Does my daughter have rights to a British passport

[mamamiabcd]

Halloween Ladies, my name is Mandy, I'm South African and I've been living in the UK (London, to be precise), for the last 17 going on18 years. Thanks to ancestry visa. My grandad was Welsh. Had my daughter here, 13 years ago. Powers that be suggest, I cannot apply for a British passport for her because her dad and I were never married. Is this true?

Not Halloween. Just Hallo 😄

I think u would be best off asking an immigration lawyer tbh.

I think you need specialist legal advice from someone who deals with immigration situations. Also, if your daughter is 13 why haven’t you looked into this before? I don’t mean that rudely by the way - I’m just shocked. Does she have a SA passport?

Do you have indefinite leave to remain?

I think that if a child has lived here for 10 years from birth then they acquire the right to British citizenship.

Is her father British and on her birth certificate?

Here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-register-as-british-citizen-form-t

She can register as a British citizen. It's quite expensive I believe.

I want going to say the same thing re your daughter being eligible to register as a British citizen, costs just under £1000 to make the application though (plus solicitors fees if needed).

If you weren't married to the father at the time of her birth then as far as I know it doesn't matter if he is on the birth certificate. This only applies to children born after 2008 (I think).

Definitely worth getting legal advise though.

advice