Dependants

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have confirmed in the Student route: caseworker guidance that in order to be eligible to bring dependants through holding a government scholarship or sponsorship, the award must be a government funded scholarship or sponsorship from a national government department. The guidance also confirms that the government must either be the UK Government or your own national government.

The scholarship or sponsorship is not required to cover your full fees and living costs of the student in order to permit you to bring dependants. It is also not required to cover the living costs for any dependants. However, if this is the case, you and your dependants will be required to prepare separate financial evidence to show that you and your dependants meet the financial requirement.

If your course is included on our list of types of taught postgraduate courses, then you will only be eligible to bring dependants if you started your course before 1 January 2024 or if you are receiving a government sponsorship or scholarship.

If your course is included on our list of types of research degree, then you will be eligible to bring dependants. This should be confirmed on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

Please note that University of Leeds considers MRes to be a taught programme and therefore this course is not eligible for dependants.

Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner must meet the following requirements to apply for a dependant partner visa:

• They must be applying as the partner of a person who has either:
  • a Student visa, or
  • a pending application for a Student visa or for permission to stay in the UK as a Student.
• If your partner has in the 12 months before they submit their application completed a course of studies in the UK for which they were financially sponsored by a Government or international scholarship agency, they will need written permission from that Government or agency to apply.
• You and your partner must both be aged 18 or over.
• You and your partner must not be closely related.
• Any previous relationships that you or your partner have had with another person must have permanently broken down.
• Your relationship must be genuine and subsisting.

The full immigration rules for dependant partner applications are set out in Appendix Student and Appendix Relationship with a Partner. Detailed guidance explaining the requirements, including information about what documents your partner can provide to show your relationship is genuine and subsisting, can be found in the Student route: caseworker guidance and the Relationship with a partner: caseworker guidance.

Your child must meet the following requirements to apply for a dependant child visa:

• They must be applying as the child of a parent who has either:
  • a Student visa, or
  • a pending application for a Student visa or for permission to stay in the UK as a Student.
• If your child has in the 12 months before they submit their application completed a course of studies in the UK for which they were financially sponsored by a Government or international scholarship agency, they will need written permission from that Government or agency to apply.
• They must be under the age of 18 on the date that they submit their application, unless they have already been granted a dependant child visa and they are applying to extend this visa.
• They must not be leading an independent life. This means that your child does not have a partner and they are living with their parent(s) (except where they are living elsewhere as part of their full-time education).
• There must be suitable arrangements for your child’s care and accommodation in the UK.
• Your child’s other parent must also be applying for a visa to come to the UK, or already have a visa to come to the UK (not including as a Visitor), unless:
  • You are the sole surviving parent, or
  • You have sole responsibility for your child/children, or
  • There are ‘serious and compelling reasons’ why your child should be granted a visa to live with you instead of staying with their other parent.

The full immigration rules for dependant partner applications are set out in Appendix Student and Appendix Children. Detailed guidance explaining the requirements, including an explanation of the sole responsibility requirement and serious and compelling reasons, can be found in the Student route: caseworker guidance and the Appendix Children: caseworker guidance.

Your dependant must complete an online visa application form.

They can either apply at the same time as you or after your visa has been granted. If your dependant is applying at the same time as you, they will need to provide your application reference number in their application form.

To submit their application, they will need to pay a visa application fee (£524) and Immigration Health Surcharge (£776 per year). After submitting the online form, they will be required to book and attend a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre in their home country.

If your dependant is already living in the UK with a dependant visa, they can apply to extend their permission to stay inside the UK. This includes children who have turned 18 during their previous permission.

Your partner or child can apply to extend or switch to a dependant visa either at the same time that you are applying to extend or switch to a Student visa, or at any time before their current visa expires. They must submit their application before their current visa expires.

Your family member cannot apply to switch to a dependant visa in the UK if they have one of the following visas:

• a visit visa (or if they entered with an Electronic Travel Authorisation)
• a short-term student visa
• a Parent of a Child Student visa
• a seasonal worker visa
• a domestic worker in a private household visa

Each dependant applying inside the UK must complete the appropriate application form online:

• Apply online as a dependant partner inside the UK.
• Apply online as a dependant child inside the UK.

If your dependants have an expired BRP they may be able to submit their application digitally using the UK Immigration ID Check App. If they cannot use the app, they will be required to book and attend a biometrics appointment at a UKVCAS service point after paying the visa application fee (£524) and Immigration Health Surcharge (£776 per year).

Your dependants must remain in the UK while their application is pending. Their application will be cancelled if they leave the UK before receiving the decision.

Being born in the UK doesn’t automatically make a baby a British citizen. The baby needs to have a parent with British citizenship or settled status in the UK to be British.

If your child is born in the UK but is not a British citizen, they can stay in the UK without applying for a visa. However, if the baby leaves the UK they will need to apply for a visa before they can re-enter.

You should also be aware that you will be liable to pay for non-emergency medical treatment received by your child after they reach three months of age unless they apply for a visa and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. To ensure they can access medical treatment you should consider applying for a dependant child visa for your baby before they are three months old.

Find information about visa applications for babies born in the UK.

