Bringing your family to the UK as dependants
Which students can bring dependants to the UK?
Family members can join, or travel with, you as your dependant in the UK if:
- You are government-sponsored and your course is over six months long OR
- You are doing a postgraduate level course that is 9 months or longer at a Higher Education Institution AND
- The University of South Wales confirms to UKVI that you are studying a PhD or a research based higher degree (RQF level 7 or higher)
Undergraduate students who are not government-sponsored or studying a programme of up to 6 months cannot bring dependants.
Postgraduate students who are on standard MSc and MA courses will no longer be able to bring dependants unless they are government sponsored. UKVI define a research based higher degree as "a postgraduate programme comprising a research component (including a requirement to produce original work) that is larger than any accompanying taught component when measured by student effort."
OR for students who are currently studying in the UK on Student Route
You must meet all of the following;
- your current or most recent immigration permission is as a Student
- this leave was granted to study a full-time course of at least six months
- your leave is current, or expired no more than three months before the immigration application the student needs to make now
- the new immigration application is for a full-time course that is at least six months.
- the dependant:
- already has Student dependant immigration permission; if the dependant's leave has expired, the most recent leave must be Student dependant and it must have expired no more than three months before this application; or
- is a child born since the last grant of permission to the Student (this provision was added on 5 October 2020)
- the student and dependant(s) apply for immigration permission at the same time as each other
We are awaiting an update from UKVI about children born in the UK after 1st January 2024 and will update our advice pages once this is clarified.
A student’s dependants (known as family members) can be:
- Your Spouse
- Your Civil Partner
- Unmarried or same sex partner (you need to have been living together in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for a period of at least two years. You will need to provide evidence of this.)
- Your Child (under the age of 18 when they first applied)
Please note that a child will not be granted a dependant visa unless both parents are going to be living in the UK for the full duration of the visa. Applications for children to stay in the UK with one parent will fall for refusal (unless they are part of a single parent family and the UKVI will expect significant evidence around this). The exception to this is where one parent is applying for leave and the other is already in the UK with their own immigration.
The dependants of international students are normally given permission to remain in the UK for the same period as the student.
Unless they are applying from North Korea, your family members must apply online. A new application form must be completed for each dependant. The visa fee (this fee is per dependant the same as the same cost as charged for a Student Visa application and is currently £348) and Immigration Health Surcharge (also charged per person at the same rates as Student Visas, please see link for details) will also need to be paid at point of online application. This payment can be via Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card.
They will also need to meet independent maintenance requirements, this is currently at a cost of £680 per each month of immigration permission. This money must be in your bank account or their bank account. If you are receiving a government scholarship which covers your dependants, their names and the additional amount you are receiving to cover them must be mentioned on your scholarship letter.
Please note that the only document that you will need from the University is a Student Status Letter and this can be requested via your Advice Zone or, if you are a research/PHD student, by emailing the Graduate Research Office.
They will need to have their fingerprints and photographs (known as ‘biometric information’) taken and their original documents checked at a visa application centre as part of their application. This will be at the same time as you if you are all applying together.
If they are applying from North Korea, they must apply using the paper application form VAF2- Application form for UK visa to work, study and for dependants and right of abode. This form can be downloaded from the Home Office website. Applicants from these countries should also refer to the 'Guidance Notes: Visa Application form VAF 2’ that are available on the same web page when completing the form.
The length of time in which applications are processed varies and you can check current visa processing times on the Gov.UK website.
If your dependant is already in the UK and wishes to extend or switch into the dependant category, contact us for support. They will help you to check whether the application is possible and offer you further guidance around what you need to do. Please note that the only document that you will need from the University is a Student Status Letter and this can be requested via your Advice Zone or, if you are a research/PHD student, by emailing the Graduate Research Office.
The UK visa application fee is also the same as a Student Visa application and is currently £494.20 per dependant.
Your dependant will also need to meet maintenance requirements, this is currently £680 for each month of immigration permission, up to a maximum of 9 months. This money must be in your bank account/their bank account. If you are receiving a government scholarship which covers your dependants, their names and the additional amount you are receiving to cover them must be mentioned on your scholarship letter.
Your adviser will confirm the documents you need to provide as part of your immigration application and can provide examples of documents to assist you in gathering those required.
Your dependant may take up employment as long as your visa is for 9 months or more. They can usually work for unrestricted hours but check their visa, once it is with you, to verify that there are no restrictions.
Your dependant can undertake study whilst in the UK. It is important to note that if they undertake a postgraduate course in some science or engineering fields, they may be required to get permission under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme before they can enrol.
Dependants have no access to public funds, which means that they cannot claim social benefits from the state, such as unemployment benefit or housing benefit.
Your dependants may also be required to register with UK Police. Please check the University information about Police Registration to see whether this is necessary and the process around it.