The Skilled Worker Dependant visa allows family members of Skilled Worker visa holders to live, work, and study in the UK. Eligible dependants include spouses, partners and children under 18. Children aged 16 or over must show they are financially dependent, unmarried and not living independently unless in full-time education.
Dependants are required to meet financial requirements unless the main applicant’s sponsor certifies maintenance. For example, dependants must demonstrate funds of £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child, and £200 for each additional child. If applying at the same time as the Skilled Worker, these funds are in addition to the principal applicant’s financial requirement.
A key risk is ensuring dependants can prove their relationship to the Skilled Worker and comply with UK visa conditions, such as avoiding reliance on public funds. Dependants are entitled to work, but they cannot take jobs as professional sportspersons or coaches.
Families must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for access to NHS services, which increases the overall cost of relocating.
In this guide, we explain who is eligible to apply as a Skilled Worker Dependant, and detail the requirements to be met and the process to make the application to the UK Home Office.
What is the Skilled Worker Dependant visa?
The Skilled Worker Dependant visa is a UK visa providing permission for the immediate relatives of the principal applicant or primary visa-holder on the Skilled Worker route. This includes the partner or dependent child of someone applying for a Skilled Worker visa or already living in the UK with leave to remain under this immigration route.
Skilled Worker Visa Dependants: Changes in 2024
In 2024, the UK government implemented significant changes affecting the Skilled Worker Dependant Visa, particularly impacting care workers and their families.
Restrictions for Care Workers’ Dependants
Effective from 11 March 2024, new regulations stipulate that care workers and senior care workers entering the UK under the Skilled Worker visa are no longer permitted to bring dependants, such as partners and children, unless specific conditions are met. These conditions include:
- The care worker was employed in the UK and held a Skilled Worker visa before 11 March 2024.
- The individual is either extending their current Skilled Worker visa with the same employer or changing to a new job within the same occupation code while on a Skilled Worker visa.
Increased Salary Thresholds
From 4 April 2024, the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas increased from £26,200 to £38,700. This change does not apply to Health and Care Worker visas or occupations with national pay scales, such as education roles. While this adjustment primarily affects principal applicants, it indirectly influences dependants by altering eligibility criteria for potential sponsors.
Skilled Worker Dependant visa eligibility requirements
There are various eligibility criteria that must be met to be able to qualify for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa, including having the proximity of relationship with the principal applicant or primary visa-holder. This means that you must be either:
- the spouse or civil partner of the Skilled Worker
- their unmarried partner, provided you have lived in a relationship akin to a marriage for at least 2 years at the date of application, or
- a dependent child under the age of 18 of the Skilled Worker.
If you are aged 16 or over and applying as the dependent child of a Skilled Worker, you must usually live with the principal applicant (the primary visa holder) unless you are in full-time education at a boarding school, college, or university. You must also be financially supported by the principal applicant, not be married or in a civil partnership, and must not have any children of your own.
In addition to meeting the necessary relationship requirements for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa, you must also satisfy the financial requirement unless:
- You have lived lawfully in the UK for 12 months or more; or
- Your parent or partner’s UK sponsor has certified maintenance for the family.
If you are applying from overseas, or have not lived in the UK for 12 months, the financial requirement is as follows:
- £285 for the partner.
- £315 for the first dependant child.
- £200 for each additional dependant child.
For example, if the principal applicant is applying for a Skilled Worker visa alongside their partner and three dependent children, the family would need to show a total of £2,270 (£1,270 for the principal applicant + £285 for the partner + £315 for the first child + £200 for the second child + £200 for the third child).
How to apply for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa
To apply as a dependant of a Skilled Worker you must complete an online application on the Home Office website and pay the relevant fee. You can apply from outside the UK to follow or accompany to join your partner or parent on the Skilled Worker route. You may also be able to switch to the Skilled Worker route from inside the UK on a different type of visa.
When you apply for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa you will need your partner or parent’s unique application number (UAN). They will be given an UAN when they apply. This can be found on emails and letters from the Home Office about their application.
As part of your application, you and any children will need to prove your identities in one of two ways. This could be by attending an overseas visa application centre (VAC) if outside the UK or, alternatively, a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centre if applying from within the UK, together with a valid passport or other travel identity document. However, you may instead be able to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your document. If you are required to attend an appointment, you will also need to have a scan of your fingerprints and your photograph taken to enable you to obtain a biometric residence permit. You will be instructed what to do when you apply.
If applying to switch from a different visa from inside the UK, and you are applying at the same time as your partner or parent, the application form will explain whether you any dependent children can be included in the application for the principal applicant or, alternatively, whether you will need to apply separately. If applying from overseas, each of you will be required to make separate applications on the Skilled Worker route.
Skilled Worker Dependant visa supporting documents
When applying for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa, you will need a valid passport or other travel document to prove your nationality and identity. You will also need additional documentary evidence to prove each of the relevant requirements, including:
Evidence of your relationship with your partner or parent
You must be able to prove, for example, that either you are in a civil partnership or marriage that is recognised in the UK or you have been living together in a relationship for a minimum of 2 years when you apply. In either case, you must also be able to show that you are in a genuine and subsisting relationship. When applying as a dependent child, there will need to be evidence that you live with the Skilled Worker and are financially dependent on them;
Evidence of meeting the financial requirement
This will require proof of funds, where you will need to show that you have had the required amount of money available for at least 28 consecutive days, where day 28 must be within 31 days of making your application.
Can you travel while your application is pending?
If you are required to attend an overseas VAC to prove your identity, they may need to keep your passport and supporting documents while they process your application. This means that you will not be able to travel while you wait for a decision. Equally, if you make an application from inside the UK to switch to the Skilled worker route from a different visa, you must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision, otherwise risk your application being withdrawn.
