any chance do you have a list a documents that you provided to prove the relationship? We have been in a relationship since December 2013 and living together since February 2016 (with travel together for 3 months). 

Any tips and tricks that could make our application successful would be awesome and there's a box of beers in London for you for your troubles.


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## Canada MD (Aug 29, 2017)

Hi James, 

Happy to say my partner too successfully got his visa as my dependent so I can fill you in on what you need to provide. 

They never specify exactly what you need to provide but they stress that originals are the most important so if you have a shared bank account get stamped proof of this from the bank. My partner and I don't share a bank account but we opened our accounts on the same day so we had these stamped. 

Similarly get a letter from your landlord stating that they can confirm you both live together and provide a stamped copy of the lease. (all previous leases together too)

You will also need to provide as many bills as possible, either in both of your names or just one name but all to a shared address. Again, originals are ideal so if you can get these stamped from your phone provider, etc it is ideal. Or versions that clearly came in the mail (they prefer to not have things printed off of the internet)

Also for the time you travelled provide all flights taken together etc. I did this for all flights we have taken as a couple in our relationship. 

It helps to get a letter from your employers saying you are trustworthy etc they like that. Also proves you have worked in the same town and they can put your address on the letter so it is another proof of same address. 

I also printed a timeline of relationship in photographs (we had barely lived together 2 years in the UK and didn't have a proper lease back in Canada so I really searched for everything I could)

Anyways you should be fine as you;re over 2 years living together and you can show the relationship goes back to 2013. 

Let me know if you have any more questions - getting my partners visa was a nightmare as we did it from within the UK and there is literally no help available (NZJames was key in us not going home, even though we were advised to) so I am happy to help in any way I can!


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

You need 6 pieces of evidence each that you have been living together for the past 2 years. Things like joint tenancy, joint bank accounts and joint bills. Alternatively, you can use off i coal post addressed separately to the same address. a letter from your landlord won't count for anything but your lease will. Travelling together also doesn't carry any weight nor does a letter from your employer. They are only interested in whether you can prove that you have been living together and the only things that prove that are official post addressed jointly or singly.


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