Note: If an international student is not engaged in a postgraduate study that is classified as a research program, they will not be permitted to bring dependents to the UK as of January 2024. Programs that involve original work production and have a research component, such as master’s degrees or PhDs, are eligible. Beginning on January 1, 2024, all international students will be subject to this restriction.
If any of the following holds true, you might be able to bring dependents into the UK on a student dependent visa:
- You’re enrolled in a postgraduate course that is full-time and lasts at least nine months.
- You are a full-time, at least six-monthly government-sponsored student. The government of the UK or another country may provide the official financial sponsorship.
If you are a current student in the UK and fulfill all the requirements listed below, your family members may be eligible for this dependent visa even if you don’t match the standards above:
- It’s a longer than six-month course that you’re taking.
- You possess a current Tier 4 or student immigration permit, which expired no more than three months prior to the application for a visa.
- If your family members’ dependent immigration permission expired three months before to the new visa application, they still have it.
- When you apply for a student visa, your family members apply for a dependent visa.
Which Documents Are Required When Applying for a Dependent Student Visa in the UK?
To support their application for a dependent student visa to study in the UK, the applicant must provide supporting documentation. Among them are the following:
- A certificate of tuberculosis (TB), if you are applying from one of the nations included on the UK government website and you want to stay longer than six months.
- If you are not applying concurrently, a letter verifying your host’s enrolment in a UK university.
- When applying within the UK, a current Police Registration Certificate (PRC) may be required.
- A current passport or other travel document attesting to your identity, nationality, and history of travel.
- A current card bearing a biometric residence permit (BRP), if appropriate.
- Evidence of maintenance needs compliance.
- The dependent also has to give specific documentation.
The candidate must demonstrate that they are in a true and ongoing connection with the primary applicant if they are applying for a visa as a dependent partner. As a result, they have to supply the following records:
- Certificate of marriage or civil partnership.
- Proof of their, if they are not married, at least two-year relationship with the sponsor. In this instance, you are able to supply the subsequent records:
- Bank statements, council tax invoices, utility bills.
- Leases or mortgage statements for residential properties.
- Official letters or records establishing your relationship and demonstrating your shared address.
- Evidence of your intended living arrangements (if the applicant is from the UK). Utility bills, council tax bills, and joint or separate bank statements with the same address might all be examples of that.
- If you have been living apart and applying for the dependent visa separately, proof of the continuity of your connection is required. Email correspondence, Skype and phone records, and airline tickets from mutual visits can be seen by the dependent partner or child.
Children who are dependent must also:
- Present proof of their link to the student/Tier 4 in the form of a birth certificate, a household registration document issued by the government, or a special guardianship order.
- Proof showing the child is applying for the student dependent visa for the first time and was born in the United Kingdom. It’ll do with a birth certificate.
- Give proof that they haven’t established an independent family or are living a life of their own. They can offer bank statements, an NHS registration paperwork, and a letter from the student’s learning institution attesting to their address.
The only reason the dependent child could not live with the primary applicant would be if they were attending school somewhere else. In such a situation, they have to present formal documentation from their educational establishment.
How long does it take to process a dependent student visa for the UK?
The application price and the place of application submission determine how long it takes to complete a UK student dependent visa.
If you apply for a dependent visa from outside of the UK, the processing time may take up to 12 weeks. The moment you show up for the biometric appointment and submit the application is when the timer begins to run.
Fortunately, you can use the priority service to expedite the processing of your application by paying an extra charge. The feedback will be sent to you in five working days.
However, if you apply from within the UK, it takes 8 weeks from the date of the appointment. In a similar vein, priority or super-priority services come with an extra cost.
The “super priority” service processes visas in just 24 hours, whereas the “priority” service takes five days.
What Are the UK Requirements for Eligibility for a Student Dependent Visa?
If your family members fit into any of the following categories, they might be qualified to apply for a UK student dependent visa:
- Wife, civil partner, or spouse.
- Unattached spouse.
- Kids under the age of eighteen.
Children who are dependent on you may only apply for a student dependent visa if:
- While one parent is a resident of the UK, the other is applying for entry approval.
- Applying for entry clearance at the same time are both parents.
- The parents are in the UK already.
If any of the following applies and the applicant is under the age of 18, they may also apply for the visa with just one parent:
- The existence of valid justifications for their extraordinary eligibility as dependents of one parent.
- If you are the only one in charge of raising them.
- There is just one parent who is still alive.
If you are extending your student visa, your dependent children who are over 18 may apply for an extension of their dependence permit. They have to, though, do it before their present visa expires.
In order to qualify for a visa, your relationship with your dependent spouse or partner must be sincere and ongoing. Additionally, you have to arrange to live together for the duration of your visitation.
For help with any eligibility-related inquiries, get in touch with our qualified attorneys.
How Can I Apply in the UK for a Student Dependent Visa?
By completing the online application form, providing supporting documentation, and paying the applicable costs on the official website of the UK government, your partner or kid can apply for a student dependent visa in the UK.
