Middle East Crisis: Can British Nationals Repatriate to the UK with Non-British Partners and Children?

At present, the UK has not announced a dedicated Middle East emergency immigration route equivalent to the Ukraine schemes. In practice, that means British citizens and their non-British family members will need to use the standard Immigration Rules and identify the route that best fits their immediate and longer-term objectives.

The key issue: short-term entry or longer-term relocation?

For many families, the starting point is not simply whether a visa route is available, but what the family is trying to achieve.

In urgent situations, some families want immediate travel to the UK for safety, continuity, and family support, with the intention of making longer-term decisions later. Others already know that the move is likely to be more permanent and want to secure a route that allows residence, work and ultimately settlement.

The fastest route into the UK is not always the best route for a family intending to remain here for the medium to long term. Conversely, a route that is more suitable for settlement may require more preparation and documentation at the outset. The distinction is especially important because immigration planning may need to align with wider tax advice.

Temporary options: Visit visas and Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

Where the immediate priority is to reach the UK quickly, the visitor route is the first option to consider. Depending on nationality, a non-British family member may either need to apply for a Visit visa in advance of travel (e.g. Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syrai, Libya, Yemen etc.) or if from a “non-visa” country ( e.g. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman etc.) may be able to travel with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) both can permit a visit for up to six months.

The visitor route can be useful where a family needs a short-term solution while considering the next steps. However, it comes with important limitations. A visitor cannot use the route to base themselves in the UK on a long-term basis and cannot undertake productive work in the UK except in limited permitted circumstances.

What “remote working” activities can you undertake in the UK while as a visitor?

Generally speaking, visitors can stay with friends and family, undertake a holiday, attend business meetings, and share skills and knowledge with UK colleagues etc. However, they must not take up employment for a business in the UK or establish a business as a self-employed person and must not be paid from a UK source. The UK visitor rules do allow remote working for short periods of time, but this is not to be confused with a Digital Nomad visa (found in Spain and Portugal etc.). What is clearly not allowed in the UK is full remote working. The scenarios below may help to explain what is permitted:

Scenario 1

A UAE employee working for a large global tech company negotiates with their employer for a two-month visit to the UK to assist with a project at the UK office of the same global company. The UK business visitor rules allow an employee of an overseas based company to come to the UK for a short period of time (usually less than 90 days) to share skills and knowledge, work on a project etc. with their UK colleagues of a UK company in the same corporate group.

Scenario 2

If remote work is not the primary purpose. For example, if a UAE employee came to the UK to seek safety for three weeks, they could undertake remote work for their overseas employer as this is the secondary purpose of the visit - clearly remote working is not initially their main purpose (as the main purpose is for safety). Please note that the Home Office has indicated that a visit over 30 days will be questioned, and anything above 90 days will usually be refused.

The visitor route may provide immediate breathing space, but it is not generally the best solution where the family’s long-term intention is to relocate and begin life in the UK. As a matter of strategy, where the genuine intention is relocation, it is usually far better to consider the correct long-term route from the outset, rather than relying on visitor status as a stepping stone.

Longer-term option: Partner and Child visas

For many British nationals returning to the UK with a non-British spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, the partner route will be the most appropriate long-term solution. This route is designed for those intending to live together in the UK and can lead to settlement. The children can also apply on this route.

The partner route requires careful preparation. In most cases, applicants will need to satisfy relationship, financial and English language requirements. The current minimum income requirement for most partner applications is £29,000 per year.

Where the family intends to settle in the UK, the partner route is often more stable and strategically sound than relying on short-term visitor entry and attempting to regularise status later.

Alternative routes

For some families, the most appropriate route to repatriate to the UK could be linked to ancestry or UK employment. Where the non-British family member has an established professional profile, entrepreneurial background or international business role, these independent immigration route may offer greater flexibility.

• Sponsorship by a UK employer on the Skilled Worker route, where the individual has a qualifying job offer from an approved UK sponsor or on one of the Global Business Mobility routes, where there is an overseas business and linked UK entity. These routes may provide a practical alternative to family-based residence, although each comes with its own eligibility requirements.
• The Global Talent route remains available for leaders and potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, and digital technology. Where an individual qualifies, it can be particularly attractive because it is not tied to a sponsoring employer.
• The Innovator Founder route may also be relevant for those seeking to establish an innovative business in the UK. However, it requires endorsement for a business idea that is innovative, viable, and scalable.
• The UK Ancestry visa may also be available, where the non-British family member is a Commonwealth citizen with a qualifying UK-born grandparent.
• British Citizenship by descent may also be a viable option as not every child in the family will necessarily require a visa: some children may already have acquired British citizenship automatically, meaning that the correct next step may be a nationality assessment and British passport application rather than an immigration application.

Practical next steps

For families looking to move quickly, early Immigration eligibility assessment is essential. The questions families need to be asking will usually include:

• whether the non-British family member requires a UK visitor visa or an ETA before travel;
• whether temporary entry is sufficient or whether the family’s intention is long-term relocation;
• whether the partner/spouse visa route requirements can be met now;
• whether an independent route such as Global Talent or Innovator Founder may be more appropriate; and
• how immigration planning interacts with tax considerations.

How we can help

We advise British citizens, high net worth families and internationally mobile individuals on urgent and strategic relocation to the UK. This includes assessing immediate travel options and considering alternative immigration routes for entrepreneurs and high-profile individuals.

Anjola Odusola

Anjola Odusola is a solicitor in our immigration team, based in our London office. She has over five years of experience in business immigration. Anjola has a proven track record of advising multinational corporations on ongoing compliance, sponsor license management, and complex visa applications, including Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). She works closely with clients to navigate the UK’s evolving immigration landscape, ensuring they remain compliant while enabling them to attract and retain the best global talent.

Anjola is a dual qualified lawyer in the UK and Nigeria.

Contact her on aodusola@doyleclayton.co.uk