Guidance

Parent of a child student: caseworker guidance (accessible)

Updated 11 November 2025

Version 3.0

About this guidance

This guidance tells case - workers about the Parent of a Child Student immigration route for a parent to provide care for a Child Student undertaking study at an independent school in the UK.

This Parent of a Child Student route replaced the Parent of a Tier 4 (Child) route from 05 October 2020.

The requirements are set out in Appendix Parent of a Child Student of the Immigration Rules.

This guidance is designed to help case - workers apply the Immigration Rules.

It does not provide a step-by-step guide to making a decision on an application but focuses on specific requirements.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior case - worker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors, then email the Student Migration Policy Team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email the Guidance Rules and Forms team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was cleared:

• version 3.0

• published for Home Office staff on 11 November 2025

Changes from last version of this guidance

Replace reference to ‘Part 9: grounds for refusal’ with ‘Part Suitability (page 5)

Replace reference to ‘paragraph 39E’ with ‘Part Suitability, Exceptions for Overstayers section’ (page 5)

Related external links

Immigration rules

Switching provisions

This section tells case - workers from which types of permission (leave to enter or remain) an applicant can switch into the Parent of a Child Student route.

Applicants under the Parent of a Child Student can switch into the route in the UK, provided they are not currently in one of the immigration routes listed in Appendix Parent of a Child Student paragraph PC 1.4 and meet the requirements of the route. This means that people who currently have permission as a Parent of a Tier 4 (child) student can apply in the UK to extend their permission as a Parent of a Child Student.

To be able to switch into the Parent of a Child Student route in the UK, the applicant must meet the validity, suitability and eligibility requirements stated in Appendix Parent of a Child Student.

Suitability requirement

An application under the Parent of a Child Student route will be refused if the applicant:

• falls for refusal under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules

• is in the UK in breach of immigration law (unless the provisions of Part Suitability, Exceptions for Overstayers section of the immigration rules applies)

• is in the UK on immigration bail

Relationship requirement

This page tells case - workers how to assess whether the relationship between the Parent of a Child Student and the Child Student is as claimed.

To be granted permission under the Parent of a Child Student route, the applicant must be the parent of a Child Student who is applying for or has been granted permission as a Child Student.

In the application, the relationship between the parent and Child must be proved. This can be proved by documentation such as a birth certificate. More information on how an applicant can prove the relationship can be found within the student and child student casework guidance.

If the applicant cannot demonstrate they are the parent of the Child Student, you must refuse the application.

Age of the Child Student

This page tells case - workers about considerations relating to the age of the Child Student.

A Child Student must be at least 4 years old. An applicant can only be granted under the Parent of a Child Student route until the Child Student reaches the age of 12.

The Child Student is aged 12 or above at time of decision

Where an application for permission as the Parent of a Child Student is submitted whilst the Child Student is aged 12 or above, or the child is under the age of 12, but the parent’s application is not decided until after the child’s 12th birthday, the parent’s application must be refused. Where the Child Student is applying at the same time you must check whether the decision to refuse the parent’s application has an impact on the Child Student application. If the Child Student does not meet the requirements in the rules for their care arrangements because their parent’s application has been refused, you must consider refusing the Child Student’s application. For more information see the student and child student casework guidance.

Finance requirement for a Parent of a Child Student

This page tells case - workers about the types and levels of funds that a Parent of a Child Student must have to meet the financial requirement.

Appendix Parent of a Child Student of the Immigration Rules requires that the applicant has enough funds available to them to maintain and accommodate themselves, the Child Student or students and any other dependants whilst they are in the UK. An applicant for the Parent of a Child Student route must meet the requirement stated in Appendix Parent of a Child Student paragraph PC 7.1 to 7.6. This is referred to as the financial requirement.

The amount of funds that a Parent of a Child Student will need to demonstrate will depend on the circumstances of the applicant and the timing of the application.

The ways in which an applicant can demonstrate funds are set out in Appendix Finance. In addition to funds held in accordance with Appendix Finance, a Parent of a Child Student applicant is also able to rely on funds held by a partner (as defined in paragraph 6 of the Immigration Rules) who remains overseas. Funds held by an overseas partner must remain available to the applicant and meet the requirements of Appendix Finance for the length that the funds must be held and the type of account that funds must be held in. Where the applicant is relying on funds held in the account of a partner, you must be satisfied that the holder of the funds is the applicant’s partner (spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, where the couple have been living together in a relationship similar to marriage or a civil partnership for at least 2 years).

Applicant has been in the UK with permission for over 12 months

If an applicant is making an application for permission to stay on the Parent of a Child Student route and has been in the UK with permission for over 12 months on the date of application, they meet the financial requirement without providing other evidence of funds.

The previous permission does not have to have been on the Parent of a Child Student route (including Parent of a Tier 4 (child) student).

Parent applies for permission at the same time as a Child Student

The Parent of a Child Student will meet the financial requirement if they are applying at the same time as the Child Student, neither the applicant nor the Child Student have been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months and the Child Student meets the financial requirements in the Child Student rules at CS 10.1. For more information on how a Child Student can meet this requirement, see the Child Student casework guidance. Where a Child Student states that they will be accompanied by a Parent under the Parent of a Child Student route, the applications should be case worked holistically and the maintenance requirement is only required to be met once.

