刘鹏：欲申请英国移民签证的国内父母，想要证明子女的独立抚养权，一方独立抚养孩子的时间须越长越好。
近年来，一些希望携带年幼子女移民英国的家庭，可能会始料未及地遭到拒签。为什么？英国移民局认为，父母中的一方对子女并无独立抚养权，因此子女作为副申请人遭拒。
申请拒签主要出现在以下两种情况:
- 亲身父母离异
- 父母一方申请投资移民或企业家移民
后者申请遭拒的主因是，认为父母携带子女移民英国是理所当然的事情，却不知英国相关法律条款在这一点上与中国有截然不同的概念：在父母双方都健在且与子女有定期交流/提供经济支持的情况下，父母中的一方将子女带离另一方，是不利于子女成长的。中国申请人对此拒签理由措手不及，也是中英文化差异的一个体现。
独立抚养权的问题产生
在定居类签证导向下容易产生独立抚养权。例如申请英国投资移民签证，英国企业家移民签证。英国工作签证的子女在跟随主申请人移居英国时，容易触发此类问题。
学生签证及临时工作签证类别因为没有定居导向，通常不会涉及到此类问题。 因为学生签证并无永居导向。也就是说，只有移民局认为，父/母一方将要永久性地将子女带离另一方，独立抚养权的问题才会被考虑进签证申请中。
什么是独立抚养权？
在过去10多年的工作经验当中发现，中国申请人概念中的独立抚养权与英国移民法律中的独立抚养权是有着完全不同的独立意义解释的。
很多中国申请人认为，只要法庭判决上写着抚养权归母亲，母亲就拥有对孩子的完全独立的抚养权。 但是，从实践中来看，中国的法庭判决往往同时要求父亲定期支付扶养费或者教育，生活费用，在这种情况下，母亲拥有的只是日常的抚养权，而不是英国法律意义上的完全独立抚养权。
完全独立抚养权（Sole Responsibility），以下是英国政府对于独立抚养权的解释：
SET7.8 What is sole responsibility?
A sponsoring parent (see SET7.2) must be able to show that he/she has been solely responsible for exercising parental care over the child for a substantial period.If the sponsoring parent and child are separated, the child will normally be expected to have been in the care of the sponsoring parent’s relatives rather than the relatives of the other parent. An application should normally be refused if the child has been in the care of the other parent’s relatives and the other parent lives nearby and takes an active interest in the child’s welfare.
The following factors should be considered in assessing sole responsibility:
- Are the parents married / in a civil partnership?
- If the parents’ marriage / civil partnership is dissolved, which parent was awarded legal custody, which includes assumption of responsibility for the child?
- Where there is a custody order the ECO should take care to ensure that the issue of a settlement entry clearance to the child will not contravene the terms of the custody order. See list for countries whose custody orders can be recognised as valid in UK (copy is available on this guidance page).
- Does the marriage / civil partnership subsist, but the parents do not live together?
- If the sponsoring parent migrated to the UK, how long has the sponsoring parent been separated from the child?
- If the sponsoring parent migrated to the UK, what were the arrangements for the care of the child before and after the sponsoring parent migrated?
- If the sponsoring parent migrated to the UK, what has been / what is the sponsoring parent’s relationship with the child?
- Has the sponsoring parent consistently supported the child, either by: direct personal care; or by regular and substantial financial remittances?
- By whom, and in what proportions, is the cost of the child’s maintenance borne?
- Who takes the important decisions about the child’s upbringing, for example where the child lives, the choice of school, religious practice etc?
（原文请看：https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-set07/children-set07#set78-what-is-sole-responsibility）
文章大意：
孩子父母中的一方，在一定长的时间跨度内，独自对于孩子负有完全的亲代责任（he/she has been solely responsible for exercising parental care over the child for a substantial period）。
注意这句话中的两个重点：
- 对于时间跨度的要求
- 对于“完全”的定义