How much does a Skilled Worker Dependant visa cost?
The cost of a Skilled Worker Dependant visa will depend on how long you are looking to live in the UK and whether you are making an overseas or in-country application. For example, as the dependent partner of a Skilled Worker with leave in the UK for less than 3 years, the fee will be £719 when applying from overseas, increasing to £1,420 for leave for more than 3 years. In contrast, if you are applying to switch to this visa from inside the UK, the fee will be £827 for a visa of up to 3 years and £1,636 for a visa for more than 3 years.
If your partner or parent’s job appears on the Immigration Salary List, you will benefit from a lower application fee. The fee for each person applying in these circumstances will be just £551 if you will be staying in the UK for up to 3 years and £1,084if you will be staying for more than 3 years. The fee is also the same, regardless of whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK.
However, there will also be an immigration healthcare surcharge for all applicants, currently set at £1,035 per year of stay for most applicants, to enable you to access to the UK’s National Health Service during your stay. This means that if you are granted a visa with a validity period of 3 years, you will be required to pay an extra £3,105. However, the surcharge is reduced to £776 for applicants under 18, where a 3-year visa would equate to an additional cost of £2,328.
How long does a Skilled Worker Dependant visa take to process?
If you apply as a dependant of a Skilled Worker from overseas, as with most other applications for limited leave to enter, once you have proved your identity and provided your documentation in support, a decision should usually be made within 3 weeks. If you make an application from inside the UK, the processing time is typically up to 8 weeks.
However, you may be able to apply to get a faster decision using one the priority services. You will be told if you can pay for a faster decision when you apply, although this does not necessarily guarantee a quicker decision if your application is not straightforward.
When should you apply for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa?
It is possible to apply for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa at the same time as your partner or parent, or once they are already living in the UK. However, even if you apply at the same time, you and any dependant children applying with you will each need to complete a separate application when applying from overseas. You will also all need to pay a fee.
Importantly, if you are already in the UK on a valid visa and your partner or parent switches to the Skilled Worker route, your visa will not automatically switch with them. This means that if you do not apply to change routes, you will no longer have permission to be in the UK once your existing visa expires. This will be valid until its original end date, where you must apply for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa prior to its expiry.
What does a Skilled Worker Dependant visa allow you to do?
If you are granted a Skilled Worker Dependant visa, there will be certain conditions of stay attached. However, as either the partner or dependent child of a Skilled Worker — even though your partner or parent must continue to work in their sponsored job role —you will be permitted to do any type of work in the UK, except as a sportsperson or coach. This means that you can also undertake self-employment or voluntary work.
If you choose not to work, you will be able to study instead, although you will not be able to apply for most benefits. You will, however, be able to travel abroad and return to the UK, provided you do not spend more than 180 days overseas in any 12-month period, as this could affect any application for indefinite leave to remain under this route.
Having been granted a visa, you will get a full list of what you can and cannot do.
Can you extend a Skilled Worker Dependant visa?
If your application for a Skilled Worker Dependant visa is successful, your visa will end on the same date as that of the principal applicant or primary visa-holder. This is because your grant of leave is conditional upon their permission to be in the UK. However, when your visa expires, provided your partner or parent is applying to extend their stay, you can also apply for an extension of your visa. This includes children who have turned 18 in the UK.
Your partner or parent can apply to extend their Skilled Worker visa as many times as they like, provided they continue to meet the relevant requirements under this route. However, you must also apply to extend, as your visa will not automatically extend in line with theirs.
Can Skilled Worker Dependants apply to settle in the UK?
If you and your partner or parent are granted a further period of leave, once you have accrued a continuous period of residence in the UK of 5 years, you may be eligible to apply to settle in the UK on a permanent basis. Also commonly referred to as indefinite leave to remain, this will allow you and your family to live in the UK for as long as you want. After a further period of one year, you may also be able to apply for British citizenship.
Need assistance?
DavidsonMorris are specialists in UK business immigration, with substantial experience and recognised expertise in advising employers and workers on UK employment sponsorship, sponsor licence applications and management, and Skilled Worker and Skilled Worker Dependant visa applications. For expert immigration advice, contact us.
Skilled worker dependant visa FAQs
What is a Skilled Worker Dependant Visa?
A Skilled Worker Dependant Visa allows family members of a Skilled Worker visa holder to join them in the UK. Eligible dependants include partners, spouses, and children under 18.
Who can apply as a dependant?
Eligible dependants include a spouse or partner, children under 18, and children over 16 if they are financially dependent, unmarried, and living with the primary visa holder unless in full-time education.
How long does the dependant visa last?
The duration of the visa matches the Skilled Worker visa holder’s permission to stay in the UK. If the primary visa holder’s status changes, the dependant visa may also be affected.
Can dependants work in the UK?
Skilled Worker dependants can work in most roles, but they are not permitted to work as professional sportspersons or coaches.
What are the financial requirements?
Applicants must show they have sufficient funds to support themselves unless the Skilled Worker’s sponsor certifies maintenance. This includes £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child, and £200 for each additional child.
Do dependants need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?
Dependants must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), currently set at £1,035 per year for adults and £776 per year for children.
Can dependants study in the UK?
Skilled Worker dependants can study in the UK, including accessing public education for children.
What happens if the Skilled Worker visa holder loses their status?
If the main Skilled Worker visa holder’s status is revoked or expires, dependant visas may also be affected, and the family may need to leave the UK.
Can dependants apply for settlement in the UK?
Dependants can apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) if they meet the qualifying criteria, including continuous residence and the Skilled Worker visa holder obtaining settlement.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