If the Child Student is a differentiated national specified in Appendix Child Student paragraph 13.1, the Child Student will not generally be required to provide evidence that they meet the financial requirement. However, there is no equivalent provision for a Parent of a Child Student and a Parent of a Child Student must be able to demonstrate the levels of finance stated in the parent is applying for permission at a different time to the Child Student section.

Parent is applying for permission at a different time to the Child Student

Where the applicant is not applying at the same time as the Child Student and has not been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months, they must demonstrate that they have:

• £1,560 per month of intended stay up to a maximum of nine months for their living costs and those of the Child Student

• an additional £625 per month of intended stay for each additional child, also living with the Parent of a Child Student, up to a maximum of 9 months

All other children accompanying the Parent of a Child Student should also have permission on the Child Student route, unless there are compelling or compassionate circumstances.

For example, a Parent of a Child Student accompanying 2 Child Students to the UK would need to demonstrate £2,185 per month (£1,560 + £625) up to a maximum of 9 months. So, for a course which is a year in length, the Parent of a Child Student would need to demonstrate £19,665 for maintenance purposes in addition to any outstanding school fees for both children.

If the Child Student is a differentiated national specified in Appendix Child Student paragraph CS 13.1, the Child Student will not generally be required to provide evidence that they meet the financial requirement. However, there is no equivalent provision for a Parent of Child Student and a Parent of a Child Student must be able to demonstrate the above levels of Finance if they are applying from outside the UK.

Other financial requirements

The required funds must have been held for 28 days. The applicant must not intend to make the UK their main home and therefore, must also be able to maintain their main home outside the UK.

Secondary carer to a Child Student

This page tells case - workers how to consider an application for the Parent of a Child Student route where one parent has already been granted permission on this route.

The route does not permit for both parents to reside in the UK as parents of a Child Student.

You must be sure that the child’s other parent has not already applied or been granted permission to enter or stay under this route. If there is more than one Child Student in the UK from a single family, one parent cannot act as carer for one Child Student while the other parent acts as the carer for another Child Students. If more than one child from a family is applying for or has been granted, permission as a Child Student within the UK only one parent can act as carer for all the Child Students in the UK.

The other parent, who isn’t applying as a Parent of a Child Student, can use the Visit route to visit the Child Student or to travel to help the Child Student settle in, however the other parent must not intend to relocate to the UK. If the other parent is applying under the Visit route, this is not in itself grounds for refusing the application.

There may be limited cases where the parents need to swap places as carers in the UK, however you must be sure that the original person who was granted permission as a Parent of a Child Student is genuinely returning to their country of residence.

To be able to swap places, the second parent must make an application under the Parent of a Child Student route. If the application is successful, the permission of the parent initially granted under the route should be cancelled.

When assessing the Parent of a Child Student application, you must check the other parent or guardian isn’t already in the UK under a different immigration route. There are certain exceptional circumstances where the other parent already being in the UK shouldn’t lead to a refusal, this includes where the parents of the Child Student are divorced or estranged and the parent applying under the Parent of a Child Student route has sole care responsibilities for the Child.

Granting permission to enter or stay

This page tells case - workers how to grant permission to a Parent of a Child Student and the conditions which apply to this permission.

The period of permission granted

If an applicant meets the requirements to be granted under the Parent of a Child Student route in Appendix Parent of a Child Student, you must grant the applicant permission to enter or permission to stay. If the Child Student application is refused, the Parent of a Child Student application must also be refused. The Child Student must meet the requirements of Appendix Child Student.

The period of permission which should be granted should either be:

• in line with the length of permission granted to the Child Student

• up until the twelfth birthday of the Child Student, if their period of permission exceeds their twelfth birthday

The Child Student will reach the age of 12 during period of permission

If the Child Student will reach the age of 12 during the period of their Child Student permission, you must only grant the Parent of a Child Student Application until the Child Student’s twelfth birthday.

If a Parent of a Child Student is accompanying more than one Child Student who will be studying within the UK, the parent can be granted permission until the twelfth birthday of the youngest child. Child Students who reach the age of 12 can continue to reside with the parent, provided the parent has been granted permission or has existing permission on the Parent of a Child Student route on the basis of caring for a younger Child Student, or has made a further application that has not yet been decided, or has been granted permission in another route that allows them to stay in the UK and care for their child.

If the Parent of a Child Student is accompanying more than one Child Student to the UK, you must grant the Parent of a Child Student permission in line with the Child Student whose period of permission expires last, or until the youngest child reaches the age of 12, whichever is sooner.

For example if the Parent of a Child Student is accompanying 2 Child Students to the UK, one Child Student’s permission expires on 1 January 2022 and the other Child Student’s permission expires on 30 November 2022, you must grant the Parent of a Child Student in line with the Child Student whose permission expires on 30 November 2022 (unless both children reach the age of 12 before this date).

Conditions of permission granted

Applicants granted leave under the Parent of Child Student route are prohibited from undertaking work or study whilst in the UK. This includes being self-employed, engaging in business activity and undertaking work remotely.

Where the applicant wishes to undertake work or study, they will need to apply under a relevant route and meet the requirements set out in the Immigration Rules. If they have already undertaken work or study whilst holding this type of permission, their application should normally be refused on the basis that they have breached their conditions.

In addition to the prohibition on work and study, a Parent of a Child Student is also prohibited from having recourse to public funds.