They also need to schedule an appointment at the visa application facility in order to submit their biometrics. Photographs and fingerprints are included in the data. The application is submitted for approval once the biometrics have been presented successfully.
The applicant receives notification via letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) once the application is approved. Once they are authorized to enter the nation, they are assigned a biometric residency permit. Within ten days, they have to pick up the permit.
Either from within the UK (permission to remain as a dependent) or outside it (entry clearance as a dependent), your partner or kid may apply for a dependent visa. They ought to do this either during the application process or once you’ve been granted a student visa.
What Are the UK Processing Fees for an Application for a Dependent Student Visa?
The processing expenses for a student dependent visa vary depending on where you are applying from, just like the processing duration. Your choice of processing service will also have an impact.
If you apply from outside the UK, each dependent will cost £363 for a visa. If you visit a “user pay Visa Application Centre (VAC),” you might also have to pay an extra £55.
If you require priority service, or if you want your papers scanned or sent, there can be an additional cost.
The processing charge is as follows if you apply for your visa from within the United Kingdom:
| Application Type | Processing Time | Processing Fees Per Dependent |
| Standard | 8 Weeks | £490 |
| Priority | 5 Working days | £500 |
| Super Priority | Weekdays: By next day Weekend: After 2 days | £800 |
Note that the priority and super priority options may sometimes be unavailable.
How long can you stay on a student dependent visa?
The length of stay permitted by a student visa is the same as that of the primary applicant, who is a student. Typically, an initial dependent visa has a three-year maximum stay.
The dependent visa of a child must therefore coincide with the parents’ shortest visa.
Your partner or kid may be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if they remain in the UK for five years. But it is only possible if you are allowed the same.
Is it possible for a dependent student to have an indefinite leave of absence?
It is possible to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain with a Dependent Visa. Five years of continuous residency in the UK may entitle the primary applicant to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain. As a result, any of their dependents may also qualify.
A dependent is released from immigration laws and regulations if they are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain. You are therefore free to reside and work in the UK.
Additionally, they become independent of the primary applicant, so you are not in control of how long they stay. They are free to stay in the country if that is your desire.
Why Apply for a Dependent Student Visa for the UK?
Both the holder and the primary applicant might profit greatly from the UK student dependent visa.
You should apply for this visa primarily so that you can enjoy living in a new place and keep your family together. Living abroad on one’s own might be very difficult for the primary applicant. Moving to a new nation with your family results in happiness and a well-balanced life.
In addition, your dependents can work as adults if they relocate to the UK, and the kids can attend both public and private schools.
Additionally, after five years in the UK, individuals might be qualified to apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain.
How Much Money Is Needed in the UK to Get a Dependent Visa?
For at least one month during their stay in the UK, the applicant must have a specific sum of money for their maintenance. Therefore, in order for your dependent to be considered for a student dependent visa, you or they must meet the financial criterion.
For classes in London, you will require up to £845 per month, and for courses outside of London, you would need up to £680 per month. Within 31 days of your visa application, this sum must be available in the bank account for at least 28 days. British citizens with Indefinite Leave to Remain and their children are exempt from this financial requirement.
Keep in mind that you cannot apply for any state subsidies or benefits once you arrive in the UK.
Are there any healthcare surcharges associated with the student dependent visa?
The student dependent visa does require you to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge. A crucial prerequisite is the NHS Healthcare Surcharge, which the dependent must pay in addition to the visa application price. The following fees apply:
- £470 annually for a student or Tier (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa; a two-year visa, for instance, would cost £940.
- £470 annually for those applying for visas and immigration who are younger than eighteen at the time of application
- £624 annually for all other applications related to visas and immigration; for instance, £3,120 for a five-year visa
When you pay the application cost, you also pay the NHS Healthcare Surcharge.
What Consequences Come With The Dependent Student Visa for the UK?
The student dependant visa has drawbacks even though it’s the best way to enter the UK for employment and education.
The limitation on who is allowed entry into the nation is one of the main drawbacks. You are not permitted to travel with your loved ones on this visa unless you fall into one of the categories specified under the Immigration Rules and Policy guidelines.
For example, you cannot live in the UK with your parents while they are studying under a student dependant visa if you are older than eighteen.
Furthermore, if you are in the UK on this visa, you are not eligible to use public funding. You must so demonstrate that you have the resources to maintain yourself while you are in the nation.
What Could Make an Application for a Dependent UK Student Visa Rejected?
The main reason a dependent visa application is denied is common error. Therefore, it’s crucial to verify your application form twice before submitting it in order to catch such mistakes.
The following are a few of the typical errors:
- sending in the wrong supporting documentation
- Submitting an application with inaccurate information.
- Sending in photocopies of the paperwork.
- Delivering the file in the wrong format.
- Keeping immigration or criminal offenses hidden from the home office.
- Putting your trust in unqualified legal counsel.
- Under-informing the UK visa and immigration officers and assuming they are aware of your case.
Rejecting an application can be a frustrating experience. Therefore, you have to make sure that you take the proper actions to prevent it.
Fortunately, we are available to help you with the application process. Get in touch with us for assistance with your circumstances.
