A sponsored job offer can change the plans of an entire family. Before accepting the role, arranging accommodation or moving children between schools, you need to establish whether your partner and children can accompany you.
The answer depends on more than your relationship. Your occupation, sponsorship history and the circumstances of each family member can determine whether a dependant application is available.
Eligible partners and children can apply under the Skilled Worker route, but restrictions apply to care workers and certain medium skilled occupations. Each dependant must satisfy the requirements relevant to their own application.
This guide explains the main eligibility checks and how to approach the supporting evidence. Our dependant visa service provides the wider context for planning a family application.
Who can apply as a Skilled Worker dependant?
The route generally accommodates a spouse, civil partner, qualifying unmarried partner or dependent child. Children normally need to be under 18 when first applying. There are provisions allowing older children with existing dependant permission to continue, subject to the relevant conditions.
The assessment should begin with the person whose Skilled Worker permission supports the application. Establish their current immigration route, the sponsored occupation and the history of their permission.
Then consider each applicant separately. A partner may need to establish a durable unmarried relationship. A child may need evidence about the other parent’s immigration position. Another family member may already hold independent permission and need advice about whether switching is appropriate.
Being part of the same household does not mean everyone has the same eligibility question or needs the same documents.
Does the worker’s occupation allow dependants?
The occupation code is an early and important check.
| Worker’s circumstances | Main dependant eligibility issue |
|---|---|
| Sponsored in an occupation that permits dependants under the current Rules | Assess the partner or child against the ordinary dependant requirements. |
| Care worker or senior care worker, currently codes 6135 or 6136 | Check the provisions connected to grants under the Rules in force before 11 March 2024, subsequent continuity and any applicable exception. |
| Other restricted medium skilled occupation | Check the provisions connected to grants under the Rules in force before 22 July 2025, the earlier occupation and subsequent continuity. |
| Prison service officer, code 3314 | A specific provision applies to qualifying in-country applications. |
The relevant restrictions and exceptions appear in Appendix Skilled Worker and the Home Office’s dependant guidance.
A job title such as “manager”, or the fact that the application falls within Health and Care Worker arrangements, does not settle the question. Review the occupation recorded in the sponsorship documents.
Our Skilled Worker visa guidance explains the main applicant’s route. Family eligibility needs to be considered alongside that assessment, particularly before a worker changes occupation.
Why the worker’s earlier application history matters
The transitional dates should be checked against the worker’s original application and the Rules under which permission was granted. Looking only at the date on a later decision notice can be misleading.
Home Office guidance confirms that an application made before the relevant cut-off can qualify even if the decision came afterwards. Dependants do not necessarily need to have applied at the same time as the worker. The required continuity must still be established.
Gather the earlier application confirmations, decision notices and sponsorship records before drawing a conclusion.
It helps to set these out chronologically. Record the application date, occupation code, grant dates and any subsequent change of employer or role. This makes it possible to identify which provision the family relies on and where further evidence is needed.
A current visa establishes the present position. Earlier records may explain why a transitional provision remains available.
Children have specific exceptions to occupation restrictions
Some children can qualify despite the worker being in a restricted occupation. Appendix Skilled Worker includes provisions for children born in the UK and certain in-country applications involving a sole surviving parent, sole responsibility, or joint responsibility with another Skilled Worker in specified occupations.
These exceptions do not automatically extend to a partner. The child must also meet the other applicable requirements.
The location of the application matters. A provision available to a child applying to stay in the UK should not be assumed to cover a child applying overseas.
Where an exception is relevant, identify it clearly before assembling the evidence. The documents should establish the facts needed for that exception as well as the ordinary parent-child relationship.
What must a dependant partner prove?
Both partners must be at least 18. They must have met in person and have a genuine, continuing relationship. Previous relationships must normally have permanently broken down.
For married couples and civil partners, the marriage or civil partnership must be legally recognised in the country where it took place. For unmarried partners, the relationship must have been similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before the application.
The two-year requirement applies to the unmarried-partner category. A married couple should not assume they must wait until their second wedding anniversary before applying.
