How to Apply for a Dependent Visa in the UK?

Are you interested in studying in the UK with your dependents? Want to know the process of bringing dependents in the UK. Let’s discuss how to apply for a dependent visa in the UK.

What is a Dependent visa?

A dependent visa is a type of visa that allows a candidate to bring his family or close person to the UK. Some close ties can accompany the student in the UK under this visa category. This type of visa permits a qualifying individual to accompany the students in the UK as part of their family. A candidate can apply for the dependent visa at the same time in the UK or anytime later.

Who Can Come with a Dependent Visa in the UK?

Not every family member or kith and kin are eligible to apply for a dependent visa. Only the following categories of people can apply for a dependent visa in the UK. Such as:

Your Partner

• Your husband and wife.
• Civil partner.
• Unmarried or same sex partner. ( You will need to have living together in the marriage like relationship or civil partnership for a period of at least 2 years )
• Your partner must not intend to stay longer than the period you are given.

If your husband, wife or partner is applying with you as a dependent, you both must be 18 years old while receiving the visa, arriving in the UK or applying for immigration permission. 

Your Child or Children

• Your child and children must be younger than 18 years old if your child is applying to come to the UK as your student dependent for the first time.
• They do not have a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner.
• They must live with their parents. ( exception is found if they are living away from the family due to academic endeavors)
• They are not employed full time ( until they are 18 years old)
• They are wholly dependent on their parents for financial and emotional support.
• If your child is 16 or over when they apply, they need to provide particular documents to show that they meet all the requirements.

You only can bring your children to the UK if your partner accompanies you. The exception can be found if you are-

• A single parent.
• You have sole responsibility for your child
• Your partner cannot accompany you to the UK due to some serious compelling reason.

Which Students Can Bring Dependents in the UK?

Your partner or children will only be able to apply for a dependent visa if you have these qualifications.To get the eligibility, you must be one of the following-

• A full-time student on a postgraduate level course that lasts 9 months or longer at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
• A new government sponsored student on a course that lasts more than 6 months.
• A Doctorate extension scheme student.
• You have received an award from the Government and your course is full-time or at least 6 months.
• Your current or most recent immigration permission is as a student for full-time course ( more than six months)
• Your permission is current or expired no more than 3 month before the immigration application.
• You must meet strict financial requirements.

Besides, your dependent-

• Already has a student dependent permission.
• Your child who was born since you were last granted permission.
• You apply for immigration permission at the same time as your dependent.

Documents that you need to provide as a proof of relationship

Dependents of the student have to prove their relationship with them. Birth certificates and marriage certificates can be used as evidence. But other documents can also be acceptable as a proof of relationship. If a student’s dependent partner or child has previously been granted as dependent, they don’t need to provide evidence again. Besides, if they are married or in a civil partnership, the following documents can be provided as a proof of relationship-

• Valid marriage or civil partnership certificate.
• Valid overseas registration documents for a same-sex relationship under the civil partnership act of 2004.

However, if the student or a person are not married or in a civil partnership and want to apply for a dependent visa, they have to provide evidence that they are living together for 2 years. They can provide documents like-

• Bank statements, council tax or utility bills.
• Residential mortgage statements or tenancy agreements.
• Documents that show that students and their partners are living at the same address.

If a student wants to bring his children as a dependent in the UK, these are the acceptable documents for a dependent child. Such as-

• A full birth certificate.
• A court order such as a special guardianship order.
• Household registration certificate issued by the government.

Benefits of a Dependent visa in the UK.

Students and their dependents can have numerous benefits with a dependent visa. The main applicant won’t feel homesick or lonely while studying in the UK as they have the chance to live with their family.This visa includes the advantages of work and study in the UK. The children can also attend private or state schools. And after a certain period, a dependent visa holder can apply for the Indefinite Leave to Remain. Staying with the dependents in the UK means having the opportunity to earn income together. A dependent visa holder can do any job at any skill level.

Information you must provide to make an application for a Dependent visa in the UK.

While making an application as a dependent, you need to provide some information and documents in the UK. Such as:

• Your name.
• Date of Birth.
• Current Passport and other valid ID.
• Copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in your previous passport.
• Copy of biometric residence permit ( if you have any)
• Details of any previous immigration application you have made.
• Details of any criminal convictions.
• National insurance number ( if have any)
• Parent’s date of birth and nationality if you are applying from outside the UK.
• Tuberculosis test result if you are from a country where you have to take the test.
• Certified translation of any documents that are not in English.

If you are applying outside the UK, you will need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa. Besides,

• You will also need to provide proof of your finances.
• Proof of English language proficiency.
• Dependents will need the main applicant’s application number that an applicant gets when they apply. This number is called GWF( Global Web Form) or UAN ( Unique Application Number). The main applicants can find it on emails and letters from the Home Office.
• The dependents have to collect the biometric residence permit within 10 days they said they would arrive in the UK.

Financial Requirements to apply for a Dependent visa in the UK?

Student dependents who are applying for the dependent visa inside the UK or who have been living in the UK with the immigration permission for 12 months or longer, they don’t need to meet the financial requirements. However, if the dependents don’t meet the entry criteria, they must have the required amount of money in their bank account. Besides, the fund must be with the required funds a student needs to study in the UK if your partner is applying at the same time you are applying.

