劉鵬：欲申請英國移民簽證的國內父母，想要證明子女的獨立撫養權，一方獨立撫養孩子的時間須越長越好。
近年來，一些希望携帶年幼子女移民英國的家庭，可能會始料未及地遭到拒簽。爲什麽？英國移民局認爲，父母中的一方對子女幷無獨立撫養權，因此子女作爲副申請人遭拒。
申請拒簽主要出現在以下兩種情况：
- 亲身父母離异
- 父母一方申請投資移民或企業家移民
後者申请遭拒的主因是，認爲父母携帶子女移民英國是理所當然的事情，却不知英國相關法律條款在這一點上與中國有截然不同的概念：在父母雙方都健在且與子女有定期交流/提供經濟支持的情况下，父母中的一方將子女帶離另一方，是不利于子女成長的。中國申請人對此拒簽理由措手不及，也是中英文化差异的一個體現。
獨立撫養權的問題産生
在定居類簽證導向下容易産生獨立撫養權。例如申請英國投資移民簽證，英國企業家移民簽證。英國工作簽證的子女在跟隨主申請人移居英國時，容易觸發此類問題。
學生簽證及臨時工作簽證類別因爲沒有定居導向，通常不會涉及到此類問題。 因爲學生簽證幷無永居導向。也就是說，只有移民局認爲，父/母一方將要永久性地將子女帶離另一方，獨立撫養權的問題才會被考慮進簽證申請中。
什麽是獨立撫養權？
在過去10多年的工作經驗當中發現，中國申請人概念中的獨立撫養權與英國移民法律中的獨立撫養權是有著完全不同的獨立意義解釋的。
很多中國申請人認爲，只要法庭判决上寫著撫養權歸母親，母親就擁有對孩子的完全獨立的撫養權。 但是，從實踐中來看，中國的法庭判决往往同時要求父親定期支付扶養費或者教育，生活費用，在這種情况下，母親擁有的只是日常的撫養權，而不是英國法律意義上的完全獨立撫養權。
完全獨立撫養權（Sole Responsibility），以下是英國政府對于獨立撫養權的解釋：
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，在一定長的時間跨度內，獨自對于孩子負有完全的親代責任（he/she has been solely responsible for exercising parental care over the child for a substantial period）。
注意這句話中的兩個重點：
- 對于時間跨度的要求；
- 對于“完全”的定義。