Are Dependants allowed to UK on student visas?

UK has been one of the top study destinations for international students with its elite system of education and trailblazing infrastructure. Each year, UK universities receive approximately 7 lakh applications to study in UK because it opens numerous global work opportunities to the students.  Apart from opening a global job market, UK tries to ensure international student’s welfare by allowing them to bring their dependants to the country under certain conditions.

This blog focuses on the UK student-dependant visas: their application, extension, and the new policies implemented by the UK government.

Student visa in UK: Overview

International students need a student route visa to enter and pursue the course of their choice in UK universities. Once they get admission to any of the UK universities, they can apply for a student route visa. With a student route visa, they can stay up to 2 years for UG programmes and 5 years for PG programmes. Once they are eligible for student route or Tier 4 (general) visa, they can even apply for a dependant visa to bring their families to the UK.

 Eligibility: Student visa in UK

Applicants have to be 16 years old or older..They must have an unconditional offer letter from their respective universities.Their course duration must be longer than 6 months.They should have a minimum level of English proficiency.They must be able to manage their academic as well as personal expenses in the UK.

Documents Required: Student visa

A valid passport.Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number.Bank statementsATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate. 

Student visa in UK: Application process

Applicants can start applying for student visas once they receive their CAS number.Apply onlinePay health surchargePay visa fee amount.Submit the application

Who is a dependant?

Only the partner and children of the student route visa holder are the dependants. Their parents, siblings, or other relatives cannot be considered as dependants on their student visa. 

Partners as dependants

Partners is a generic term that denotes:

husband or wife.legal same-sex partnerUnmarried partner

(Both of you must be 18 years or above.)

Children as dependents

Children must be less than 18 years old if they are applying as dependants. They shouldn’t have begun a separate family.Both parents must come to the UK.

What is dependant visa?

A dependant visa is a special visa provided by the host country to allow the dependants, the partners and children of the primary visa holder, to enter the host country and live with their partners. UK allows international students to bring their children and partners with them under specific conditions.

Eligibility: UK Dependant visa

Applicants have to fulfil certain eligibility criteria to apply for a student dependent visa at UK.

Primarily, they must be the partners or children of international students who are studying;

A full-time postgraduate course that lasts more than 9 months, orA government-sponsored student studying any accredited course that lasts more than 6 months at an accredited UK university.

If they are applying for a dependent visa after January 1, 2024, the student visa holder must be studying research-based courses such as: 

Postgraduate research courses orDoctoral courses or Postdoctoral courses; to bring their dependants to the UK