If you hold a qualifying UK visa and want your child to join you or remain in the UK, the correct dependant route, parental arrangements and supporting evidence all matter.
Many work-route child dependant applications are decided in around 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK, while a Family Visa application for a child normally takes around 12 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside.
A child dependant’s permission will normally be linked to the immigration status of their parent. The sponsoring parent must have a valid UK visa or settled status to apply for a child dependant visa. It remains valid as long as the parent’s qualifying immigration status is maintained.
At Salam Immigration, our immigration lawyers provide immigration services for parents and families who need to apply for a UK dependant route. This guide explains eligibility, parental responsibility, processing times, application steps and what happens after your child receives permission.
Quick Run-Through: Child Dependant Visa UK Checklist
UK immigration rules for child dependent visa can be concluded as:
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Route: confirm your own visa allows dependants (for example Skilled Worker, Student or Global Business Mobility).
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Age: your child must normally be under 18 on the date of application.
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Relationship: prove you are the parent with a birth certificate.
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Other parent: show consent, or prove sole responsibility.
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Rights: Children can attend state schools full-time without a student visa.
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Separate application: each child applies individually and pays their own fees.
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Settlement: Dependants can often count time spent in the UK towards the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Who Counts as a Child Dependant Under the Immigration Rules?
A child dependant is a child of someone who holds, or is applying for, permission on a route that allows family members. For work and study routes, the rules sit in Appendix Children. Appendix Children applies to routes including Skilled Worker, Student, Graduate and Global Business Mobility.
On the Skilled Worker route, a dependant child is your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay, or your child over 18 if they already have permission in the UK as your dependant. This is the main route for a skilled worker dependant visa, and the same principles apply to most other dependent visa routes.
At Salam Immigration, our Skilled Worker Visa team regularly prepares a worker’s application and their children’s applications together, so the dates and evidence line up.
If the child’s parent is a British or Irish citizen or settled, a different part of the rules applies. That is the family visa route, covered in our guidance on the UK family visa.
How Do Partner and Child Dependant Applications Fit Together?
On many work routes, eligible dependants can include a husband or wife, civil partner, unmarried partner and qualifying children. A dependent partner and a child normally make separate applications, even when the whole family applies at the same time.
Relationship evidence for a partner may include a marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate or other evidence required to prove an unmarried relationship. These work-route dependant applications should not be confused with a separate partner visa under the family immigration rules.
Where a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner is applying alongside the child, make sure the evidence across both applications is consistent, particularly addresses, relationship history and family living arrangements.
Child Dependant Visa UK Eligibility Criteria
Your child must meet each of these requirements at the date of application.
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Age: a dependent child must be under 18 on the date of application, unless they last held permission as a dependent child of the same parent or parents. In that case, the previous permission must be valid or have expired no more than 14 days before the application.
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Same route as the parent: a child applying as a dependant of a Skilled Worker needs a parent who has, or is applying for, permission on the Skilled Worker route.
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Independent life: your child must not have a partner and must be living with their parent, with exceptions such as boarding school or college.
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Care and accommodation: suitable housing and care arrangements must be in place in the UK.
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Financial support: there must be sufficient funds to support the child without public funds.
These eligibility criteria are strict. A child who turns 18 before you apply, for example, will usually fall outside the route unless they already hold dependant permission.
One Parent or Both: Sole Responsibility Rules
If only one parent is applying or living in the UK, you must explain why. Under Appendix Children, both parents must either apply at the same time or have permission to be in the UK, unless the applying parent is the sole surviving parent or has sole responsibility for the child’s upbringing.
The same rule is also met where the other parent is a British citizen or has unrestricted rights in the UK and lives or intends to live here, or there are serious and compelling reasons.
Sole parental responsibility is a high bar. Caseworkers look for evidence that you alone make the important decisions about the child’s life, including education, healthcare and where they live. Contact from the other parent does not automatically defeat a claim, but a lack of evidence will.
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Do provide a signed consent letter from the other parent where they are not applying.
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Do supply court orders, a death certificate or school and medical records showing you make the decisions.
