The main visa holder has received their Skilled Worker extension. Their employer has confirmed the new sponsorship period, and the family assumes everyone’s immigration position has been renewed.
That assumption can leave a partner or child approaching expiry without an application. Extending the main applicant’s Skilled Worker visa does not automatically extend their dependants’ permission. Each family member needs their own application if they require further permission to stay.
A Skilled Worker dependant visa extension therefore starts with three questions: when does each person’s permission expire, do they still qualify, and what has changed since the previous application?
The answers determine the timing, evidence and cost. Our dependant visa services consider those questions together, so that the family’s applications follow a coherent plan.
Check each family member’s expiry date separately
Start with the immigration records for the worker, their partner and every child. Check each person’s eVisa and decision correspondence. Record the permission they hold, its expiry date and whether an application is already pending.
Do not rely on the end date shown on the worker’s employment contract or assume that every family member has identical permission.
A dependant can generally apply alongside the worker or before their own existing permission expires. The worker’s extension does not move the dependant’s deadline.
For example, suppose the worker’s new permission runs until 2029, but their partner’s existing permission expires next month. The partner must address their own position before that expiry. The worker’s approval email does not provide an extension for the partner.
Where an employer or adviser is handling the worker’s application, establish who is responsible for the family applications. A sponsorship arrangement should not be treated as confirmation that the partner and children have been included.
A useful family record identifies the person responsible for preparing, submitting and monitoring each application.
You do not always need to wait for the worker’s decision
The Immigration Rules allow a dependant application to be made where the main applicant has a valid Skilled Worker application that remains undecided. The worker does not necessarily need to receive approval before the dependant submits their application. The relevant eligibility requirements must still be satisfied for permission to be granted.
This matters when the worker’s application is taking longer than expected. Waiting for that decision should not cause a dependant to miss their own deadline.
For linked applications, retain the worker’s application reference and use the family linking code where available. These details help the Home Office connect the applications.
The practical choice is often between submitting the family’s applications together and submitting the dependant applications later, while their existing permission remains valid.
That choice should reflect the expiry dates, available evidence, budget and travel plans. Start preparing early enough to resolve discrepancies. Leaving everything until the final day makes an otherwise manageable application vulnerable to missing documents, payment problems or uncertainty about the correct form.
Check whether a job change affects the next dependant application
A worker’s change of employer or immigration route does not necessarily bring their family’s existing permission to an immediate end.
Home Office guidance recognises that existing dependant permission can continue after the main applicant changes job or route. It also distinguishes this from eligibility for another grant: leaving existing permission in place does not establish a right to extend where the worker’s new permission does not allow dependants.
This distinction matters for care workers, senior care workers and certain medium skilled occupations. The relevant exceptions can depend on the worker’s original application date and subsequent sponsorship history. The key transitional dates are 11 March 2024 for care workers and senior care workers, and 22 July 2025 for relevant medium skilled occupations. There are also specific exceptions for some children.
The family should therefore review the worker’s current occupation code, earlier grants and any changes since the last dependant application.
A previous approval is useful evidence of immigration history. It does not answer every question arising under the rules that apply to the next application.
Where the worker is considering a different role, assess the family’s position before committing to the move. Our guide to changing a sponsored worker’s job or occupation code explains the related sponsorship questions.
A partner should show that the relationship continues
For an extension based on the same partner, the evidence should address the relationship as it now stands.
Home Office guidance says that, where the relationship was accepted in a previous successful application, the usual focus is whether it remains current and continuing. Caseworkers do not normally need to reconsider every relationship requirement already established, unless new information gives reason to do so.
Relevant evidence may include records of living together, shared household responsibilities and joint financial commitments. If the couple has moved, documents should make the address history understandable.
Temporary periods apart do not automatically mean the relationship has ended. Work commitments or caring responsibilities may explain separate addresses, but the application should explain the circumstances and provide evidence of continuing commitment.
A practical approach is to review what the documents actually show. If one person appears at a different address, explain why. If bills are held in only one name, consider what other reliable records demonstrate the household arrangements.
Where the relationship has permanently broken down, the application requires a different assessment. A person whose permission depends on that relationship must usually notify the Home Office of separation or divorce and consider their options for remaining in the UK.
Children who have turned 18 need a careful continuation check
Turning 18 does not automatically prevent a child from extending as a dependant. The continuation provisions can apply where their last permission was as a dependent child of the relevant parent or parents. The independent life requirement also remains relevant.
The Home Office’s definition considers whether the child has a partner and whether they live with their parent, with an exception for living away for full-time education.
A university address therefore needs to be understood in context. Living in student accommodation can be consistent with remaining a dependent child. The application should explain the education arrangements and the continuing family home.
For younger children, review the current care arrangements and both parents’ immigration positions. A separation, a parent moving overseas or a change in who has responsibility for the child may require a closer assessment under the child requirements.
A child born in the UK who has never held dependant permission presents a different situation: their application is a first application, even if the rest of the family is extending. Include that child explicitly in the planning exercise, rather than assuming they are covered by a parent’s renewal.
Build the evidence around the current application
The previous application provides a useful starting point. Compare it with the family’s present circumstances before deciding what to submit.
The following framework helps organise that review.
| Area to review | Records to gather or check | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and immigration history | Passports, eVisa details and previous decision correspondence | Are the personal details and current permission clear? |
| Main applicant’s position | Current Skilled Worker decision, sponsorship information and any pending application reference | Which permission or application supports the dependant’s extension? |
| Partner relationship | Relevant household, address and relationship records | Does the evidence explain the continuing relationship? |
| Children’s circumstances | Birth records, education information and relevant care arrangements | Have age, residence or parental circumstances changed? |
| Financial requirement | Residence history, funds evidence or relevant sponsor confirmation | Is evidence of maintenance required for this person? |
| Changes since the last grant | Documents explaining changes of name, address, employment or family circumstances | Can the caseworker understand the differences between the applications? |
This is a preparation framework, rather than a fixed document list for every family.
