Work Based Dependants Visa

A PBS Dependant Visa is for spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners of at least two years, and children under 18. A dependant can live, work and study in the UK in line with the main applicant, and settle alongside them. Eligibility turns on the main applicant’s route, the relationship, and the family’s finances.

Recent and Upcoming Changes

Three developments shape every application in 2026.

• From 22 July 2025, Skilled Workers sponsored below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6 cannot bring new partners or children. Workers on the Temporary Shortage List at RQF 3 to 5 are affected. Families already in place before that date keep transitional protection.
• From 11 March 2024, new Health and Care Workers sponsored under SOC 6135 or 6136 cannot sponsor dependants. Workers with continuous permission from before that date keep their existing family unit.
• The May 2025 Immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, proposes an earned settlement framework. The qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain would double from five to ten years on most work routes. The paper also signals higher English thresholds at entry, extension and ILR. These proposals are not yet law. When enacted, transitional rules are expected for applicants already on a five-year clock.

Who Can Apply

You can apply as a Work Dependant if you are the partner or child of a main applicant on a qualifying route.

You count as a partner if you are:

• a spouse or civil partner
• an unmarried partner in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before the date of application

You count as a dependent child if you are:

• under 18 at the first application on the route, or were granted previously and have stayed a dependant since
• financially dependent on your parents
• not married or in a civil partnership
• not living an independent life

A child born in the UK to a parent with qualifying permission can apply at any point during that permission.

The main qualifying routes are:

• Skilled Worker at RQF 6 or above
• Health and Care Worker in clinical and allied-health SOC codes at RQF 6 and above
• Global Talent
• Scale-Up
• Innovator Founder
• Senior or Specialist Worker under Global Business Mobility
• International Sportsperson, on grants of 12 months or more
• Minister of Religion

Seasonal Worker and the Graduate Visa do not admit new dependants. If your route is unclear, call +44 (0)208 757 5751 or book a consultation before the main application is lodged.

Work Based Dependants Requirements

You must satisfy each of the following.

• The main applicant holds, or is being granted, permission on a qualifying route.
• The main applicant is not caught by the 11 March 2024 care worker bar or the 22 July 2025 RQF 6 restriction.
• Where the route is Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker, the main applicant is sponsored at RQF 6 or above.
• The relationship is genuine and subsisting, or, for a child, sole responsibility or equivalent consent is evidenced.
• Both parties to a partner application are aged 18 or over at the date of application.
• Both parties intend to live together in the UK.
• Unmarried partners have cohabited or lived in a durable relationship for at least two years before the application.
• A dependent child is under 18 at the first application on the route, or was previously granted and has remained a dependant.
• The child is financially dependent, is not married or in a civil partnership, and is not leading an independent life.
• Maintenance funds of GBP 285 for a partner, GBP 315 for the first child and GBP 200 for each additional child are held for 28 consecutive days, subject to the 12-month-in-UK exemption and sponsor certification.
• Accommodation is adequate, is occupied exclusively by the family, and is not overcrowded within Part X of the Housing Act 1985.
• A Tuberculosis test certificate is provided where applying from a TB screening country.
• Suitability requirements are met, with no unspent conviction attracting mandatory refusal, no NHS debt of GBP 500 or more, no prior deception, and no adverse immigration history.
• No recourse to public funds applies for the duration of dependant permission.
• No English language test is required at entry or extension, but CEFR B1 in speaking and listening is required for adult dependants at ILR.

The Relationship and Genuine Intention Requirement

The relationship test applies to every partner application. It asks three questions.

• Is the relationship genuine and subsisting?
• Do both parties intend to live together in the UK for the period of the main applicant’s permission?
• Have the parties met in person?

Spouses and civil partners should provide:

• a valid marriage or civil partnership certificate
• evidence of a continuing shared life, such as joint finances, shared correspondence and photographs
• a decree absolute, dissolution order, annulment or death certificate where a previous relationship ended

Overseas decrees must be recognised under the Family Law Act 1986 or Schedule 20 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Unmarried partners must show a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before the date of application. The Home Office generally expects cohabitation at the same address across that period. Useful evidence includes:

• a joint tenancy or mortgage
• joint utility and council tax bills
• joint bank accounts
• correspondence from different organisations addressed to each party at the same address

Where full cohabitation was not possible because of work postings, student housing, military service or cultural restrictions, provide alternative evidence. This can include travel records, joint finances, regular communication and a clear plan to live together on arrival. A chronological covering letter helps the caseworker follow the relationship history.

