Family routes

UK dependant visas: start with the main applicant’s route

If you are British and returning from South Africa with your spouse, start with family partner guidance. A work or study dependant visa is a different application linked to the main applicant’s temporary permission.

Start a family assessment →Ask a question first

Compare the three starting points ↓

Three different starting points

Who is your family joining?

Start with the person’s exact UK status. A British or settled family sponsor and a temporary work or study main applicant lead to different route questions.

Identify the UK status first

British or settled family sponsor
Family partner route question
For a spouse or partner joining a British or settled person, start with family partner guidance. Check the relationship, relevant financial test and other requirements.
First facts: sponsor status and relationship.
Read the spouse and partner guide
Work-visa main applicant
Route-specific dependant question
Find the exact work route. For Skilled Worker, occupation and permission history can restrict whether partners or children may join. The job title alone is not enough.
First facts: visa, occupation code and dates.
Check Skilled Worker restrictions
Student main applicant
Course-specific dependant question
Find the course category, duration, start date and any government sponsorship. For relevant postgraduate study from January 2024, the doctorate or research-based higher-degree distinction matters.
First facts: course details and sponsorship.
Check Student dependant categories

These are starting questions, not approvals. Other statuses and routes may need different guidance. Check the partner and each child separately after identifying the main route.

Fictional household · an enquiry example

A job offer is the start of the family discussion.

Neo has a proposed Skilled Worker job offer. His spouse Lindi and their twelve-year-old child Ayo hope to move from South Africa with him. The occupation code and permission history have not yet been checked.

This invented household illustrates the questions to prepare. No application or outcome is assumed.

Neo’s route
Confirm the sponsorship records, occupation code, relevant dates and any existing UK permission.
Lindi and Ayo’s circumstances
Prepare relationship records, Ayo’s birth record, both parents’ status and care arrangements. Each person needs an individual check.
The shared plan
Check which applications are available before fixing travel dates. Keep evidence funds separate from fees and relocation spending.

What changes if the starting fact changes?

Neo receives a course offer instead of a job offer

Use the Student dependant categories. A university offer alone does not answer the family question: check course type, duration, start date and sponsorship.

Read the Student route conditions

Neo is a British citizen returning to the UK

Lindi’s enquiry starts with the family partner route instead of a work dependant route. Ayo’s citizenship and any child-route needs should be checked separately.

Read the family partner requirements

Official route links checked on 14 October 2026. Read the detailed guidance below, then assess the household against the rules relevant to its facts and application date.

Which guide fits our household?

For a British or settled sponsor, read the spouse and partner family guide. For a sponsor with a work or study visa, identify the exact visa first. A relative offering accommodation or funding does not create dependant eligibility.

“Dependant” is an immigration category, not a general description of someone you support. Adult parents and other relatives needing care have separate questions; they are not included simply because they rely on the main applicant financially.

Can every worker bring a partner or children?

No. Skilled Worker dependant eligibility can be restricted by occupation and application history. Care worker, senior care worker and some medium-skilled roles have specific restrictions and exceptions. Check the occupation code, permission dates and existing family permissions against Skilled Worker dependants before planning the move.

Use the main applicant’s decision or sponsorship records to identify the route and occupation. The partner and each child also need their own evidence; approval of the worker is not approval of the household.

Can every student bring dependants?

No. Student dependant eligibility is limited to specified categories. For relevant postgraduate courses starting from 1 January 2024, the doctorate or research-based higher-degree distinction matters. Government-sponsored study has separate conditions. Check Student dependants rather than assuming any master’s course allows a family move.

Do the spouse income rules apply here?

Do not use the £29,000 family-partner threshold to assess a work or study dependant application. Those routes use their own maintenance rules, holding periods and exemptions. The main applicant’s course location or sponsor certification may matter, depending on the route.

Make two lists: funds needed as evidence and money needed for application charges and relocation. Spending the same savings on fees can alter the balance available for the evidence period.

Can we apply together or join later?

Plan the applications as a household, while checking each person’s submission and decision separately. A later dependant application still needs the main applicant’s current route details and relevant reference. Check the permission end date rather than assuming a later arrival starts a fresh full visa period.

Information that makes a dependant enquiry useful

The main applicant’s exact visa, occupation or course, permission dates and application reference.
Who will accompany them and who might join later.
Relationship records, children’s ages, both parents’ status and care arrangements.
The planned application location, finances and any existing permissions or refusals.

Official sources for this guidance