Check consistency across the forms as well as the supporting documents. Names, addresses, relationship dates and application references should tell the same story. Where they differ for a legitimate reason, explain that reason.
Retain a copy of the final application and the documents submitted. That record can help with a later extension, settlement application or response to a Home Office enquiry.
Many established dependants do not need fresh maintenance evidence
A dependant applying in the UK who has been living here with permission for at least 12 months on the application date does not normally need to demonstrate the maintenance funds required of a new arrival.
Assess that exemption for each applicant. The worker having lived in the UK for several years does not establish the same residence history for a dependant who arrived recently.
Where funds must be shown, the usual amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. An eligible sponsor’s certification may provide another way of meeting the requirement.
Where relying on savings, the required funds normally need to be held for 28 consecutive days, with the relevant evidence falling within the permitted period before application.
The preparation order matters. Establish whether the applicant is exempt before requesting bank statements or asking the employer to change sponsorship information.
For an applicant who meets the residence exemption, an absence of maintenance certification should not be treated as a financial evidence problem without first applying that exemption.
Budget for each person’s application and health surcharge
At the date checked, standard in-country Skilled Worker application fees are £943 in the up-to-three-years category and £1,865 in the over-three-years category. Reduced categories apply in qualifying Immigration Salary List and Health and Care Worker cases. Each dependant’s fee needs to be included in the budget.
The Immigration Health Surcharge is generally £1,035 per year for an adult and £776 per year for a child under 18 when applying. The amount payable depends on the chargeable period, including the applicable rounding rules. Eligible dependants of Health and Care Workers are exempt.
Check the relevant application fee category and surcharge calculation separately. A dependant’s remaining permission period should not be used as a substitute for checking how the application fee is determined.
Before submission, prepare a total for the partner and every child. Include any optional faster decision service and any agreed professional fees.
This allows the family to address the cost while there is still time to prepare, rather than discovering the full payment requirement at the end of the online form.
Submit the application before expiry and complete the remaining steps
Use the appropriate in-country dependant application process. Each applicant must complete the required identity process, whether through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or a biometric appointment, as directed.
For an ordinary online application, the application date is generally the date it is submitted online. Starting or saving a form does not amount to submission. The biometric appointment date is generally a later procedural step, rather than the date the online application was made.
However, timely submission is only part of making a valid application. The required fees, identity evidence and biometric requirements also need to be addressed.
Keep the submission confirmation, payment records and application reference for each person. Then record any outstanding appointment, document upload or response deadline.
Before considering the family’s applications complete, reconcile the records against the original family list. There should be a clear submission record for every person who needed to apply.
A valid application made in time can protect existing permission
Where a dependant makes a valid application before their permission expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 can extend their existing leave while the application remains undecided.
The existing conditions continue during that period. This can preserve the dependant’s existing permission to work while the extension is being considered. A late application does not create the same section 3C protection.
This protection depends on the individual’s application. The worker submitting an application does not create section 3C leave for a partner or child who has not applied.
If an employer needs updated evidence, the appropriate online right to work check or Employer Checking Service process may be relevant. Our guidance on right to work checks explains the employer’s verification responsibilities.
Keep the distinction between immigration status and evidence of that status clear. An employer’s request for documentation should be addressed promptly, using the appropriate checking process.
If permission has already expired, obtain advice on the actual position urgently. Do not assume that submitting an application afterwards restores the rights that existed before expiry.
Plan to remain in the UK while the extension is pending
Leaving the Common Travel Area while an in-country permission-to-stay application is pending normally causes that application to be treated as withdrawn. The Common Travel Area comprises the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Section 3C raises a separate issue: that leave lapses when the person leaves the UK. Travelling to Ireland is therefore not a solution for someone relying on section 3C, even though Ireland is within the Common Travel Area.
The practical approach is to plan to remain in the UK until the dependant’s own decision arrives.
Check travel commitments before submitting. If urgent travel becomes necessary afterwards, review the immigration consequences before departure. The worker receiving their decision first does not mean that every dependant can travel while their own application remains outstanding.
Check the decision and the new expiry dates
The published standard processing time for an in-country Skilled Worker dependant application is usually eight weeks after the application, identity and document requirements have been completed.
Health and Care Worker dependant applications also have a published in-country timeframe of usually eight weeks. Families should not assume that the main Health and Care Worker applicant’s processing timeframe applies to their dependants.
Monitor the contact details used in each application and respond to requests within the stated deadline.
After approval, check the personal details, immigration conditions and expiry date. A dependant partner’s permission ordinarily ends with the Skilled Worker’s permission. A child’s permission ordinarily ends when the earlier of their parents’ permissions ends, subject to the rules dealing with settled or British parents.
Record the actual grants received. If an expiry date appears inconsistent with the family’s circumstances, investigate it promptly instead of carrying the discrepancy into the next application.
If the main applicant has settled, review the family’s next step separately
Where the worker has obtained indefinite leave to remain, the family needs a separate assessment of its extension or settlement options.
That assessment should consider each person’s immigration history and eligibility. It should happen before paying for another extension.
Our article on what happens to the family’s visas when the main visa holder settles addresses that situation in more detail.
Prepare the extension around the family’s actual circumstances
A well-prepared dependant extension brings the deadlines, continuing eligibility and evidence together before submission.
Knightsbridge can assess the worker’s current immigration position, review changes affecting a partner or child, identify the relevant evidence and help prepare the applications. This is particularly useful where the family has different expiry dates, the worker has changed occupation, or a child has turned 18 since the previous grant.
