A dependant is a partner or child who applies to join or stay in the UK with a person who holds a UK visa, most often a work or study visa. The dependant makes their own application. Their visa usually ends on the same date as the main applicant's, and each route sets who qualifies.
Key points
- On the Skilled Worker route a dependant partner or child is a husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, a child under 18, or a child over 18 who already has permission as your dependant.
- Each dependant makes a separate application and usually gets a visa that ends on the same date as the main applicant's.
- A partner must prove a recognised marriage or civil partnership, or at least 2 years of relationship. A child must usually live with you and not be married.
- Dependants must show they have enough money. For a Skilled Worker partner it is £285, and for one child £315.
- Not every route allows dependants. Student visa dependants are limited to certain courses, and care worker and some medium skilled jobs have extra limits.
How dependants work
A dependant is a family member who applies to join or stay in the UK because of the visa a main applicant holds. On GOV.UK the word is used for the partner and children of people on routes such as Skilled Worker and Student.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children[2]Home Office, Student visa: Your partner and children
A dependant has to make a separate application. If it is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as the main applicant’s. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa ends on the earlier date.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children The first person in a family to apply can get a family linking code, which family members enter on their own applications so that the applications are connected.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
The word matters for the route you use. If your partner or parent is in the UK temporarily on a work or student visa, you cannot apply for a family visa. You apply to stay with them as a dependant instead.[3]Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch
Who counts as a dependant
On the Skilled Worker route, GOV.UK says a dependant partner or child is any of the following:[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
| Dependant | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Partner | Husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner |
| Child under 18 | Includes a child born in the UK during your stay |
| Child over 18 | Only if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant |
They must provide evidence of their relationship to you when they apply.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
Partner. You must be able to prove one of three things. Either you are in a civil partnership or marriage recognised in the UK, or you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply, or you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years but cannot live together, for example because of work, study or culture. If you do not live together, you need to show ongoing commitment, for example by regular communication, financial support, caring for children together, or spending time together as a couple.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
Child. The child must live with you, unless they are living away from home in full-time education, such as at boarding school or university. They must not be married or in a civil partnership. You provide evidence of their address, such as a bank statement, driving licence or an official letter from their university or college.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
The Student visa page lists the same kinds of partner and child, and says the dependants are your husband, wife or civil partner, unmarried partner and a child under 18.[2]Home Office, Student visa: Your partner and children
Who can bring dependants
Not every visa carries the right to bring dependants. A Student visa holder can bring dependants only if they are a government-sponsored student starting a course longer than 6 months, or a full-time student on a postgraduate course at RQF level 7 or above that lasts 9 months or longer. If a postgraduate course starts on or after 1 January 2024, it must be a PhD or other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree.[2]Home Office, Student visa: Your partner and children
On the Skilled Worker route there are extra limits for care workers and senior care workers, and for jobs listed as “medium skilled”. For example, if your partner or children are inside the UK and you are a care worker, they can apply to stay as your dependant only if one of the listed conditions is true, such as a child who was born in the UK.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children See Skilled Worker dependant for the detail on that route.
Money dependants must show
Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money to support themselves in the UK. For a Skilled Worker, the figures are:[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
| Dependant | Amount |
|---|---|
| Partner | £285 |
| One child | £315 |
| Each additional child | £200 |
GOV.UK gives an example: £600 to bring a partner and one child, made up of £285 for the partner and £315 for the child. This is separate from the money you need for your own application.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
On a Student visa, the amount is £845 a month for up to 9 months for courses in London and £680 a month for courses outside London. It must be held for at least 28 consecutive days, and the end date of that period must be within 31 days of applying. A partner or child who has been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months does not need to prove it.[2]Home Office, Student visa: Your partner and children
Example
Ahmed holds a Skilled Worker visa in a job that allows dependants. His wife Leila and their 6-year-old son want to join him. Each makes a separate application. They need £285 for Leila and £315 for the child, so £600 in total, and they provide a marriage certificate and the child’s birth certificate. Ahmed’s visa ends in March, so their visas will usually end on the same date.
In another family, Nia is a PhD student in London and her partner wants to come. If they apply together, the partner needs £845 a month for up to 9 months, held for 28 consecutive days.
What people get wrong
People often assume a visa for the main applicant automatically covers the family. It does not. Each dependant needs their own application, evidence of the relationship and proof of funds.
A second common mistake is choosing the wrong route. If your partner is in the UK temporarily on a work or student visa, you apply as a dependant and not on a family visa.[3]Home Office, Family visas: apply, extend or switch A third is overlooking the course limits on Student visa dependants.[2]Home Office, Student visa: Your partner and children
The bottom line
A dependant is a partner or child who joins or stays with someone on a UK visa, such as a work or study visa. They apply separately, prove the relationship, show enough money and usually get a visa that ends when the main visa does. Who can bring dependants differs by route, so check the page for the visa in question before you plan.
Common questions
Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay, and a child over 18 who already has permission to be in the UK as your dependant.
Yes. GOV.UK says your partner and children need to complete separate applications. If their application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours.
For a Skilled Worker, you or your partner or child need £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child. Student visa dependants need £845 or £680 a month depending on where you study.
No. GOV.UK says you cannot apply for a family visa if your family member is in the UK temporarily on a work visa or student visa. You can apply to stay with them as a dependant instead.
Yes on the Skilled Worker route. You must show you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply, or in a relationship for 2 years but cannot live together, with ongoing commitment.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Student visa: Your partner and children. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Family visas: apply, extend or switch. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