Most Skilled Worker visa holders can bring their partner and children to the UK. The rules are reasonably generous — dependants can work, study, and eventually settle — but there are two things people consistently get wrong.

The first is cost. Each family member pays the same application fee as you and their own health surcharge, so a partner and one child adds around £7,000 to a three-year application.

The second is that two groups of workers now face restrictions that did not exist a few years ago. If you are a care worker, or your role is classed as medium skilled, your family may not be eligible at all.

This guide sets out who qualifies, what it costs, and the points where applications go wrong. The requirements below are taken from GOV.UK.

At Kenton Solicitors, our immigration team advises applicants and sponsors on Skilled Worker matters from our office in Harrow.

Call us on 020 8907 2444 or request a free consultation.

Who Counts as a Dependant

Your dependants are:

• Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• Your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay
• Your child over 18, but only if they already have permission to be in the UK as your dependant

That last point matters. An adult child cannot join you for the first time as a dependant. If they came to the UK with you as a child and have turned 18 since, they can continue — but an adult son or daughter abroad cannot be added later.

Parents, siblings and other relatives are not dependants on this route.

Each family member makes their own separate application. Nobody is simply added to yours.

Proving the Relationship

Your Partner

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• You are in a marriage or civil partnership 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 but cannot live together — for example because you work or study in different places, or because it is not accepted in your culture

If you are not living together, you will need to show an ongoing commitment to each other. That means evidence of regular communication, financial support between you, caring for any children you have together, and time spent together as a couple.

This is the part applicants most often under-evidence. Two years of a genuine relationship is easy to assert and harder to document after the fact. Start gathering material early.

Your Child

Your child must live with you, unless they are living away from home in full-time education such as boarding school or university. They must not be married or in a civil partnership.

You will need evidence of their address — a bank statement, credit card bill, driving licence, NHS registration document, or an official letter from their university or college.

Restrictions That Catch Families Out

These two restrictions are recent, and they are the reason many families are refused.

If You Are a Care Worker or Senior Care Worker

Dependants of care workers were restricted from 11 March 2024.

If your family is inside the UK, they can apply to stay as your dependant only if one of these applies:

• You have been continually employed as a care worker or senior care worker in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024
• They are your child and 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 family is outside the UK, the list is shorter — either you have been continually employed in care since before 11 March 2024, or the child was born in the UK.

If Your Occupation Code Is “Medium Skilled”

The skill level for this route rose to graduate level on 22 July 2025. Roles below that are now classed as medium skilled, and a similar restriction applies.

If your family is inside the UK, they can apply to stay if any of these apply:

• You have been continually employed in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa in a medium skilled job since before 22 July 2025
• They are your child and 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 medium skilled job
• You are extending or switching as a prison officer under code 3314

If your family is outside the UK, again the list narrows to continuous employment since before 22 July 2025, or a child born in the UK.

The word “continually” does real work in both cases. A gap in your permission can break the chain. If you are in either group, check your position before anyone spends money on an application. Our guide to the 2026 salary and skill rules explains how the medium skilled classification works.

What It Costs

Each dependant pays the same application fee as the main applicant, for the same length of visa — even if they apply later.

• From outside the UK — £819 for up to 3 years, or £1,618 for more than 3 years
• From inside the UK — £943 for up to 3 years, or £1,865 for more than 3 years
• Immigration salary list roles — £628 or £1,235, the same either way

On top of that, each dependant pays their own Immigration Health Surcharge: £1,035 per year for an adult and £776 per year for a child under 18, paid upfront for the whole visa period.

Worked Examples

Partner and one child, 3-year visa, applying from outside the UK:
Partner — £819 plus £3,105 surcharge = £3,924.
Child — £819 plus £2,328 surcharge = £3,147.
Family total: £7,071, on top of your own costs.

Partner and one child, 5-year visa, applying from outside the UK:
Partner — £1,618 plus £5,175 = £6,793.
Child — £1,618 plus £3,880 = £5,498.
Family total: £12,291.