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Do not assume that being the main carer is enough on its own.
Eligibility Criteria and Evidence to Show
Having at least one parent in the UK does not automatically make a child eligible. Where only one parent is applying with the child, the Home Office may examine who has genuine parental control and financial responsibility for the child’s upbringing.
Evidence can include school correspondence, medical records, court orders, consent from the other parent or legal guardian, and records showing who makes decisions about education, healthcare and where the child lives. Where appropriate, explain the child’s current and proposed living arrangements clearly.
For an older child, especially one aged 16 or over, you may also need to show that they remain financially dependent on their parent and are not leading an independent life. Evidence of the child’s dependency can include their address, education and financial support provided by the parent.
Financial Requirements and Maintenance Funds
On the Skilled Worker route, each dependant normally needs to show funds on top of the main applicant’s own savings. Funds are shown for a partner and for each child, and the money is not needed if you have all been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months or your employer certifies maintenance.
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Family member
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Maintenance funds (Skilled Worker)
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Partner
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£285
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First child
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£315
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Each additional child
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£200
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The money must normally have been held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days of the application. Figures differ on other routes, so check the requirement for your own visa type before you apply. Our guide to the UK spouse visa financial requirement shows how Home Office assessors treat savings and income evidence.
Do Not Confuse Dependant Maintenance With Partner Visa Income Rules
The financial requirement depends on the immigration route. For a Skilled Worker dependant application, the current maintenance requirement is generally £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, unless the family qualifies for an exemption or the sponsor certifies maintenance.
A different financial test applies where a parent is applying through a family partner visa. For most new partner visa applications, the applicant and partner normally need qualifying combined income of at least £29,000 per year.
The older £18,600 threshold, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child, now applies only to certain transitional cases where the original qualifying partner application was made before 11 April 2024 and the applicant is continuing with the same partner. The requirement is capped at £29,000 where the child additions would otherwise take it above that amount.
This distinction is important because the figures should not be used as the general financial requirement for a UK dependent visa under the Skilled Worker route. Whatever route applies, you must show that the relevant financial requirement is met and that you can financially support your family where required.
Immigration Health Surcharge for Children
Most visa applicants who are under 18 pay an Immigration Health Surcharge of £776 per year, calculated according to the length of permission granted.
However, eligible Health and Care Worker applicants and their qualifying dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge. Always check which rule applies before paying, particularly where the parent works in health or adult social care.
Which Visas Allow You to Bring a Child?
Not every visa lets you bring dependent children, and the rules have tightened.
Skilled Worker Visa
For medium-skilled jobs, applicants newly sponsored in medium-skilled (RQF 3 to 5) roles on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List cannot bring new dependants from 22 July 2025. Skilled worker visa holders in graduate-level roles can generally still bring their children.
Our UK Work Visas advisers can confirm which work route suits your family.
Student Visa
For students, the position depends on the course. Most UK student visa holders on taught undergraduate or masters courses cannot bring dependants, while postgraduate research students and some government-sponsored students can. If you are a student visa holder with a child already in the UK, check the rules before your course changes.
Our dependent visa UK guide explains the position across routes.
Care Worker Visa
The restrictions for a care worker visa need particular attention. A care worker or senior care worker who has continuously held qualifying Skilled Worker permission since before 11 March 2024 may still be able to bring eligible dependants.
Different exceptions can apply to applications made inside the UK, including certain cases involving a child born in the UK, a sole surviving parent or where both parents are sponsored in relevant care roles.
Existing dependants may also have different rights from new dependants. A person’s existing immigration permission does not necessarily end simply because the main applicant later changes into a route with tighter dependant rules, but the family must check whether they will remain eligible when their current permission expires.
Documents You Need for a UK Child Visa Application
A UK child visa application stands or falls on its supporting documents. Gather:
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The child’s valid passport or travel document.
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The child’s full birth certificate showing both parents’ names, with a certified English translation if needed.
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Proof of your own immigration status, such as your biometric residence permit or eVisa details, or your application number if you apply together.
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Bank statements showing the maintenance funds, or confirmation from your sponsor that it certifies maintenance.
