Worried about your child studying abroad alone? The Parent of a Child Student visa lets you stay with them while they complete their studies.
The Parent of a Child Student (PCS) visa was designed for those who wish to come to the UK as the primary carer of their child studying at a UK school on a Child Student Visa. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to explain the conditions and requirements of residing in the UK as a PCS holder.
Conditions of permission granted under the PCS route
A PCS visa holder is prohibited from undertaking work or study whilst in the UK. This includes being self-employed, engaged in business activity and undertaking work remotely. If they have already undertaken work or study whilst holding this type of visa, this can be used as the ground of refusal for their PCS visa extension.
Under the PCS route, you are not allowed to switch to any other type of visas – you can only extend your visa under the same route.
Child Student requirements
The Child student must be aged between 4 and 11 years on the date of application and registered at an independent school in the UK. If the Child Student is aged 12 or above, or the child is under the age 12, but the parent’s application is not decided until after the child’s 12th birthday, this application has a high chance of refusal.
Relationship and care requirements
Only one parent is allowed to apply for this visa category as the primary carer of their child (or children). Therefore, the applicant must be the parent of a child (or children) who is in the UK or wishes to come to the UK on a Child Student visa. In this scenario, the child’s other parent must not be in the UK and should not be seeking to come to the UK.
Financial requirement
In general, the applicant needs to have funds of £1,560 for each month of their intended stay in the UK, up to a maximum of 9 months. If they wish to bring any of their other children besides the Child Student with them, they would need to have additional funds of £625 per child for each month of their intended stay, up to a maximum of 9 months.
This visa is not intended for settlement, and therefore, the applicant must not consider the UK as their main home. They are expected to have sufficient funds to maintain their main home outside the UK.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, or send us an . Don’t forget to follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
©Gherson 2024