Our full breakdown of Skilled Worker visa costs sets out the figures for the main applicant and what the employer pays separately.

Money Your Family Needs to Show

Separate from your own £1,270, your family must show they can support themselves:

• £285 for your partner
• £315 for your first child
• £200 for each additional child

So a partner and one child means £600 on top of your £1,270 — £1,870 in total.

The money can be held by you, your partner, or the child. It must have been available for 28 days in a row, and day 28 must fall within 31 days of applying.

You are exempt if you have all been in the UK on valid visas for at least 12 months, or if your employer confirms on your Certificate of Sponsorship that they will cover your family’s costs during the first month.

If a family member applies at a different time from you, they only need to prove funds if they have been in the UK for less than a year.

Applying From Outside the UK

Each family member applies online before they travel. They will need your application number — the Global Web Form (GWF) or Unique Application Number (UAN) — which appears on Home Office emails about your application.

If you are the first in the family to apply, you can get a family linking code. Family members enter the same code and the applications are connected, which keeps things moving together.

Decisions are usually made within 3 weeks. A faster decision may be available and they will be told when they apply.

Applying From Inside the UK

Two points here are important enough to state plainly.

Your family’s visas do not extend when yours does. If you extend or switch, their current permission remains valid only until its original end date. They must apply themselves, either at the same time as you or at any point before their visa expires. This includes children who have turned 18 during your stay. Our guide to extending a Skilled Worker visa covers the timing.

They must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. If they do, the application is withdrawn. In-country decisions usually take 8 weeks, so plan any travel before applying.

Visas They Cannot Switch From

Your family cannot switch to dependant status if they are currently in the UK on a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa, or a domestic worker in a private household visa. Nor can they switch if they are on immigration bail or were given permission to stay outside the immigration rules.

If they are on a Student visa, they can only switch if they have completed the course they were sponsored to study, or studied for a PhD for at least 24 months.

This catches families out regularly. A partner who comes over on a visit visa intending to switch once they arrive cannot do so — they will need to leave and apply from abroad.

Children Born in the UK

A child born in the UK while you are here does not automatically become a British citizen. This surprises many parents.

They can remain with you without a visa, but if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them, you must apply for their dependant visa. You will need a full UK birth certificate showing the names of both parents.

You must apply before they turn 18 if they want to stay in the UK. After that the dependant route is no longer available to them.

What Your Family Can and Cannot Do

Dependants have broad rights. They can:

• Work — in almost any job, with no sponsor needed. The only exclusion is work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.
• Study at any level
• Travel abroad and return
• Apply to settle after five years of continuous residence

They cannot claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.

The right to work without sponsorship is worth emphasising. A dependant partner is not tied to an employer and does not need a Certificate of Sponsorship — a significantly freer position than the main applicant.

Visa Dates

Your family’s visas will usually end on the same date as yours. Where a child’s parents hold visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa ends on the earlier of the two.

Keep that in mind in households where both parents are sponsored separately — it is easy to assume a child is covered to the later date.

Where Applications Go Wrong

• Assuming family visas extend automatically. They do not. Separate applications are needed every time.
• Under-evidencing an unmarried relationship. Two years of cohabitation needs documenting across the whole period, not just recently.
• Bringing a partner on a visit visa to switch later. Not permitted.
• Travelling after applying in-country. The application is withdrawn.
• Missing the care worker or medium skilled restrictions. Check eligibility before paying any fees.
• Leaving a UK-born child’s visa until they are nearly 18. Apply well before.

Where an application has been refused, time limits are short. Our immigration appeals team can advise on the options. If your family is approaching five years in the UK, our guide on when to apply for ILR sets out the next stage, and our ILR and settlement team can advise on qualifying dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

The requirements and figures in this article were checked against GOV.UK in October 2026. Immigration rules and fees change regularly, so please confirm the current position on GOV.UK before applying. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact us directly.