The UK Student Dependant Visa makes it possible for your family members to reside with you in the UK for the duration of your studies. The 2024 rule changes narrowed eligibility significantly, so this route is now reserved for your family members to reside with you in the UK for the duration of your studies. Home office will assess your circumstances, which is supported by the evidence/documents you submit.
- Who qualifies: PhD, doctoral, MPhil, and postgraduate research students on courses of 9 months or longer
- Postgraduate taught students: MSc, MA, LLM and MBA students cannot bring dependants unless they hold a government scholarship
- Financial requirement: £845 per month per dependant for London courses and £680 per month outside London for up to 9 months
- 28-day rule: Funds must be held continuously for 28 days, with the end date falling no more than 31 days before the application date
- Unmarried partners: Must prove a genuine relationship for at least 2 years. If they have not lived together, they must explain why
- Application fee: Visa fee is £524 per dependant, and IHS is £776 per year per dependant (discounted student rate)
- Work rights: Adult dependants can work full-time with no restriction on employer or role
- eVisa: Dependants are issued an Electronic Visa (eVisa). No physical BRP card is issued
This guide is written for PhD students, doctoral candidates, and postgraduate research students who want to understand exactly what the process requires before they apply.
UK Student Dependant Visa: A visa that allows the partner and children of eligible Student visa holders to live in the UK for the duration of the student’s course. Dependants on this route have the right to work full-time and access the NHS.
Table of Contents
Can Your Family Join You? Eligibility for Postgraduate Research Students
The 2024 rule changes significantly restricted which Student visa holders can bring dependants to the UK. Crucially, however, the research route remains open. Understanding your eligibility clearly before you apply avoids both wasted fees and a damaging mark on your immigration record. As a starting point, your eligibility depends on two things: your course type and its duration.
Who Is Eligible?
You can bring a partner and children as dependants if you hold a Student visa for a PhD, doctoral degree, MPhil, or a research-based higher degree, and your course lasts 9 months or longer. Research-integrated Master’s programmes where the research element outweighs the taught element may also qualify. However, your university must confirm this in writing before you assume eligibility. The Home Office will not accept your own assessment of the course structure.
Who Is Not Eligible?
Postgraduate taught students on MSc, MA, MBA, and LLM programmes cannot bring dependants under the current rules. The one exception is government-sponsored students, who retain the right regardless of course type. Therefore, if you are self-funded on a taught programme, this route is not available to you.
And, who Counts as a Dependant
The Home Office defines a dependant as a spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner, or a child under 18. Notably, parents, siblings, and extended family members cannot apply on this route. Only a partner or a minor child qualifies.
Can You Bring Dependants?
Find your course type below
Exception: Government-sponsored students on Path B retain the right to bring dependants, provided the course lasts 6 months or longer.
Research Master’s programmes may qualify if the research component outweighs the taught element. Your university must confirm this in writing before you assume eligibility.
Financial Requirements for UK Student Dependant Visa
Financial evidence for the UK Student Dependant Visa falls under Appendix Finance in the Immigration Rules. This is a strict, technical evidential framework, and the most common reason applications fail at this stage is incorrect presentation of funds rather than a lack of them. Specifically, understanding exactly what the Home Office requires, and why, forms the foundation of a strong application.
The 28-Day and 31-Day Rules Explained
Your funds must sit in your account continuously for 28 consecutive days. The balance cannot drop below the required amount on any single day during that period. Additionally, the end date of that 28-day window must fall no more than 31 days before the date you submit your online application.
In practice, this means planning backwards from your intended application date. For example, if you apply on 1 September, your funds must have been in the account from at least 4 August without dipping below the required total on any day in between. As a result, the timing of your bank evidence matters just as much as the amount itself.
How Much Money Do You Actually Need?
The Home Office calculates the maintenance requirement for dependants separately from your own student maintenance funds. Furthermore, the London rate applies based on your university’s location and not where you personally choose to live. For each dependant, you must therefore show:
- £845 per month for courses in London — up to a maximum of 9 months (£7,605 total per dependant)
- £680 per month for courses outside London — up to a maximum of 9 months (£6,120 total per dependant)
For context, two dependants joining you in London means a combined maintenance requirement of £15,210 for them alone, on top of your own student funds. You can read about the change to the student visa maintenance requirement on the A Y & J solicitors website.