A marriage certificate addresses an important part of the assessment, but consider the wider circumstances too. If you have spent substantial periods apart, explain why and how the relationship has continued.
Where there have been previous marriages, different spellings of names or a ceremony whose legal status is uncertain, resolve those points before submission. They are easier to address while the relevant records can still be obtained.
Can unmarried partners qualify without living together?
There is no absolute requirement to have lived together for two years. Home Office guidance recognises that an unmarried couple may have a qualifying relationship without that period of cohabitation.
The evidence must nevertheless establish the required relationship. Official and independently verifiable records generally carry greater weight than unsupported statements or large collections of photographs and messages.
Prepare a short chronology explaining how the relationship developed, when the commitment became comparable to marriage or civil partnership, and why you have lived apart.
Select documents that help establish those points. Depending on the circumstances, these might include shared financial responsibilities, records of visits, arrangements concerning children, or evidence explaining work or study commitments in different places.
The aim is to make the relationship understandable. Hundreds of screenshots can obscure the important dates if they are uploaded without explanation. A smaller, coherent selection is often easier to assess.
Do not describe the relationship more strongly than the evidence supports. An accurate account allows the strengths and any remaining gaps to be identified.
What are the requirements for children?
A child must normally be under 18 at the application date. An applicant aged 18 or over may qualify where their last permission was as a dependent child and the relevant continuation requirements are met.
The child must not be leading an independent life. Suitable care and accommodation arrangements are also required for children under 18.
Review age, previous permission, relationship status and living arrangements together. If an older child is away at university, explain the educational arrangement and continuing family home rather than leaving the different addresses unexplained.
The position of both parents is important. Ordinarily, each parent must be applying with the child or hold UK permission other than as a Visitor. Exceptions include a sole surviving parent, sole responsibility, certain circumstances involving a British or unrestricted parent living or intending to live in the UK, and serious and compelling reasons.
A birth certificate helps establish parentage. It does not, on its own, resolve the other parent’s immigration position or explain the proposed care arrangements.
For a child from a previous relationship, identify these issues at the beginning. They can materially affect both eligibility and the evidence required.
Applying with only one parent requires closer analysis
A parent’s agreement to the child moving abroad is relevant, but consent and sole responsibility address different questions.
Home Office guidance looks at who has continuing control and direction over the child’s upbringing, including important decisions about education, health and residence. Paying the child’s expenses, or holding a custody order, does not by itself establish sole responsibility.
Start with the actual family arrangements. Who makes decisions? Who communicates with the school? What involvement does the other parent retain? Who provides day-to-day care, and under whose direction?
Supporting records should reflect the answers. School correspondence, medical records, court documents and evidence about the history of care may each help explain a different part of the position.
Avoid asking a school or relative to repeat a legal phrase without explaining what they know. A factual account of their involvement is more useful.
If the circumstances do not support sole responsibility, consider whether another provision applies. The application should address the correct requirement rather than force the family’s history into an unsuitable description.
How much maintenance money is required?
Where funds must be demonstrated, the usual dependant amounts are:
- £285 for a partner.
- £315 for the first dependent child.
- £200 for each additional dependent child.
A partner and two children therefore require £800, in addition to any maintenance funds required for the main worker. An applicant applying in the UK who has lived here with permission for at least 12 months may meet the financial requirement without showing funds. Assess that exemption for each applicant.
The worker having lived in the UK for several years does not automatically exempt a partner applying from overseas.
An eligible sponsor may certify maintenance. Check that the certification covers the dependants concerned; do not assume that a general offer of support from the employer is sufficient.
Where relying on savings, check the required holding period and the dates of the evidence. The financial records must cover the required period, with the most recent evidence dated within 31 days before the application.
These funds should be assessed separately from the money needed to pay application charges and meet the practical costs of moving.
Which documents should you prepare?