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Evidence of accommodation in the UK, such as a tenancy agreement.
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For a child aged 16 or over, evidence that they live with you and are not living independently.
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Written consent from the other parent, or evidence of sole responsibility.
Where records are missing or names differ between documents, explain the discrepancy in writing rather than hoping it will be overlooked.
Preparing and Uploading Your Documents
When you submit evidence for an online application, UKVI may allow documents to be uploaded as clear scans or photographs. Documents that are not in English or Welsh should normally be accompanied by an appropriate certified translation.
If a partner is applying at the same time, include the required relationship evidence, such as a marriage certificate or evidence of a recognised civil partnership where applicable.
A short cover letter can also help where the circumstances are not straightforward. For example, it can explain different surnames, missing records, sole responsibility, unusual living arrangements or why particular supporting evidence is being provided.
Child Visa Application Process: Step by Step
Application process for child dependant visa UK is given as:
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Confirm that your own visa, and your occupation code if you are a worker, allows dependants.
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When you apply for a UK child dependant visa, use the application form linked through the official UK government service. Applications can be submitted for entry clearance or in-country.
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Pay the visa fee and the immigration health surcharge for each child, unless you are exempt.
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Prove your child’s identity, using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or by attending a visa application centre for biometrics, depending on their nationality and age.
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Upload the supporting documents and submit the application. If you are the first person in your family to apply, you may be given a family linking code. Your partner or child can enter the same code so UKVI can connect related family applications.
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Wait for the decision. If your child is outside the UK, they must wait for their entry clearance before travelling.
If your child is already in the UK, they can apply to extend or switch at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires. Do not let your child’s permission lapse.
Common Reasons a Child Dependant Application Is Refused
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Parent not on a qualifying route: the parent’s visa type or job does not allow dependants.
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Missing parental consent: the other parent is not applying and there is no consent or sole responsibility evidence.
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Weak financial evidence: bank statements do not cover the full period or sit in an unacceptable account.
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Over-age applicant: the child turned 18 before the application date.
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Mismatched details: names or dates differ across the passport, certificate and form.
Check all names, dates, passport details and family information before submission. Where a dependent partner and children are applying together, inconsistencies between their forms can lead to requests for further evidence or delays.
At Salam Immigration, our team checks documents against Appendix Children before submission, so gaps are found before the Home Office finds them. If a refusal has already happened, our Immigration Appeals team can assess the grounds for challenge, drawing on 20+ years of experience.
Get Your Child’s Visa Right With Salam Immigration
With over 23,000 immigration applications handled since 2018, our team can support the route that fits your family.
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Skilled Worker Visa: we confirm whether your role allows dependants and prepare your application and your child’s together.
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UK Family Visa: we advise where your child is joining a British or settled parent rather than a visa holder.
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Immigration Appeals: if a child’s application has been refused, we assess the grounds and challenge the decision.
FAQs About the Child Dependant Visa UK
How old can a child be to apply as a dependant?
Under 18 on the date of application. A child aged 18 or over can apply only if they last held permission as a dependent child of the same parent or parents. Children over 16 may work part-time during term time.
Can I bring my child if I am the only parent applying?
Yes, if you have sole responsibility, are the sole surviving parent, or the other parent is a British citizen living in the UK. You must evidence it with documents.
Does my child need a separate application?
Yes. Each child makes their own application and pays their own fee and health surcharge, even if the family applies together.
How much money do I need to show for my child?
On the Skilled Worker route, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days, unless an exemption applies. Other routes have different figures.
Can care workers bring their children to the UK?
Generally not, unless you were continuously employed as a care worker on a qualifying visa since before 11 March 2024, or your child was born in the UK.
Speak to an Adviser About Your Child’s Visa
Your next step is to confirm which route your child qualifies under and whether your evidence is strong enough. Our Skilled Worker Visa service checks that your role allows dependants and plans the timing of both applications.
Our Immigration Appeals service helps if a child’s application has already been refused and you need the decision challenged. Contact Salam Immigration to discuss your child dependant visa UK.
