Child 5 year visa? What can she have

Trying several routes to get my daughter here from Canada. I am a UK citizen, however with strings attached. I got my status through my father. I now live here and have since 2002, married with a family. My daughter is 14 living with her Dad. We're now switching custody so she can move here with me. Been advised of a Dependancy Visa, which is supposedly over £1600, soon to be going up. As she only wants to finish off her last few years here of school and return to Ontario for Uni, could she not simply have a 5 year visa? What does this allow her? Can she go to school here? Can she receive NHS healthcare? I've been told that because of immigration rules tightening, there are no gaurentees that I can even get her approved on a visa! Anyone know anything about this?
Beth

Your daughter could either apply for a children relatives visa or for a Tier 4 student visa if she intends to study here. The UKBA fee for Children relatives is now £1,680. The fees increase on a regular basis but should not change before a couple of months. Both these visas will allow her to study in the UK, but with Tier 4, she will be restricted to the institution and course stated in her application. She can change but it's a bit more complicated.

All immigrants are entitled to NHS healthcare as soon as they arrive.

It's true that the rules are tightening, but even when they were less tight, there was no guarantee that an application would know a positive outcome. But if you follow the guidance and submit all the required documents, you should be fine.

VisaWise | Immigration Consultancy
OISC Registered Immigration Advisers
London, United Kingdom
info@visa-wise.co.uk
http://www.visa-wise.co.uk

Thanks for that. Do you know if this is something that can be sorted while she is here? She comes every summer to visit. But I'm guessing that she needs the Visa in order to go to school, and the Visa I'm told takes anywhere from 6-12 months to process? Been told she needs to do it from Canada, however actually apply through Washington as when I contacted the High Commission in Canada, they told me to speak to the US! And I assume custody has to be in my favor before the process begins?
Cheers
Beth

Unfortunately, you can't switch from visitor visa to another category. She'll have to apply from Canada, using the Worldbridge online services. Don't really understand why you've been told to go to Washington though!

You must have to sole responsibilty of your daughter, which is a bit different from custody. Given the circumstances, you may benefit from professional advice.

VisaWise | Immigration Consultancy
OISC Registered Immigration Advisers
London, United Kingdom
info@visa-wise.co.uk
http://www.visa-wise.co.uk

Right... following you.
Have actually spoken to an immigration lawyer who in my opinion wasn't as helpful as I thought he could have been, thus my recent posts. I understand what you're saying about sole responsibility vs custody. My daughter has actually expressed wanting to return back to Canada to go to university at the age of 18. She will be 14 this month. So could I not get her a 4 (5) year visa? I understand that a child visa will not be issued for any longer than 6 months past their 18th birthday (I think I read that somewhere). Would that enable her to go to school here and do her GCSE's? Does the sole responsibility/custody thing play into that as heavily as it does with a settlement/dependancy visa? I have been advised that although I would have 'custody', the dependancy/settlement visa could very well be refused due to the fact that her father has had her for the last 9 years and that there is no serious reasons for the switch other than her preference to live with me.

Looking on your website, I saw that after 5 years on a visa living in the UK, one can apply for Indeffinate Leave to Remain. Would that be an option if she were able to come on a shorter term visa rather than a settlement?

Thanks again

Beth
Have looked at your website