The funds can sit in your own account or a sponsor’s account. However, if you use a parent’s account, you must also provide your birth certificate and a signed letter from the account holder confirming their consent.
Additional Exemption: If your dependant has already held a valid UK visa for 12 months or more, the financial requirement is waived for that individual entirely.
The 28-Day & 31-Day Rules
How to time your bank evidence correctly
Example: Applying on 1 September? Funds must be in place from at least 4 August with no dips below the threshold on any day in between.
The rate is based on your university’s location, not where you live. If your university is in London, the £845/month rate applies even if you live outside London.
Proving Your Relationship: Cohabitation and Genuine Bond
The Home Office requires proof that your relationship is genuine and subsisting. Ultimately, a genuine relationship means nothing to a caseworker without the documents to support it.
The Genuine Relationship Requirement for Unmarried Partners
If you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, you must prove that you have been in a genuine relationship for at least 2 years before you apply. This is not a soft requirement. The Home Office expects consistent evidence of that relationship across the full period. Gaps in your evidence will invite scrutiny, so the caseworker will not resolve in your favour.
The Evidence Hierarchy: Strong vs. Weak Proof
Not all documents carry equal weight. Caseworkers look for official records that demonstrate your relationship is genuine and has been continuous across the full two-year period. Importantly, evidence clustered in one period and absent in another will raise questions the Home Office will not overlook.
Strong evidence — official joint documents at a shared address:
- Joint tenancy agreement or mortgage statement
- Joint bank account statements
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate (for married couples)
- Utility bills that are joint in both names
Acceptable evidence — official individual documents at the same address:
- Bank statements in one name showing the shared address
- GP or NHS letters
- HMRC correspondence
- Council tax bill in one name
Weak evidence — personal or informal records:
- Photographs together
- Personal letters or messages
- Social media screenshots
- Statutory declarations
Weak evidence alone will not satisfy the requirement. It can support a strong bundle, but it cannot substitute for official documentation. In short, the stronger your official paper trail, the stronger your application.
Documents You Need for a UK Student Dependant Visa
Below is a complete list of what each dependant must submit, grouped by category. Every document must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation from a qualified translator. Notably, some categories carry conditional requirements depending on your relationship type. Use the sections below to identify exactly what applies to your situation.
Core Identity Documents
- Valid passport (with at least 6 months remaining beyond your intended stay)
- Main student’s current visa or visa approval letter
- Main student’s Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number
Relationship Evidence
For married couples or civil partners:
- Marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate
- Both passports showing travel history together (where available)
For unmarried partners, additional documents are required:
- Primary evidence of a genuine relationship across at least 2 years: correspondence between you over the full period, records of time spent together, and any official documents you share
- Supporting evidence: photographs together, messages, and travel records (as supplementary material only, not standalone proof)
Now, for child dependants specifically:
- Full birth certificate naming both parents
- Proof of parental responsibility (if only one parent is accompanying)
- Proof of enrolment (if the child is in full-time education away from home)
Financial Evidence
- Bank statements covering the 28-day holding period, showing the required balance maintained without interruption
- If using a sponsor’s account: the sponsor’s bank statements, your birth certificate, and a signed consent letter from the account holder
Additional Requirements
TB test certificate: Dependants from countries listed on GOV.UK must provide a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the test date. Consequently, this requirement affects applicants from many countries across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. Check the GOV.UK list before booking your appointment.
No English language test: Unlike many UK visa routes, dependants on the Student route do not need to take any English language test. This is, therefore, one less requirement to prepare for.
Translations: Any document not in English requires a certified translation, including the original alongside the translated version.
Documents Checklist
Every document required for a UK Student Dependant Visa application
No English test required. Dependants on the Student route are not required to take any English language test.
12-month exemption: If the dependant has held a valid UK visa for 12+ months, the financial requirement is waived.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply for a UK Student Dependant Visa
Each dependant submits a separate online application through the UK Visas and Immigration portal. They do not apply to the same form as the main student. The process itself is the same whether applying from outside the UK or switching from inside. What differs, however, is the timing, the financial calculation, and the processing time. As a result, understanding these differences before you submit prevents avoidable delays.
