The cost of a Skilled Worker family application can be substantially higher than the figure quoted for the worker alone. Each partner and child has a separate application charge, and most also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Timing affects the calculation. A family member applying later may receive a shorter period of permission, but that does not necessarily place them in a lower application fee band.
A useful family budget therefore starts with four facts: who is applying, where they are applying, their ages and the permission each person is expected to receive. The worker’s sponsorship category must also be checked before selecting the relevant charges.
This guide explains how those elements fit together. Our dependant visa service covers the wider assessment of eligibility and supporting evidence.
What is the Skilled Worker dependant visa application fee?
The following application fees were checked on 15 October 2026. They apply per applicant, including children.
| Application category | Sponsorship fee band: three years or less | Sponsorship fee band: more than three years |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Skilled Worker dependant application outside the UK | £819 | £1,618 |
| Standard Skilled Worker dependant application inside the UK | £943 | £1,865 |
| Eligible Immigration Salary List application, inside or outside the UK | £628 | £1,235 |
| Eligible Health and Care Worker dependant application, inside or outside the UK | £324 | £628 |
These are application fees. The Immigration Health Surcharge and any optional priority service are assessed separately. The published fee schedule identifies the relevant sponsorship length for each band.
Before budgeting, confirm which category applies to the worker and dependants. A healthcare-related job title or an employer’s description of the role should not be used as a substitute for checking the actual application category.
Joining later does not necessarily reduce the application fee
GOV.UK explains that a dependant joining after the worker’s visa has been granted pays the application fee for the same sponsorship length as the worker.
For example, where the worker’s Certificate of Sponsorship covered five years, a child joining with only two years remaining can still fall within the more than three years application fee band.
This is an important distinction when comparing the cost of applying together with the cost of joining later.
The Immigration Health Surcharge operates differently. For a dependant joining after the worker has been granted permission, the surcharge is assessed by reference to the remaining permission the dependant would receive, subject to the applicable charging rules.
Keep the application fee calculation and surcharge calculation separate. Using “two years remaining” as the basis for both can understate the amount payable.
Our Certificate of Sponsorship guide explains the sponsorship record that helps establish the relevant dates.
How much Immigration Health Surcharge does a dependant pay?
For ordinary Skilled Worker dependant applications, the current annual rates are:
- £1,035 for an applicant aged 18 or over.
- £776 for an applicant under 18 at the date of application.
The total depends on the chargeable period. A three-year charge is therefore £3,105 for an adult and £2,328 for a child qualifying for the lower rate.
The surcharge covers the period of permission being applied for and is paid as part of the application process. It should be budgeted as an upfront application expense.
For stays exceeding a year, an additional part-year is rounded up to the next six-month charging period. Additional permission before or after the employment period can affect the calculation. A job described as lasting three years should therefore not automatically be budgeted as exactly three years of surcharge.
Check the dates entered in the application and the amount generated before payment. If the figure differs from your estimate, establish why rather than altering accurate dates to produce a preferred charge.
A worked example: a partner and two children
Consider a hypothetical family in which a partner and two children apply from outside the UK as ordinary Skilled Worker dependants.
Assume that:
- All three applications fall within the three-years-or-less application fee band.
- Both children are under 18 when applying.
- The chargeable IHS period is exactly three years.
- No reduced fee, surcharge exemption or priority service applies.
| Applicant | Application fee | Three-year IHS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dependant partner | £819 | £3,105 | £3,924 |
| First child | £819 | £2,328 | £3,147 |
| Second child | £819 | £2,328 | £3,147 |
| Total for the three dependants | £2,457 | £7,761 | £10,218 |
These calculations use the current published application fees and surcharge rates.
The worker’s own application is additional. Under the same fee and IHS assumptions, adding another £3,924 produces a combined total of £14,142 for the worker, partner and two children.
If the three dependants instead incur another six months of IHS, their combined surcharge increases by £1,293.50: £517.50 for the partner and £388 for each child.
These are illustrative calculations. Confirm the actual chargeable period, fee category and payment figures for the family before relying on a total.
How Health and Care Worker arrangements change the budget
Eligible Health and Care Worker dependants benefit from reduced application fees and exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge. The exemption applies to qualifying dependants as well as the worker.
For the three-years-or-less fee band, the application fee is £324 per person. For the longer band, it is £628 per person, whether applying inside or outside the UK.
In a hypothetical eligible application involving a partner and two children within the shorter band, the three dependant application fees would total £972, with no IHS payable.
However, eligibility must be established before applying that calculation. Restrictions affecting dependants of care workers and certain other occupations can determine whether the application is available at all.
When discussing costs with an employer, ask which immigration category their estimate assumes and whether it includes family applications. A figure prepared for the worker alone may leave most of the household’s costs unaddressed.
Our health and social care immigration guidance provides the wider sector context.
Should the family apply together or later?
Home Office guidance allows dependants to apply with the worker or to join later. Applications submitted together should be considered together.
Applying together can help coordinate the move, but it requires the evidence and funds for the whole family to be ready. One person’s outstanding passport, relationship document or identity appointment may affect the practical timetable.
Applying later may allow the worker to establish accommodation or begin employment first. It can also spread application expenditure across different dates. That approach should be assessed against the actual costs of separation, including maintaining two households, travel and childcare.