Maintenance Funds for Dependants

Maintenance funds are the cash savings the family must hold to show it can support itself without recourse to public funds.

The 2026 figures are:

• GBP 285 for a partner
• GBP 315 for the first child
• GBP 200 for each additional child

These sit on top of the main applicant’s own floor of GBP 1,270 where the main applicant has not yet been in the UK for 12 months. Verify figures on gov.uk before applying.

The money must be:

• held in cash
• in an account in the name of the main applicant, the dependant or a joint holder
• held for at least 28 consecutive days
• ending no more than 31 days before the date of application

The balance must not fall below the required figure on any day of that window. A single dip is a mandatory ground for refusal. Fixed-term deposits, pensions, investment portfolios and cryptocurrency balances do not count as cash savings. Bank statements must be on bank letterhead, dated, and must show every transaction across the period.

The requirement is waived in two situations:

• the main applicant has been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months at the date of the dependant application
• the sponsor is A-rated and certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship

Grant Length and Continuous Residence for ILR

Dependants are granted permission in line with the main applicant and, in most cases, settle on the same day.

Current qualifying periods for Indefinite Leave to Remain are:

• five continuous years on Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and Scale-Up
• three or five years on Global Talent, depending on the endorsement category
• three years on Innovator Founder

Absences must not exceed 180 days in any rolling 12-month period across the qualifying clock. Time spent as a dependant on a different qualifying work route can count towards the five years, provided permission was continuous and the dependant moved onto the matching category at each switch.

When the main applicant reaches the settlement threshold, each adult dependant files their own ILR application. Every adult dependant must:

• meet the residence and absence tests independently
• pass the Life in the UK test
• show English at CEFR B1 in speaking and listening

B1 can be shown by:

• an approved Secure English Language Test
• a degree taught in English and confirmed by UK ENIC as equivalent to a UK Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD
• nationality of a listed majority English-speaking country
• an earlier UK grant where a B1 or higher requirement was met

Children under 18 are not subject to the English or Life in the UK tests. Applicants aged 65 or over, and those with long-term physical or mental conditions evidenced by a medical letter, may be exempt. Where the May 2025 White Paper earned settlement proposals are enacted, this qualifying period may extend to ten years for most routes, subject to transitional provisions for applicants already on the five-year clock.

How Whytecroft Ford Can Help

The PBS Dependants Visa looks straightforward until you reach the evidence. The refusals we see most often turn on:

• the 28-day maintenance window
• unmarried partner cohabitation evidence
• the independent-life test for older children
• transitional protection claims after the 22 July 2025 restructure

Each is avoidable with careful preparation. Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration F201900075. We assist on PBS Dependants applications in the following ways:

• eligibility assessment across Appendix Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Scale-Up, Innovator Founder and Global Business Mobility
• relationship evidence audits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners
• maintenance calculations and 28-day bank statement reviews
• full application preparation for children born in the UK, children approaching 18, and blended-family consent
• extensions, settlement and citizenship planning coordinated with the main applicant’s route

To discuss your family’s application, call +44 (0)208 757 5751, email info@whytecroftford.com, or book a consultation. You can also read our guides to the Skilled Worker Visa and Global Talent Visa.

Sources and Further Reading

• Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children, GOV.UK
• Skilled Worker visa: printable guide, GOV.UK
• Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker, GOV.UK
• Dependent family members in work routes: caseworker guidance, GOV.UK
• Global Talent visa: your partner and children, GOV.UK
• Scale-up visa: your partner and children, GOV.UK

Disclaimer

This guide is published by Whytecroft Ford Ltd for general information only. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor-client or adviser-client relationship. Immigration law is complex and changes frequently; the rules and figures reflect the position at publication and are subject to change. You should not act, or refrain from acting, on any information in this guide without taking professional advice on your specific circumstances. Whytecroft Ford Ltd is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration F201900075.