The document list should follow the eligibility assessment. The following provides a starting framework, with additional evidence selected according to the circumstances.
| Area to establish | Documents to consider |
|---|---|
| Applicant’s identity and immigration position | Passport or travel document, current permission details and relevant previous decisions. |
| Worker’s route and sponsorship history | Current permission, application reference, Certificate of Sponsorship details and earlier records where transitional provisions matter. |
| Partner relationship | Marriage or civil partnership certificate where relevant, evidence of the continuing relationship, and documents addressing previous relationships. |
| Parent-child relationship and care | Birth certificate, relevant parental records, care arrangements and evidence addressing any applicable exception. |
| Maintenance | Qualifying financial evidence or confirmation of applicable sponsor certification. |
| Additional application requirements | TB certificate, criminal record certificate and certified translations where required. |
Use this framework to identify what each document proves. A bank statement may be relevant to maintenance, a shared address, or both. A birth certificate may establish parentage while leaving a separate question about parental responsibility unresolved.
Check consistency across the forms and documents. Names, dates, addresses and family relationships should match, or any differences should be explained.
For sponsorship evidence, our Certificate of Sponsorship guide explains the worker’s sponsorship record.
Check TB certificates, criminal records and translations early
A TB certificate may be required for an overseas application, depending on the proposed stay and the applicant’s recent residence in specified countries. Children can also need the relevant clinic assessment and certificate, even where an X-ray is not required.
Certain dependant partners applying overseas must provide criminal record certificates because of the worker’s occupation. The requirement concerns relevant countries where the partner spent at least 12 months, continuously or cumulatively, during the preceding ten years while aged 18 or over.
Documents outside English or Welsh need certified translations meeting the Home Office requirements. These include confirmation of accuracy, the translation date and the translator’s identifying and contact details.
These documents can take time to obtain. Establish which are needed before choosing a submission date.
Also check what the certificate actually covers. A document from the applicant’s country of nationality may not address residence in another country that is relevant to the application.
What if your child was born in the UK?
Birth in the UK does not automatically establish British citizenship. The answer depends on the child’s parents’ circumstances and the applicable nationality provisions. Check that first.
For a child who needs dependant permission, GOV.UK requires a full UK birth certificate and explains that permission must be arranged for travel out of and back into the UK.
Keep the birth certificate, the child’s passport and the parents’ immigration records together. Review the position before booking travel or preparing the family’s next applications.
A UK-born child can also engage the specific exception to the occupation restrictions discussed above. Establishing that exception is one part of the assessment; the rest of the child’s eligibility still needs attention.
Can a partner or child apply from inside the UK?
Being physically present in the UK does not necessarily allow an application to switch into dependant permission.
Visitors and several other categories are excluded from switching. A person holding Student permission also needs to meet the relevant course-completion requirement or the provision for qualifying PhD students who have completed at least 24 months of study.
Check current and previous permission before choosing the application form. Where a Student application is involved, obtain clear evidence of the relevant academic position.
If an applicant’s permission is nearing expiry, resolve the route question before spending time assembling a full document bundle. A well-prepared bundle cannot correct the use of an unavailable application route.
Record each family member’s location and immigration deadline separately. This is particularly important where one person is overseas while others are already in the UK.
Prepare a coordinated family application
Before submission, review the applications together as well as individually.
The shared history should be consistent, but each applicant needs evidence addressing their own circumstances. One person may rely on a maintenance exemption, another on savings. A partner may have extensive relationship evidence while a child needs a clearer explanation of parental arrangements.
Read the forms alongside the documents. Check whether a person unfamiliar with your family could understand who is applying, which worker’s permission supports the application and how each requirement is met.
If the main worker has already obtained settlement, review the position before selecting the next route. Our article on what happens to the family’s visas when the main visa holder settles considers that stage separately.
Establish eligibility before collecting the full evidence pack
The first task is to identify the provision under which each partner or child can qualify. That determines which records matter and which issues need closer examination.
Knightsbridge assesses the worker’s immigration and sponsorship history alongside the family’s relationships, current permission and proposed arrangements. We identify the applicable requirements, explain evidence gaps and help prepare applications that accurately reflect the family’s circumstances.
