Eligible partners and children of Skilled Worker visa holders may be able to join them in the UK or remain with them as dependants.
Skilled Worker dependants are generally permitted to work and study in the UK, although they do not normally have access to public funds. Their permission will usually expire on the same date as the main applicant’s permission. If a child’s parents have different visa expiry dates, the child’s permission will normally end on the earlier date.
Not every Skilled Worker is permitted to bring dependants. Workers newly sponsored in medium-skilled occupations through either the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List cannot generally bring dependent partners or children.
Separate restrictions apply to care workers and senior care workers. Transitional exceptions may protect workers who were sponsored before the relevant restrictions were introduced and have held continuous Skilled Worker permission since then. Limited exceptions can also apply to certain children born in the UK and in other specified family circumstances.
A dependant partner may be:
An unmarried couple does not have to have lived together throughout the two-year period. Where they have not lived together, they must provide evidence of an ongoing, genuine and subsisting relationship and explain why cohabitation has not been possible.
A dependant child may qualify if they are:
The main applicant must hold, or be applying for, Skilled Worker permission in an occupation that permits dependants. In certain circumstances, dependants may also extend or settle after the Skilled Worker has obtained settlement or become a British citizen.
The current maintenance requirements are:
These funds must normally be held for at least 28 consecutive days. The requirement does not normally apply where the dependant has already lived in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months or where the Skilled Worker’s A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance.
Yes. A dependent partner can generally undertake employment, self-employment and voluntary work without requiring sponsorship.
The principal restriction is that they cannot work as a professional sportsperson, including as a sports coach. They must also comply with any professional registration requirements applicable to their occupation.
Yes. Dependant children can study in the UK.
A child’s future eligibility for home-fee status or student finance in higher education is a separate matter. It depends on the applicable education regulations and the child’s immigration and residence history.
Yes, provided you have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before the application.
There is no absolute requirement to have lived together for the entire two-year period. If you have lived apart because of work, study, cultural considerations or another reasonable explanation, you must provide evidence that the relationship is genuine, subsisting and continuing. This may include evidence of regular communication, visits, financial support, shared responsibilities and future plans.
Usually, yes. A partner or child can normally apply after the Skilled Worker has been granted permission and travelled to the UK, provided the worker’s occupation permits dependants.
A dependant’s permission will usually expire on the same date as the Skilled Worker’s permission. Applying later may therefore result in a shorter initial grant.
Certain people cannot switch to dependant status from inside the UK, including visitors, short-term students, seasonal workers, parents of Child Students and domestic workers in private households. Additional switching restrictions apply to some Students.
There is no general English-language requirement for an initial Skilled Worker dependant application or an extension application.
An English-language requirement applies when an adult dependant applies for settlement, unless an exemption applies. For settlement applications made before 26 March 2027, the applicable requirement is normally B1 in speaking and listening. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, this increases to B2.
Adult dependants applying for settlement must also normally pass the Life in the UK Test.
A dependant does not have to obtain settlement at the same time as the Skilled Worker. If the dependant has not yet completed their own qualifying period, they can normally continue extending as a Skilled Worker dependant.
A dependent partner will normally receive three years’ further permission where the Skilled Worker has obtained or is being granted settlement. The partner can then apply for settlement once they have completed the required five-year qualifying period and met the other requirements.
The Rules normally require both parents to be applying, have permission in the UK or be settled or British.
Exceptions may apply where the applying parent is the sole surviving parent, has sole responsibility for the child’s upbringing, or there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the application. The other parent’s consent can be relevant evidence, but consent alone does not necessarily establish sole responsibility or satisfy the Immigration Rules.