There is further information about applying for a dependant visa for a baby born in the UK on the UKCISA website.

• Current passport
• Financial evidence (see below for more details)
• Check whether your dependant needs a tuberculosis (TB) test medical certificate
• Certified translations for any documents that are not in English or Welsh – each translation must include a written declaration from the translator confirming that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’, the date of the translation, and their full name and contact details

Additional documents required for a partner:

• Proof of relationship (e.g. marriage or civil partnership certificate)
• If you are unmarried and not in a civil partnership, then you will need to provide evidence that you have been in a relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years.
• You may be asked to provide documents showing that you have been living together for the last two years, for example: tenancy agreements or letter from landlord, evidence of property ownership, utility bills, bank statements, other official documents showing you both have lived at the same address
• If you haven’t been living together for the last two years, you may be asked to provide evidence explaining why you were living apart. For example: work contracts or evidence that you were studying in different locations. You may also be asked to provide evidence that shows you and your partner continued the relationship while living apart, such as holiday bookings and passports showing you have visited each other or travelled together.
• Find more information about what documents you can use to prove your relationship in the Relationship with a partner: caseworker guidance.

Additional documents required for a child:

• Proof of family relationship (e.g. birth certificate, adoption certificate, family register)
• Letter of consent signed by both parents (except where only one parent has sole responsibility for the child). The letter must confirm:
  • the relationship between the child and the parent(s)
  • consent from the parent(s) to the visa application
  • consent from the parent(s) to the child’s living arrangements in the UK, where the child will be staying in the UK, and who they will be living with
  • whether one or both parent(s) have responsibility for the child
• If only one of the child’s parents is coming to or living in the UK, you must provide evidence of sole responsibility or serious and compelling circumstances. A cover letter explaining the circumstances will also be helpful.

Additional documents to submit if your dependant is applying to join you after you have already arrived in the UK with a Student visa:

• Your University registration status certificate
• A letter inviting your family to live with you as your dependant(s)
• A copy of your tenancy agreement or accommodation contract

• Current passport and visa
• Financial evidence (if applicable – see below for more details)
• Certified translations for any documents that are not in English or Welsh – each translation must include a written declaration from the translator confirming that it’s a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’, the date of the translation, and their full name and contact details

Additional documents required for a partner:

• Proof of relationship (e.g. marriage or civil partnership certificate)
• If you are unmarried and not in a civil partnership, then you will need to provide evidence that you have been in a relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years.
• If your partner is extending their visa, they may be asked to provide evidence that your relationship is subsisting. For example:
  • Evidence you have been living together at the same address (e.g. bank statements in joint names, tenancy agreement, council tax statements, utility bills, GP/medical letters, payslips)
  • Evidence of shared finances (e.g. joint bank statements, money transfers)
  • If you have been living apart, evidence to explain why (e.g. study or work letter)
  • Evidence of trips taken together (flight/train/bus tickets, holiday bookings, photographs)
• Find more information about what documents you can use to prove your relationship in pages 24 to 27 of the Relationship with a partner: caseworker guidance.

Additional documents required for a child:

• Proof of family relationship (e.g. birth certificate, adoption certificate, family register)
• Letter of consent signed by both parents (except where only one parent has sole responsibility for the child). The letter must confirm:
  • the relationship between the child and the parent(s)
  • consent from the parent(s) to the visa application
  • consent from the parent(s) to the child’s living arrangements in the UK, where the child will be staying in the UK, and who they will be living with
  • whether one or both parent(s) have responsibility for the child
• Evidence that they are living with you at the same address, unless they are living away from home in full-time education.  For example:
  • Bank statements
  • Bills
  • NHS registration document
  • An official letter from your child’s school, university or college confirming their enrolment and attendance
• Your child may also be asked to provide evidence showing that they are financially supported by their parents (e.g. copies of bank statements showing parental financial support for the past three months)
• If only one of the child’s parents is coming to or living in the UK, you must provide evidence of sole responsibility or serious and compelling circumstances. A cover letter explaining the circumstances will also be helpful.

Your dependants will each need a minimum of £680 per month for the duration of their visa up to a maximum of nine months.

If your dependant is applying for their visa at the same that you are applying for your Student visa, you will need to prove that you have enough money to pay for your course, your own living costs, and your dependant’s living costs.

If your dependant is applying at a different time to you, they only need to prove they have access to enough money to support themselves.

Your dependant partner can use money from your account or their own account to meet the requirements. Your dependant children can use money from their account or a parent’s account.

If you use a bank statement as evidence, the required funds need to be held for 28 consecutive days, with the bank statement being no more than 31 days old on the date of application.

If you have a student loan or financial scholarship or sponsorship, your dependants will need to provide a copy of your loan or scholarship letter that confirms your partner and/or child are covered. If the scholarship does not fully cover their living costs, they will need to provide separate financial evidence that shows they have enough money to meet the financial requirement.

Your dependants will automatically meet the financial requirement and will not need to provide any evidence of funds, if they are applying for permission to stay inside the UK and they have been living in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months.

Find more information about which documents you and your dependants can use to meet the financial requirement.