Many students from other countries want to bring their families while studying in the UK. This guide will tell you which student visas you can get and how to apply for them.

From January 2024, international students coming to the UK can only bring their family on their student visa if they study specific advanced research courses. These programs include PhDs, other types of doctorate degrees, or master’s programs requiring research and new work. The rule about not being allowed to bring family members will affect all international students who begin their classes after January 1, 2024.

What are the circumstances for bringing dependents on a UK student visa?

Only students in a research postgraduate program can bring their family to the UK on a student visa. This means that students still studying for their first degree or in a taught postgraduate program cannot bring their family members to the UK.

Who counts as a dependant?

Your husband, wife, or children can depend on you for support. Other family members, like mom and dad, are not considered dependents.

“Partner” means your spouse, civil partner, boyfriend, or girlfriend. To be seen as an “unmarried partner,” you must have lived together in a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before applying for immigration.

You and your partner must be at least 18 years old when you apply to live in the UK together. It would help if you planned to live together during your time in the UK.

If your child wants to come to the UK with you, they must be under 18 years old when they apply. If your child is 16 or older when they apply, they cannot live independently.

What are the requirements for dependents on the UK student visa?

Dependents can only plan to stay in the UK for a maximum of the visa allows.

If your family members haven’t lived in the UK legally for the past 12 months, they must have enough money to cover their living expenses. If they don’t qualify for unique payment plans, they will need to show they have the money in an approved way when they apply.

How do you apply to bring dependents to the UK on your student visa?

People applying for something in the UK or another country need to use the internet to apply. They will also need to go to a place in person to have their photo and fingerprints taken.

Many Visa Application Centres (VACs) have opened again after closing because of COVID-19, but the deadline to give biometrics has been extended because of the pandemic.

How much does applying for dependants on a UK student visa cost?

It costs £363 if you apply for dependants to your student visa outside the UK and £490 if you apply from inside the UK. You should also know about the immigration health surcharge. It costs £470 for each year of your visa. The price for using biometrics like fingerprints and photos is £19. 20

Sometimes, your family members will need to get tested for TB and show a certificate that proves they don’t have it when they apply. This might cost some money, so keep that in mind.

Course requirements for bringing family members

Family members can only be considered as your dependents if they meet specific requirements.

• Your course is at least nine months long, you will attend full-time, and it is at a higher level of education after you finish your undergraduate degree. However,
• If your course starts on January 1, 2024, or later, it must be a DPhil or research-based master’s degree, as stated on your CAS. The MPhil in Law and MPhil in Socio-Legal research is for doing research, while the other Oxford MPhil courses are for learning in a classroom.
• You are getting money from the government for your course, which must be full-time and last for at least six months.

If your study doesn’t meet the requirements, but your family member had a visa as your student dependent in the last three months, they can get permission to stay if you need to extend or get a new student visa.

Your dependants and the Graduate route

If you want to stay in the UK after finishing your studies, your family can only apply to stay with you if they already have a visa as your dependent or a baby born in the UK while you are on your student visa. This means that if your family is in another country, they must apply to live with you in the UK before they can stay with you once you’ve finished studying.