A Skilled Worker dependant is the partner or child of a person on a Skilled Worker visa who applies to join or stay with them in the UK. Each family member makes a separate application and pays their own fee. Their visa usually ends on the same date as the Skilled Worker's visa.
Key points
- A dependant is a husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, a child under 18, or a child over 18 who already holds dependant permission.
- Each person makes a separate application. The fee matches the Skilled Worker's length of stay: £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for longer, if applying from outside the UK.
- The funds needed are £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days in a row.
- Dependants can work, except as a sportsperson or coach, and can study. They cannot claim most benefits.
- Extra rules apply when the Skilled Worker is in a medium skilled job or is a care worker or senior care worker.
How Skilled Worker dependants work
The partner and children of a Skilled Worker may apply to join or stay with them in the UK as their ‘dependants’. They complete separate applications. If an application succeeds, the dependant’s visa will usually end on the same date as the Skilled Worker’s visa. 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
Dependants must show the relationship when they apply. The first family member to apply can get a family linking code, and the others can enter the same code to connect the applications.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children A dependant applying from outside the UK needs the main applicant’s application number. Each person applies online and must apply before travelling to the UK.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
A family member in the UK can extend or switch their own visa at the same time as the Skilled Worker or at any time before their current visa expires.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
Who counts as a dependant
GOV.UK sets out who can apply and what they must show.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
| Dependant | Who qualifies | What they must show |
|---|---|---|
| Partner | Husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner | A marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, or a relationship of at least 2 years when they apply, living together or, if not, with an ongoing commitment |
| Child under 18 | Including a child born in the UK during the stay | They live with the Skilled Worker, unless away in full-time education, and are not married or in a civil partnership |
| Child over 18 | Only if they currently have permission as the Skilled Worker’s dependant | The same conditions on living arrangements and marital status |
A child born in the UK does not automatically become a British citizen. The Skilled Worker must apply for the child’s dependant visa if they want to travel in and out of the UK with the child. The visa application must be made before the child turns 18 if the child wants to stay.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children The dependent children page explains the family side of this.
An adult partner applying for entry clearance may also need a criminal record certificate if the Skilled Worker is sponsored in a listed health, education or social care job.[3]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
Fees and funds
Each dependant pays the visa fee. From outside the UK the standard fee is £819 per person for a stay of up to 3 years and £1,618 per person for more than 3 years. A dependant pays the fee for the same length of time as the Skilled Worker, even if they apply after the Skilled Worker’s visa has been granted.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs If the Skilled Worker’s job is on the Immigration Salary List, the family pays a lower fee: £628 for up to 3 years and £1,235 for longer, per person.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs
Dependants must also show they have money to support themselves. The amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child. The money must be held for at least 28 days in a row, and day 28 must be within 31 days of applying. These amounts are held in addition to the Skilled Worker’s own £1,270.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs[3]Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker The proof is not needed if everyone has been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if the employer covers the family’s costs for the first month and says so on the certificate of sponsorship.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
Rights and limits
A dependant can work, except as a sportsperson or coach, and can study. They can travel abroad and return, and may apply to settle after living in the UK for 5 years if they meet the other requirements. They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children The no recourse to public funds glossary entry explains the condition.
Some jobs limit who can bring a family. The rules differ by job type.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
| Skilled Worker’s situation | Dependants outside the UK can join if | Dependants inside the UK can stay if |
|---|---|---|
| Medium skilled job (not care work) | The worker has been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa in a medium skilled job since before 22 July 2025, or the child was born in the UK | The same, or the child’s other parent is also sponsored in a medium skilled job, or the worker is the only living parent responsible, or the worker is extending or switching as a prison officer |
| Care worker or senior care worker | The worker has been continually employed in that role on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or the child was born in the UK | The same, or the child’s other parent is also sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker, or the worker is the only living parent responsible |
Partners and children in the UK cannot switch to the Skilled Worker’s visa as dependants if they are on a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa or a domestic worker in a private household visa. The same applies on immigration bail or if given permission outside the Immigration Rules.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
Example
Priya has a Skilled Worker visa as a software developer, a higher skilled job, and applies from outside the UK for 2 years. Her husband and their 6-year-old daughter apply to join her. Each pays £819, so the three fees come to £2,457.[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs Her husband shows their marriage certificate. The family must show £285 for her husband and £315 for their daughter, a total of £600, plus £1,270 for Priya herself, unless her employer covers the first month.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children[2]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs Once the husband and daughter apply online, prove their identity and give their documents, they usually get a decision within 3 weeks.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
What people get wrong
Many people assume dependants are covered by the main application. GOV.UK says each partner or child needs a separate application and must pay the visa fee. A dependant who applies later still pays the fee for the same length of time as the Skilled Worker.
A second mistake is about the job. For medium skilled and care worker jobs, the dependant rules depend on how long the worker has been employed in that job, so a new Skilled Worker in those jobs may not be able to bring their family.[1]Home Office, Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
The bottom line
A Skilled Worker dependant is a partner or child who applies in their own right to join or stay with a Skilled Worker. They need their own application, fee and proof of funds, and their permission follows the Skilled Worker’s end date. The rules differ for medium skilled and care worker jobs, and the details are in the GOV.UK guide and Appendix Skilled Worker.
Common questions
A husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner. A child under 18, including a child born in the UK during the stay. A child over 18 who currently has permission to be in the UK as your dependant.
Yes. GOV.UK says each family member completes a separate application and pays the visa fee. They enter the main applicant's application number or a family linking code to connect the applications.
Yes, except as a sportsperson or coach. A dependant can also study and travel abroad and return. They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.
It usually ends on the same date as the Skilled Worker's visa. If a child's parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child's visa ends on the earlier date.
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. Skilled Worker visa: How much it costs. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