The UK government has published eligibility rules for partners and children seeking to join Skilled Worker visa holders. Applicants must satisfy financial, relationship, and suitability requirements. These rules, published on the government's immigration guidance page, cover applications made both from outside the UK and by people already living in the country. The rules address eligibility, financial evidence, relationship requirements, criminal record checks, and conditions attached to a successful application.
To apply, partners and children must meet specific requirements. Applicants outside the UK must apply online for a dependant partner visa or dependant child visa. Those already in the country must submit a separate application for permission to stay. The Skilled Worker must have valid permission under the route or apply for it at the same time as the dependant. A family member's application cannot proceed unless this requirement is met. A partner must be at least 18 years old when applying.
There are restrictions on the immigration status of partners applying from within the UK. They must not have held their most recent permission as a visitor, short-term student, seasonal worker, or domestic worker in a private household, or under an arrangement outside the Immigration Rules. Financial and documentary requirements must also be met. Applicants who have lived in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months are exempt from the financial maintenance requirement.
Others must show access to sufficient funds. The money may be held collectively by the applicant, the Skilled Worker, and any parent who is lawfully present in the UK. Alternatively, the Skilled Worker's sponsor may certify the required maintenance. The minimum amounts are: £285 for a dependent partner, £315 for the first dependent child, and £200 for each additional dependent child.
The required funds must have been held for a continuous period of 28 days before the application date. They must also be separate from any money the Skilled Worker is relying on to meet their own financial requirement. Additional restrictions apply to some care-related occupations. Depending on the occupation code and when the Skilled Worker first received permission, the visa holder may not be allowed to bring dependants.
Criminal record checks are required for certain applicants. Dependent partners of Skilled Workers sponsored in specific occupations listed under SW 16.1 must provide criminal record certificates. The certificates must cover every country in which the applicant spent 12 months or more during the 10 years before applying, provided the time was spent there while the applicant was aged 18 or over.
Where an application is approved, a dependent partner's permission generally expires on the same date as the Skilled Worker's visa. If the Skilled Worker is being granted settlement, the dependent partner may instead receive permission for three years. A dependent child's permission normally expires when the earliest-expiring permission held by either parent ends. Approved dependants cannot access public funds but are generally allowed to work and study in the UK, subject to specific conditions.
Key points
- Partners and children of Skilled Worker visa holders must meet financial, relationship, and suitability requirements to join them in the UK.
- Applicants must apply online or submit a separate application for permission to stay, depending on their location.
- Approved dependants are generally allowed to work and study in the UK, but cannot access public funds.
