Hi all…

so, my partner and I have been together for 3 years now. I’m in uk on an ancestral visa and he is here on a skilled workers visa.

he works up in the highlands and myself and the kids stay down in Leeds. We would like to add him to my visa so that he can move closer to us as finding a sponsored job here has proven to be challenging and the travelling is exhausting.

we are not married (maybe one day)
how would we go about this?
will he need to go back to SA?
Or can he stay here and switch visas?

Any information would be appreciated.

You can certainly apply for ancestry dependent visa but you are going to have to prove that you are in a genuine, stable relationship. - not just long distance girlfriend/boyfriend.
As you obviously do not live together this might prove somewhat difficult.
He can apply from the UK.

Do you know how we go about it? What documentation would be required from his end and mine?

we have loads of texts, pictures, holidays, travel every other weekend to and from fort William. He even paid a portion of my car cause I was a little shy of what I needed for what I wanted 🙈, he’s also purchased stuff for the house like a TV and bed recently. do you think those sorts of things would suffice?

The authorities are looking for a relationship akin to marriage showing joint responsibilities i.e. joint bank account, joint utility bills, insurance policy, proof of living together permanently, joint council tax bill etc, joint tenancy agreement/mortgage docs.....

Another thing for him to consider is that the period he has spent on Skilled worker visa will not be eligible for getting ILR is he switches to another visa. i.e if he's been on skilled visa for, say, 3 years, then switching to dependent visa, means he will have to spend 5 years on the dependent visa before applying for ILR.

How long have you held your UK Ancestry visa and how long has your partner been on a Skilled Worker visa?

I have done 3 years on my AV in September and he’s 2 years on the skilled visa

A UK Ancestry dependant is the one exception to this rule. If the OP’s partner switches to a dependant visa then he’ll be eligible to apply for ILR as soon as she obtains ILR so that would actually get him to ILR quicker than his current route.

Goodness..... what a funny ruling..... would encourage some people to apply as a dependent just to get the ILR.... i.e a somewhat sham relationship....

Quote:

If you’re already settled in the UK (with either indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship), your partner and children can apply for indefinite leave to remain as long as your last visa was a UK Ancestry visa. They must already be in the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa/ind...eave-to-remain

The UK Ancestry visa was created in 1973 so it's perhaps inevitable that it's got some quirks that you won't see anywhere else.

so this in essence wouldn’t help him cause I’m applying for citizenship via ARD L4 and my kids will be registered via MN1 shortly there after?

or would he still be able to apply when it becomes “my time” to apply?

If you're eligible for Section 4L registration then he'll become eligible for ILR as soon as you become a British citizen. If you get married - which is something I would seriously consider before applying for his Dependant visa given that you live separately - then once he has completed three years in the UK he can then apply to be naturalised as a British citizen.