Skilled Worker Dependent Visa UK

The Skilled Worker Dependent visa allows immediate family members of UK Skilled Worker visa holders or primary applicants to join them in the UK. It is available only to certain immediate family members of the Skilled Worker visa applicant or holder (formerly Tier 2 General).

Eligible dependents can apply for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa along with the principal applicant of a Skilled Worker visa or apply later to join a family member already in the UK under this route. Skilled worker dependents are free to work at any job in the UK except as a professional sportsperson or coach. They can also study in the UK.

The Skilled Worker Dependent visa usually has the same expiry date as that of the Skilled Worker visa holder. Dependants must renew their visa along with the principal skilled worker when it expires. You may be eligible to apply for an indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years of residence as the dependent of a skilled worker.

Our specialist immigration advisers and lawyers have helped thousands of families successfully obtain Skilled Worker Dependent visas. Whether you need assistance with eligibility, application filing, or legal representation, our expert attorneys are ready to help.

Page Contents

• Overview of the UK Skilled Worker Dependent Visa
• Who is Eligible for a Skilled Worker Dependent Visa?
• When can you apply for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa?
• Eligibility Requirements for Skilled Worker Dependent Visa
• Financial Requirement for Skilled Worker Dependent Visa
• Documents Required for Skilled Worker Dependent Visa Application
• Applying for a Skilled Worker Dependent Visa
• Switching to a Skilled Worker Dependent visa
• Skilled Worker Dependent Visa Cost
• What you can and cannot do on a Skilled Worker Dependent visa?
• Can you extend your Skilled Worker Dependent visa in the UK?
• Skilled Worker Dependants’ Visa to Settlement in the UK
• How Manchester Immigration Lawyers Can Help You
• Frequently Asked Questions

The following persons qualify as dependents under the Skilled Worker visa route:

• Spouses
• Civil partners
• Unmarried partners who have been in a committed relationship for at least two years
• Children below 18, including those born in the UK
• Dependent children above 18 who are already in the UK

Newly arriving social care workers can no longer bring dependents (partners and children) with them on a Skilled Worker visa.

Dependents must apply for the Skilled Worker Dependent visa concurrently with or after the main Skilled Worker visa application. A Skilled Worker visa application can be submitted a maximum of three months before the applicant is due to start their job in the UK, specified on their Certificate of Sponsorship. As a result, Skilled Worker Dependent applications must also not be submitted outside of this time frame. Furthermore, they can not be submitted before the Skilled Worker visa application is made.

You must meet the following requirements to qualify for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa:

• Your spouse, civil partner, or parent must hold a valid Skilled Worker visa or have obtained an indefinite leave to remain through the Skilled Worker visa route
• You must meet the minimum financial requirement
• You must have no history of immigration violations

If you’re applying to join your spouse or partner, you must be able to prove that:

• You’re in a marriage or civil partnership recognised by the UK
• If you’re unmarried, you must have lived together for at least two years when applying. You must also provide evidence of continuous commitment to each other.

If you’re applying to join your parent as a dependant, you must:

• Not be in a civil partnership or married
• Provide evidence that you live with your parents unless you’re in full-time boarding school or university
• If you’re between 16-18, you must prove you are financially dependent on your parents
• If you are over ​​18, then you must currently be in the UK as a dependent

Skilled workers and their dependents cannot access public funds. Therefore, the dependent partner of a skilled worker must prove that they or their UK family member can support their stay in the UK.

The principal applicant (your spouse or parent) must show proof of funds of £1,270 . This financial requirement does not apply to dependents already living in the UK for up to 12 months before their application.

You must provide the following supporting documents when applying for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa:

• A valid passport
• Proof of genuine and subsisting relationship with the skilled worker in the UK
  • Spouses and partners must provide a valid marriage or civil partnership certificate
  • Unmarried partners must provide proof of an ongoing, committed relationship with the UK partner
  • Children must provide birth or adoption certificates naming the UK worker as their parent
• Proof that you meet the minimum financial requirement
• Criminal record certificate

You must provide certified translations of all documents not written in English.

Application for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa must be made online using the GOV.UK website. Each family member must complete a separate application. The steps to applying for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa are as follows.

Step 1: Determine your eligibility and gather relevant supporting documents.

Step 2: Complete the online application and upload supporting documentation. You’ll need your partner’s or parent’s Unique Application Number (UAN), also called the Global Web Form (GWF). They’ll find it in emails and letters from the Home Office concerning their application. If they received a linking code during their Skilled Worker application, you can enter it to link your applications.

Step 3: Pay the visa application fees.

Step 4: Prove your identity. You may need to visit a visa application centre or a UK Visa Application Services point (if you’re applying inside the UK) to submit your photograph and fingerprints for your biometric residence permit. You may also be able to scan your identity document using the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app.

Step 5: Wait for a decision. You’ll typically get a decision from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) within three weeks if you applied from abroad or eight weeks if you applied inside the UK.

If you’re already on another visa route in the UK, you can apply to switch to a Skilled Worker Dependent visa inside the UK. However, you must switch your visa before your current visa expires.

You can switch from other visa routes to a Skilled Worker Dependant, except you’re in the UK on:

• Seasonal Worker visa
• Visitor visa
• Short-term Student visa
• Parent of a Child Student visa
• Domestic worker in a private household visa
• Immigration bail
• Permission to stay outside the immigration rules

If you’re currently in the UK on a Student visa, you can switch if you have:

• Completed your course of study
• Completed up to 24 months of PhD studies

The visa application fee for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa is the same as that of a skilled worker. The total costs depend on the validity of the visa and where you’re applying from.

If you’re applying from inside the UK you can expect to pay:

• £943 – up to three years
• £1,865 – more than three years

Applicants must also pay an annual Immigration Health Surcharge of £1035 for adults and £776 for minors.

A successful application for a Skilled Worker Dependent visa gives the holder a fantastic range of rights in the UK. These include the ability to work in most roles, to study, and to travel abroad and return to the UK. After five years in the UK, and the meeting of other eligibility criteria, they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Please note that taking roles as a sportsperson or coach are not permitted with this visa, and dependents of a Skilled Worker visa holder will need to switch to an alternative UK visa.

While in the UK on a Skilled Worker Dependent visa, you won’t have access to all the rights that a UK citizen can enjoy. You cannot receive state support, such as benefit payments, or apply for the state pension.  Furthermore, you will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge in order to access healthcare through the National Health Service. Yet, this healthcare is free at the point of use once the surcharge has been paid.

After a successful Skilled Worker Dependent visa application, your expiry date will be the same as the Skilled Worker visa holder’s. That is the case because your right to be in the UK is an extension of the person that you are a dependent of.

Likewise, if the Skilled Worker visa holder extends their visa, you will be able to extend your dependent visa. This is also the case for children who have turned 18 while they are in the UK. An extension can be made as many times as the Skilled Worker visa holder extends their visa. Please note that the Skilled Worker Dependent visa will not be automatically extended. A successful application is required.

Skilled Worker Dependent visa holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after completing a five-year period of continuous residency in the UK. This means that you haven’t left the UK for longer than 180 days in any 12-month period.

ILR allows you to live, work, and study in the UK without having to worry about time limits and visa renewals. After a year of ILR, following your five-year continuous residency on a Skilled Worker Dependent visa, you can apply for citizenship. That gives you full rights in the UK, including the ability to apply for state support and to vote.

While it is usually a great idea to apply for ILR, you do not have to, even if the Skilled Worker visa holder has already obtained ILR. You can continue to extend your Skilled Worker Dependent visa as before.