If you have a partner, spouse, or parent in the UK and you want to join him/her, you can apply for a UK Dependent Visa. Your partner, spouse, or parent need not be a British citizen, which is the case in a UK Spouse visa or Civil partner visa. So the main applicant partner/Spouse can be on any Point Based System Visa, such as Skilled Worker/Tier 2 Visa  

Who can apply for a dependent visa UK? 

To be able to apply for a dependent visa, you must be a dependent family member of an individual who is already in the UK on a relevant visa, such as a work visa or student visa, or is applying for entry clearance to the UK. A dependent has been defined as one of the followings: 

• Husband, wife, or civil partner 

• Unmarried or same-sex partner 

• Unmarried child below the age of 18 at the time of application 

A child can apply as a dependent in the following ways: 

• Along with his/her parents, who are applying for entry clearance at the same time 

• Along with a parent who is applying for entry clearance to join his partner/spouse in the UK 

• A child can apply to join both of his/her parents who are already in the UK 

If a child has a sole parent, he/she can apply for a dependent visa UK, provided one of the followings is true: 

• The other parent is not alive or 

• The parent has the sole responsibility for the child or 

• There are compelling reasons for the child to apply as a dependent of only one of his/her parents 

Eligibility requirements for UK dependent visa

Applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements for a successful dependent visa UK: 

1. Dependent must be one of the followings: 

• A spouse, 

• A civil partner, 

• An unmarried or same-sex partner, 

• A child below the age of 18 

2. Both partners must be in a genuine and subsisting relationship 

3. Both partners intend to live together in the UK 

4. Children must not be leading an independent life 

5. They must show that they can meet their financial requirements in the UK without having to rely on public funds. 

Documents to be submitted 

You need to submit the following documents: 

• A passport or other valid travel document 

• Marriage Certificate for Spouse or Birth Certificate for Child 

• Bank statements or salary slips 

• The results of your tuberculosis test (if applicable) 

• The result of a criminal record check (if applicable) 

You may have to submit more documents depending on your circumstances. 

How long can you stay in the UK on a dependent visa UK? 

How long you can stay in the UK on a dependent visa would always be in line with the main applicant. 

If a child has his/her both parents in the UK and both have different visa lengths, the child would be granted the length of his/her stay in the UK in line with the parent who has the shorter period of leave remaining. 

If your partner in the UK is on a Skilled Worker visa and he/she is being or has been granted ILR (indefinite leave to remain), you as a dependent can apply for ILR, too, if you meet the eligibility requirements. If you fail to meet the eligibility requirements for an ILR, you can apply for a visa extension under the dependent route when your current visa is due to expire. In such a scenario, you would automatically be granted an extension for three years. 

However, if your partner is granted ILR on another visa route (for example, based on Long Residence), you would have to switch to the spousal partner (Appendix FM) route. 

If you are looking for professional assistance on your PBS Dependent visa you can contact us on 02034111261 or email us on info@visaandmigration.com  

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