Parents in Pakistan who want to visit their children or grandchildren in the UK apply for a Standard Visitor visa. There is no separate “parents visa” for visits. Each stay can last up to 6 months, and you can ask for a 2, 5 or 10-year visa if you plan to come regularly. The application succeeds or fails on two points: whether your life in Pakistan will bring you home, and whether the trip is properly funded, either by you or by your son or daughter in the UK.
What the rules ask of visiting parents
The visitor rules are in Appendix V of the Immigration Rules. Paragraph V 4.2 says you must show that you:
- will leave the UK at the end of your visit;
- will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home;
- are coming for a permitted purpose, such as seeing family;
- can meet all reasonable costs of the visit without working or claiming public funds.
What matters is the evidence behind each point. The general process is covered in our UK visit visa from Pakistan guide; this post focuses on what is different for parents.
Ties to Pakistan for retired parents
A working applicant can point to a job. Retired parents have to show their ties in other ways. The officer wants to understand why you will want to return, so give the real reasons, with a document for each.
| Tie | Evidence that helps |
|---|---|
| Pension | Pension book or bank statements showing the monthly pension credits, and the pension office or EOBI letter if you have one |
| Property and the family home | Registry, fard or allotment letter, with a certified English translation of any Urdu papers |
| Rental or agricultural income | Tenancy agreements and matching rent credits in your account |
| Other children and family in Pakistan | NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC) showing sons, daughters or grandchildren who live in Pakistan |
| Responsibilities at home | A short explanation of who you care for, a business you still oversee, or commitments you must return for |
| Travel history | Old passports showing earlier UK or other visits where you returned on time |
If all your children live abroad and you have no income of your own, say so honestly and put more weight on the home, the property and your past travel.
Who pays, and how to show your child’s support
Many parents’ trips are paid for by the son or daughter in the UK. That is allowed. Under paragraph V 4.3, a third party can support you if they have a genuine relationship with you, are not in breach of immigration laws, and can and will support you for the whole visit. GOV.UK’s guide to supporting documents says the evidence should show what support is being given, how, the relationship, and that the sponsor can afford it while supporting themselves and their own dependants.
In practice, your child’s pack usually includes:
- an invitation letter saying who is paying for what and where you will stay;
- proof of their UK status, such as a British passport or an eVisa share code;
- recent payslips, bank statements or, if self-employed, tax records;
- proof of their address and that there is room for you;
- proof of the relationship, such as your child’s birth certificate or your FRC.
Our guide to the sponsor invitation letter has a template, and this guide to UK visitor visa sponsors explains the sponsor’s side in more depth. Keep the story consistent: if the letter says your son pays for flights, his statements should be able to cover them.
How long you can stay, and the long-term visas
A Standard Visitor can usually stay up to 6 months per visit. If you visit regularly, you can apply for a long-term visa instead. Each stay is still limited to 6 months. Fees at the time of review (from the Home Office fee table of 8 April 2026):
| Visa | Fee | Maximum each stay |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 months | £135 | 6 months |
| Long-term, 2 years | £506 | 6 months |
| Long-term, 5 years | £903 | 6 months |
| Long-term, 10 years | £1,128 | 6 months |
GOV.UK warns that you may be given a shorter visa than you asked for if UKVI thinks you do not meet the requirements for the longer one, and there is no refund of the difference. A long-term visa makes most sense for parents who have already visited and returned on time. See our sister site’s long-term visitor visa guide for more.
You cannot live in the UK through repeat visits
This is where parents with long-term visas most often run into trouble. The Home Office’s Visit caseworker guidance says there is no fixed limit such as “6 months in any 12 months”. Instead, officers check your travel history, how long you spend in the UK and how often you come back, and ask whether you are in effect living here. If your pattern shows that the UK has become your main home, they are told to refuse.
Six months in the UK, a few weeks in Lahore, then six months in the UK again raises questions, even if every stay was within the limit. Spend real time at home between visits, and be ready to explain each trip.
Health cover and the NHS
This matters for older parents. Visitors are not entitled to free NHS hospital care just because their children live in the UK. GOV.UK’s NHS entitlements guide says overseas visitors in England are charged 150% of the cost of NHS hospital treatment unless an exemption applies. Some services are free for everyone, including GP consultations, A&E, and diagnosis and treatment of certain infectious diseases. Urgent treatment is given even if you have not paid in advance, but you are still billed.
Unpaid bills can follow you. The same guidance says NHS debts of £500 or more that are unpaid for 2 months are shared with the Home Office and may affect future immigration applications. So:
- buy travel health insurance that covers your age and any existing conditions;
- bring enough of your regular medicines, with the prescription;
- if you receive a hospital bill, settle it or agree a payment plan before you leave.
Common mistakes we see from Pakistan applications
- Money moved into a parent’s account just before applying. A pension account that suddenly holds lakhs of rupees, with no explanation, reads as borrowed funds.
- A sponsor with no evidence. An invitation letter alone does not show your child can afford the trip.
- Asking for a 10-year visa on a first application without thinking about whether the evidence supports it.
- Long stays back to back on an existing visa, then a surprise refusal at the next application.
- Urdu property papers with no translation, or translations without the translator’s details.
- Different stories in the application form, the parent’s cover letter and the child’s invitation letter.
If you have been refused before, read our guide on what to do after a UK visa refusal before you reapply.
FAQ
Can my parents stay 6 months every year?
There is no fixed yearly limit, but each application is judged on the whole travel history. Regular 6-month stays with short gaps can lead an officer to decide the UK has become their main home.
Does my child need to be British or settled to invite us?
No. The rules require a supporting relative to have a genuine relationship with you and not be in breach of immigration laws. A son or daughter on a work or study visa can invite you, but they must show they can afford it alongside their own family’s costs.
Can my mother get free NHS treatment if her son is a British citizen?
No. Entitlement depends on the patient’s own residence, not the family’s. As a visitor she will be charged for most hospital care, which is why health insurance is worth buying.
Should both parents apply at the same time?
Usually yes, if you are travelling together, so the officer sees the same plan and evidence side by side. Each parent still needs their own application, and their documents should tell the same story.
Applying from Pakistan? Send us a few lines about your case and we will tell you which route fits and what to prepare.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Rules and fees change; check GOV.UK before you apply.