Compare the full arrangements rather than only the immediate payment. A smaller first payment may be followed by further costs sooner than expected.
Before choosing a sequence, write down who will move first, where everyone will live during the interim period and what must happen before the remaining applications can be submitted.
How long will the dependant’s permission last?
A dependant partner’s permission normally ends with the worker’s Skilled Worker permission. A child’s permission normally ends on the earlier expiry date of their parents’ permission. Different provisions apply where settlement is involved.
A family member joining later should therefore not assume that their own application starts a fresh three-year or five-year visa.
For budgeting, record the expected end date beside each person’s application. This helps identify whether an extension may be needed relatively soon after arrival.
The same exercise matters where a worker is approaching settlement. Review the family’s next applications before assuming that everyone will reach that stage together. Our article on what happens to the family’s visas when the main visa holder settles considers that situation.
What are the current dependant processing times?
The published dependant guidance currently gives the following usual timeframes:
| Dependant application | Applying outside the UK | Applying inside the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker dependant | 3 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Health and Care Worker dependant | 3 weeks | 8 weeks |
These periods follow completion of the relevant application, identity and document requirements. They are usual processing periods, not guaranteed decision dates.
The eight-week in-country timeframe for Health and Care Worker dependants deserves particular attention. The main worker’s published timeframe is usually three weeks, but the dependant page gives a different period.
When planning a family move or an extension, use the guidance applicable to each applicant. Do not assume that the worker’s decision timetable will apply to every member of the household.
When does the processing period begin?
Submitting the online form is not always the point at which the published processing period starts.
For applicants attending an appointment, processing ordinarily begins when they provide their biometrics at the relevant centre. For applicants using the UK Immigration: ID Check app, the identity, application and document submission steps must be completed.
Build the timetable around those stages. Record the form submission date, appointment or identity completion date, and any outstanding document upload.
A family that submits forms on the same evening may still complete identity requirements on different dates. Keep a separate record for each applicant so that an expected decision period can be assessed accurately.
The practical preparation period also comes before Home Office processing. Allow time for passports, translations, financial records and any certificates required for the application.
Can you pay for faster dependant decisions?
Where available, priority service costs an additional £500 per applicant and usually provides a decision within five working days. Super priority costs an additional £1,000 per applicant and usually provides a decision by the end of the next working day, with timing depending on the identity process and when it is completed.
Availability must be checked during the application process.
For family members applying together through the faster-decision service, GOV.UK states that each family member must pay the additional charge. Budgeting for priority on the worker’s application alone does not cover the family.
For a worker, partner and two children, that means an additional £2,000 for priority or £4,000 for super priority, if available for the applications.
Before paying, consider what an earlier decision would change. It may help with a genuine deadline, but further checks or requests for information can still extend the process.
Complete the evidence review before selecting the service. The application still needs to be ready for assessment.
What if one family member’s application takes longer?
Different applicants can have different evidence issues. A child’s parental arrangements, a partner’s relationship history or a missing financial document may require further consideration.
Home Office guidance identifies requests for additional evidence, document verification and interviews among the reasons an application can take longer.
Keep an application reference and correspondence record for each person. If a request arrives, establish which application it concerns and respond within the stated deadline.
Avoid making commitments that depend on every decision arriving together unless you have allowed for a delay. GOV.UK advises overseas applicants not to book travel before receiving a decision and states that UKVI will not reimburse travel expenses because an application takes longer than expected.
If an application exceeds the published period, reconstruct the timeline before making enquiries. Our guidance on a delayed UK visa application considers the next steps.
Keep maintenance funds and additional expenses separate
Maintenance funds are separate from application charges. Where the requirement applies, the usual dependant amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child. Exemptions or qualifying sponsor certification may apply.
For a partner and two children, the dependant maintenance amount is therefore £800. It should not be mistaken for the total cost of their applications.
Your practical budget may also need to accommodate translations, required certificates, appointment-related expenses, travel to the application centre and professional assistance.
If an employer has offered financial support, obtain a clear written breakdown. Establish which applicants and charges are covered, whether the employer pays directly or reimburses you, and when the money will be available.
That distinction affects cash flow. An offer to reimburse costs after employment begins does not necessarily provide the money needed at submission.
What happens to the fees if the application is refused or withdrawn?
Application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge have different refund rules.
Where the Home Office considers and refuses an application, the application fee is not normally refunded. Withdrawal refunds depend on the stage reached and the applicable policy.
The IHS is normally refunded if the visa application is refused or withdrawn before a decision. Partial refunds can arise where less permission is granted than requested or where qualifying overlapping IHS payments have been made for an in-country extension or switch.
An expected refund should not be treated as money already available for the next application. Keep the original payment details and allow for the refund process.
Before withdrawing an application, check the immigration consequences as well as the financial ones. A decision made to recover a payment can affect the applicant’s permission and available next steps.
Build one budget around separate family applications
A workable family plan should show the application fee, IHS, optional services and expected permission dates for every applicant. Alongside it, record current visa expiry dates, evidence deadlines and identity appointments.
Review the figures again before payment. Changes to the application category, dates or family circumstances can affect the calculation.
Knightsbridge helps families assess eligibility and coordinate the evidence, costs and timing of dependant applications. We identify the decisions that need to be made before submission and explain how the applications fit with the worker’s immigration position.
