Your right to be in the UK

A national of the 27 European Union countries, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland has the right to live in the UK. You only have this right if you are working in the UK or you are able to support yourself and family in the United Kingdom without the help of public funds.

If you have a right to live the in the United Kingdom, your family may join you. Your family includes:

• your spouse or civil partner;
• children or grandchildren of you, your spouse or your civil partner, who are under 21 years of age or who are dependent upon you;
• the parents or grandparents of you, your spouse or your civil partner.

If you are a student, only your spouse, civil partner or dependent children are entitled to a right of residence.

Nationals of other countries will come to the UK on a temporary basis and will have to establish their rights to remain with the UK Border Agency.

You can contact the Immigration Enquiry Bureau for help over your rights to remain in the UK.

Once you have established your right to be in the UK then you can then move on to consider whether you have rights to work or to study here.