UK partner visa: who qualifies and how dependants apply

If you are in the UK on a Skilled Worker or Student visa, your partner and children may be able to join you or stay with you as dependants. They must make separate applications, prove their relationship to you, and meet a financial maintenance requirement unless an exemption applies. The exact rules and money thresholds differ between the two visa routes, so you need to check which category you fall into before applying.

Who counts as a dependant partner or child

Under the Skilled Worker route, a dependant partner is your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner. A dependant child is your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay, or a child over 18 who currently has permission to be in the UK as your dependant. Your partner and children must complete separate applications, and if their application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents hold visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa ends on the earlier date.

For the Student route, the guidance confirms that you may be able to bring your partner and children as dependants, but the specific eligibility conditions are set out on the linked dependants page rather than the main Student visa overview. You should check that page before assuming your family qualifies.

Proving your relationship

For a partner, you must prove one of the following: that you are in a civil partnership or marriage recognised in the UK; that you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply; or that you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but cannot live together, for example because you are working or studying in different places, or because living together is not accepted in your culture.

If you are not living together, you need to prove ongoing commitment. The Home Office lists examples of evidence: communicating regularly, supporting each other financially, caring for any children you have together, and spending time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events.

For a child, they must live with you unless they are living away from home in full-time education, such as boarding school or university. They must not be married or in a civil partnership. You will need to provide evidence of their address, such as a bank statement, credit card bills, driving licence, NHS registration document, or an official letter from their university or college.

Financial maintenance requirements

Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while in the UK. The amounts for the Skilled Worker route are set out below.

Family member	Amount required
Partner	£285
One child	£315
Each additional child	£200

For example, you would need £600 to bring your partner and one child with you (£285 for your partner and £315 for your child). You would also need to have £1,270 available to support yourself for your own application.

The money must have been available for at least 28 days in a row, and day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for the visa. You will usually need to show proof of this when they apply, unless either: you have all been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months; or your employer can cover your family’s costs during your first month in the UK, confirmed on your certificate of sponsorship.

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you, they will only need to prove they have enough money to support themselves if they have been in the UK for less than 1 year.

For the Student route, the overview states that you must have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course, with the amount varying depending on your circumstances. If you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months, you will need to prove you have enough money to support yourself. The specific dependant maintenance amounts for the Student route are not given on the pages provided, so you must check the Student visa dependants guidance for the current figures.

Special rules for care workers and medium-skilled jobs

There are important exceptions for certain occupations. If you are a care worker or senior care worker, your partner or children inside the UK can apply to stay as your dependant if any of the following are true: you have been continually employed as a care worker or senior care worker in the UK and on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024; they are your child and were born in the UK; they are your child and you are the only living parent responsible for them; or they are your child and their other parent is also sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker.

If your partner or children are outside the UK, they can apply to join you if either you have been continually employed as a care worker or senior care worker in the UK and on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or they are your child and were born in the UK.

If your occupation code is a ‘medium skilled’ job (not care worker or senior care worker), different dates apply. For dependants inside the UK, they can apply to stay if you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and in a ‘medium skilled’ job since before 22 July 2025, or if they are your child and were born in the UK, or if you are the only living parent responsible for them, or if their other parent is also sponsored for a medium-skilled job, or if they are your child or partner and you are extending your visa or switching to this visa as a prison officer (code 3314).

For dependants outside the UK, they can apply to join you if you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and in a medium-skilled job since before 22 July 2025, or if they are your child and were born in the UK.

How to apply and prove identity

Each family member must complete a separate application and pay the visa fee. They must apply before they travel to the UK. They will need your application number, which is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN), found on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application. If you are the first person in your family to apply, you can get a ‘family linking code’ to connect your applications together; your family members can enter the same code when they apply.

As part of the application, your partner and children will need to prove their identity. They will either use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document and create or sign into their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, or have their fingerprints and photo taken at a visa application centre. They will be told what they need to do when they apply. If they need an appointment, they will need to take their passport with them to the visa application centre and may have to travel to reach their nearest centre.

For Student visa extensions, your partner and children must apply separately to extend their visa. They can apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires. The fee to extend a Student visa is £558 per person, plus the healthcare surcharge.

What to do next and what to verify

Before you apply, confirm which route applies to you and whether any of the occupation-specific exemptions cover your situation. Check the current financial maintenance amounts for your specific visa category, as the figures for the Student route are not set out on the pages provided. Verify the latest fee amounts and the healthcare surcharge on the official GOV.UK pages, as these can change. If you are applying for a Student visa extension, confirm your new course meets the academic progress requirement and that you apply within the correct window: at least 3 months before your course starts, before your current visa expires, and within 6 months of getting your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).