Skilled Worker visa: application forms and document checklist

The Skilled Worker visa application is not made on a PDF form. You apply online through GOV.UK, and each family member applying as a dependant must complete a separate online application and pay their own visa fee. The documents you need are those that prove your identity, your relationship to any dependants, and that the required money has been held for 28 consecutive days. The exact checklist depends on whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK, and on whether your job is a care worker role, a ‘medium skilled’ role, or a standard Skilled Worker role.

The application is online, not a PDF

There is no Skilled Worker visa application form in PDF format. The application is completed online through GOV.UK, and the Home Office will give you an application number when you apply. That number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN), and you will find it 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. This is useful when your partner or children are applying at a different time or from a different country.

Who counts as a dependant

Your partner and children may be able to apply to join you or stay in the UK as your dependants. They will need to complete separate applications. A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18, including if they were born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18 if they currently have permission (‘leave to enter’ or ‘leave to remain’) to be in the UK as your dependant

If a dependant’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.

Proving your relationship

You must be able to prove one of the following for your partner:

• you are in a civil partnership or marriage that is recognised in the UK
• you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you are working or studying in different places, or it is not accepted in your culture

If you are not living together, you will need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other. The Home Office looks for evidence that you communicate regularly, support each other financially, care for any children you have together, and spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events.

For your child, you must show that they live with you, unless they are living away from home in full-time education, for example at 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.

Money evidence for dependants

Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while they are in the UK. You, or your partner or child, will need:

Who	Amount required
Partner	£285
One child	£315
Each additional child	£200

For example, you or your partner or child would need to have £600 to bring your partner and one child with you to the UK (£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.

You or your partner or child will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for this 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
• your employer can cover your family’s costs during your first month in the UK, and this is 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.

Special rules for care workers and ‘medium skilled’ jobs

If you are a care worker or senior care worker, your partner or children can apply to stay as your dependant if they are inside the UK and 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 they were born in the UK
• they are your child and you are the only living parent responsible for them
• 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 as your dependant 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 they were born in the UK.

If your occupation code is a ‘medium skilled’ job (not care worker or senior care worker), the rules are different. If your partner or children are inside the UK, they can apply to stay as your dependant if any of the following are true:

• you have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa and in a ‘medium skilled’ job since before 22 July 2025
• they are your child and they were born in the UK
• they are your child and you are the only living parent responsible for them
• they are your child and their other parent is also sponsored for a job listed as ‘medium skilled’
• they are your child or partner and you are extending your visa or switching to this visa as a prison officer (code 3314)

If your partner or children are outside the UK and your job is listed as ‘medium skilled’, they can apply to join you as your dependant if either 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 they are your child and they were born in the UK.

Proving identity and applying

Your partner and children will need to prove their identity as part of their application. 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 (biometric information) 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 they may have to travel to get to their nearest centre. Each family member must apply before they travel to the UK, and they will need your application number (GWF or UAN) when they apply.

What to do next

Start your application online at GOV.UK. If you are bringing dependants, get your application number first so they can reference it, and consider getting a family linking code to connect your applications. Check the specific rules that apply to your occupation code, especially if you are a care worker or in a ‘medium skilled’ role, because the dependant rules differ. Verify the current visa fee and the money amounts on the official Skilled Worker visa page before you submit, as these figures are the ones the Home Office will apply to your application.