Skilled Worker dependant visa

Your family members (‘dependants’) can travel with you or join you in the UK on a dependant visa. Your family members must obtain the visa before travelling to the UK, unless their personal circumstances mean they have the right to live in the UK without needing a dependant visa.

Please refer to the Dependants applying in the UK section if your family member holds a UK visa and will be switching to a dependant visa. 

A ‘dependant’ is any of the following

• Your husband, wife or partner
• Your child under 18, (a child aged 16-18 must not be leading an independent life)
• Your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as a dependant

Family member coming for a short visit

A family member coming to the UK for a short period of time to visit you, family members or friends, can apply for a standard visitor visa. This visa is valid up to 6 months. When filling in the visa application, please select the main reason for your visit as being 'Tourism (including visiting family and friends).

More information can be found, and the visa application can be submitted, on the Home Office Standard visitor visa website.

Family member coming to join the main applicant in the UK

Dependants intending to move to the UK to join you, must apply for a dependant visa before travelling. The visa granted will match the end date of your Skilled Worker visa.

For any dependant child applying:

• both of the child parents must either be lawfully present (other than as a visitor) in the UK, or being granted permission to enter or permission to stay (other than as a visitor) at the same time as the applicant; or
• one parent must be lawfully present (other than as a visitor) in the UK and the other is being granted permission to enter or permission to stay (other than as a visitor) at the same time as the applicant, unless:
  • The main applicant is the applicant’s sole surviving parent; or
  • The main applicant is the parent that has and has had sole responsibility for the applicant’s upbringing; or
  • there are serious or compelling family or other considerations which would make it desirable not to refuse the application and suitable arrangements have been made in the UK for the applicant’s care.

A dependant child application will be refused if these requirements are not met. If you have any concerns about the arrangements for both parents to be lawfully present in the UK please discuss this with SIT. 

All arrangements for children’s care and accommodation in the UK must comply with relevant UK legislation and regulations. 

Children over the age of 16

Dependant children over the age of 16 (but under the age of 18, unless extending their visa) need to provide two of the following documents to evidence they are not living an independent life:

• Bank statements
• Credit card bills
• Driving license
• NHS registration document
• Letter from the child's current school, college or university confirming their address. This must be on official headed paper and bearing the official stamp of the institution.

Children over the age of 18

If your child is over the age of 18 they cannot apply for a dependant visa if they are outside of the UK. They can apply from inside the UK if they are already here as a dependant.

Children born while you are in the UK

If you have a child born in the UK, you can apply for permission for them to stay.

You must do this if you want to travel in and out of the UK with your child. It also means you pay the Immigration Health (NHS) Surcharge so they can continue to have access to the services of the NHS without additional charges beyond the first 3 months following birth.

When you apply you must provide a full UK birth certificate showing the names of both of your child's parents.

Normally applications for dependants are submitted at the same time as the main applicant. It is possible for dependant applications to be submitted separately if your family will join you in the UK at a later date. 

They will not require a Certificate of Sponsorship, but each dependant will need to submit an application separately.

Complete an online application 

An online application can be completed here for each dependant, selecting a Partner or Child dependant visa application.

Once the application has been submitted, the system will generate a checklist of the required supporting documents that will need to be provided. Please refer to the section on Documents dependants will be required to submit for further information.

Biometric appointment

As part of the application process, you are required to apply for a biometric immigration document, commonly known as a biometric residence permit.

This means each applicant will need to attend an appointment to have their fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre

The  biometric residence permit is only printed within the UK, and this will need to be collected from a designated Post Office within 30 days of when it was indicated they were arriving into the UK.

Costs

The visa application fee, Immigration Health (NHS) Surcharge will be paid as part of the online application. Further details can be found on the costs section.