The Application Process:
Step 1 — Complete the online form.
Go to the Student visa government page and submit a separate application for each dependant. You will need the main student’s visa reference or CAS number to link them together, so have that to hand before you start.
Step 2 — Pay the visa fee and IHS.
The visa application fee is £524 per dependant. You will also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at £776 per year per dependant — this is paid upfront for the full visa duration, not in instalments. Both payments go through at the same time, online, before you submit.
Step 3 — Book and attend biometrics.
Every dependant needs to visit a Visa Application Centre in person to give their fingerprints and photograph. Slots can fill up quickly in some countries, so book your biometrics appointment as soon as your application has been submitted. You cannot book before submission.
Step 4 — Upload your documents.
If you are applying from outside the UK, you will likely upload everything through the UKVI portal. If you are applying from inside the UK, you may need to attend the Visa Application Centre to hand in documents. Every document that is not in English needs a certified translation attached.
Step 5 — Receive the eVisa decision.
There is no physical card at the end of this process. When the application is approved, your dependant’s immigration status lives in their UKVI online account. They use a share code generated from that account whenever an employer, landlord, or the NHS needs to check their right to work or access services.
When Can Dependants Apply?
Dependants can apply at the same time as the main student, or at any point after the student visa has been granted. If applying simultaneously, the financial evidence must cover both the student and the dependant together. If applying separately at a later date, the dependant only needs to show their own maintenance funds.
| Application route | Processing time |
| From outside the UK | Approximately 3 weeks |
| From inside the UK (switching) | Up to 8 weeks |
If a refusal is issued, dependants have the right to challenge the decision. Find out more about what to do if your visa is refused.
Fees for UK Student Dependant Visa
The UK Student Dependant Visa fees depend on the length of the course and the number of dependants applying. As a result, it is worth calculating the full cost, including the IHS, before you begin the application. The table below covers the main fees to plan for.
| Cost | Amount |
| Application fee (per dependant) | £524 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (per year, per dependant) | £776 |
| Example: 4-year PhD, one dependant | £524 + £3,492 IHS = £4,016 |
| Priority processing (5 working days) | £500 |
| Super-priority processing (next working day) | £1,000 |
One thing worth knowing: student dependants pay the discounted IHS rate of £776 per year, which is lower than the standard adult rate of £1,035. The IHS also covers the full length of the visa, including any extra months added beyond the course end date, so the total you pay upfront reflects the complete stay.
Beyond the Application: Work Rights and Future Options
Once the UK Student Dependant Visa is granted, many families overlook what the visa actually unlocks once it is approved. Your dependants get meaningful rights from day one, and those rights extend well beyond the study period itself.
What Dependants Can Do Once in the UK
Adult dependants have the right to work full-time in the UK, with no restriction on the type of employment or employer. Consequently, this right takes effect from the date the Home Office grants the visa. There is no waiting period, and no employer sponsorship is required. In addition, child dependants can study at any level, including state-funded schools, without needing a separate Child Student visa.
The Path Forward: Graduate Route and Settlement
When the main student completes their PhD or research degree, they become eligible to apply for the Graduate Route visa, which grants 3 years of post-study work permission for doctoral graduates. This three-year grant is specifically protected for PhD holders. While the route reduces to 18 months for taught graduates from 1 January 2027, doctoral graduates retain the full period unchanged.
In addition, dependants can remain in the UK throughout the Graduate Route period, giving families meaningful time to establish themselves, build employment history, and assess longer-term options, including Indefinite Leave to Remain.
How A Y & J Solicitors Can Help
UK Student Dependant Visa applications have clear rules on paper, but the margin for error is narrow. Financial evidence presented one day outside the 28-day window, relationship evidence clustered around a single period, a TB certificate that expired before submission, or a relationship classification that does not quite fit the standard categories. Each of these results in a refusal. A Y & J Solicitors is a specialist immigration law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and recognised in the Legal 500. Our team has supported more than 5,000 families through UK immigration applications, with a 98% success rate across student and family visa cases. Get in touch today for a free initial consultation.