Regardless, if your partner is applying differently, they need to prove that they have enough money to support themselves. The money can be held by you or the dependents. If your child is your dependent, the fund can be held by the child’s other parent who is applying at the same time. Besides, each dependent must assure that they will have enough money with them to bear the living cost.  But the most important thing is that the money must stay in your account for at least 28 consecutive days. But the 28 day period must not exceed 31 days. In any case, you have a financial sponsorship or student loan, you need to provide proof from the sponsorship company.

Let’s know how much money is needed-

• £845 per month (up to 9 months) for a course in London.
• £680  per month (up to 9 months) for a course outside London.

What to do when my child is 16 or 17?

If your child is 16 or 17 on the day you make a visa application, you need to prove that they are not living an independent life. ( prove they are not married or in a civil partnership). For this, you will need to prove-

• Where they live- If they are not living with you, you will need to explain why.
• Any rent or expenses they pay you each month.
• You support them financially if they are not living with you.

If your child is living with you, they need to provide 2 of the following documents confirming their address-

• Bank statement.
• Credit card bills
• Driving license
• NHS registration documents.
• Official letter from their university or college.

Dependents who are applying outside of the UK.

While applying outside the UK, your dependents must apply for entry clearance for the country they were previously residing before arriving in the UK from the British authorities. To apply, each dependents must apply separately and pay a fee equivalent to £363 in local currency. Besides, the British authority offers extra service. If a dependent gets this service, they need to pay extra money for this. Some important procedures a dependent must follow-

• Apply online unless they are from North Korea.
• The student’s dependent needs to know the student\’s course details and CAS number in order to complete the application form.
• Before making an application, the dependent should read about family member information on the Home Office Website.

The information a dependent candidate must know is that if the application is successful, a vignette sticker will be placed in their passport. If they are given immigration permission for more than 6 months, the vignette will be valid for 90 days. However, if the dependent is given immigration permission for 6 months or less, the vignette will be last in their passport for the whole time.

• The dependents must enter the UK within that 90 day period. After that, they need to collect the biometric residence permit within 10 days of arriving in the UK from the post office. They will get all the information from the vignette letter. However, if the dependent applied at the same time when with the students, they might be allowed to collect their biometric from the student’s university or college.

If the application is successful, the dependent visa will end at the same time as the student’s visa.

Dependents who can apply inside of the UK and extend or switch their visa-

✺ A student’s dependent can apply inside of the UK if the student either receives an award from the government or international sponsorship agency or the course is at least 6 months or full-time.
✺ If a student is doing a full-time postgraduate course ( 9 months or longer), the dependents can apply to extend their stay inside the UK. However, the dependent cannot apply or switch their visa if they have-

✅ A visit visa
✅ A short-term student visa.
✅ A parent of a child student visa.
✅ Seasonal worker visa.
✅ Domestic worker visa.
✅ Outside the immigration rules.

A student’s partner or child can extend or switch their visa either-

✺ At the same time apply to extend or switch their visa.
✺ At any time before their current visa expired.

Dependent visa fees to apply inside of the UK-

For the dependent visa, each person will need to pay-

• £490 for the visa.
• The healthcare surcharge fee.
• Biometric information.

How to apply to extend or switch the dependent visa inside of the UK?

The student’s partner or child must apply as a Partner or a Child. The dependents must need the main applicant’s application number; they get it when they apply. The number is called the Global Web Form or an Unique Application Number. As part of the application, the dependents will be asked to make an appointment at the UKVCAS service point to provide their biometric. The dependants must not travel outside the UK until they get the decision.

Work opportunities for dependents in the UK.

People want to know the work opportunities for dependents in the UK. A dependent can work in the UK if the students have-

• An award from the government and the course is at least 6 months.
• You are taking a full-time course of 9 months or longer.

Usually, dependents are permitted to do any kind of work in the United Kingdom except these-

• They cannot work as professional sportsmen.
• Cannot work as a doctor or dentist.

Children who are born in the UK while you are studying.

If a student gets pregnant while studying in the UK, they must consult with the immigration advisor as early as possible. If a student needs to interrupt their studies due to pregnancy, then the student or any dependent needs to leave the UK and then apply for a new entry clearance to return to the UK.

However, babies cannot automatically be a British citizen after being born in the UK. In order to have British Citizenship, they need to have a British parent or settled in the UK. However, if the baby is born in the UK but not a British citizen, they can stay in the UK without making an immigration application. But if they travel abroad, they need immigration permission to re-enter in the UK.

Schooling for Children

As long as the children are a student’s dependents and are aged between 5 to 16, they can attend government primary school or secondary school. However, some schools sometimes refuse to admit students, if they consider their stay in the UK will be too short or if the schools have no free places.

Common Reasons for Dependent visa refusal.

The most common reasons for a dependent visa refusal are not filling the application form properly and insufficient evidence to meet the relationship requirements.

Will a person need IELTS to apply for a Dependent visa in the UK?

No, IELTS is not required for the spouse or child of a student to apply for a dependent visa in the UK. But for this, the applicants must need IELTS.

If you want to study in the UK with your dependents, AIMS Education, a student consultancy firm can show you a great way to achieve it.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions