Apply for an Ancestry Visa if Your Grandparent was British

An applicant must show that they are able to work and intend to seek employment in the United Kingdom

The Ancestry visa route is only open to Commonwealth nationals who have at least one grandparent born in the U.K. or the Islands -- Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. The application may also be considered in certain circumstances if the grandparent was born on a British registered ship or aircraft. If the grandparents were born in Ireland, this must have been before 31 March 1922.

The person applying for an ancestry visa must be at least 17 years old, must be able to work and intend to seek employment or work in the U.K. He or she must also be able to maintain themselves and any dependant in the U.K. without recourse to public funds.

For those aged 17 but not yet 18, the Home Office will want the consent of their parent(s) to the application. There is no upper age limit so long as an applicant can meet the requirement that they will be able to work in the U.K.

The grandparent can be a biological grandparent, or grandparent by adoption. In adoption cases, it can be either the applicant who has been adopted by a parent whose own parent was born in the U.K.; or the applicant may be the biological child of a parent who was adopted by someone who was born in the U.K. The adoption must be a recognised adoption.

Employment intention: An Ancestry visa applicant does not need to show that they have a job offer in the U.K. at the time of their application. They simply need to show that they are “able to work and intend[s] to take or seek employment in the United Kingdom”.

“Work” may be employed work, self-employed work or even voluntary work. If the applicant aims to take up voluntary work they must show that they have sufficient funds to continue maintaining themselves in the U.K. without recourse to public funds.

Maintenance and accommodation: To meet the maintenance and accommodation requirement, applicants must show that their net income minus housing costs is equal or more than what they would get if they were in receipt of income support.

There isn’t a set amount of time the money relied on must have been held for, although applicants are advised to submit evidence covering at least three months. Unlike many other routes, third party support, such as money from a parent, is acceptable in Ancestry visa applications.

Documents to submit: An applicant must satisfy the Home Office that they meet all the requirements of the rules, even if there is no prescribed way of doing so

Applicants must submit their passports or a travel document as evidence of their identity, Commonwealth citizenship and age.
Evidence of ancestry, which are birth certificates for the three relevant generations: the applicant; their relevant parent’s; and their relevant grandparent to show birth in the U.K.
When an applicant or their parent has been adopted, the legal adoption papers must be submitted.

Evidence of ability to work in the U.K.: There is no legally required evidence of one’s ability and intention to work in the U.K., but the Home Office guidance suggests the following evidence for initial applications:

job offers from employers
evidence of previous work history in any country or relevant qualifications
evidence of registration with a U.K. recruitment agency
evidence of job applications they have made or any steps they have undertaken to improve their chances of finding employment – for example, relevant training courses
a business plan or expressions of interest from potential clients, if they intend to be self-employed
The applicant’s CV, if they have previously worked, evidence of previous work such as payslips, contracts of employment or reference letters should also be submitted.

When there is something about the applicant which may make the Home Office doubt their ability to work in the U.K., then more evidence may need to be submitted to satisfy the caseworker.