Can I bring my family?

You can bring your family members as long as they can support themselves financially for the entire length of their stay in the United Kingdom without needing help from state benefits (also known as public funds).

Family members are:

• your husband, wife or civil partner; or 
• your unmarried or same-sex partner; or 
• your children aged under 18 years old.

The money that your family members will need to show depends on your own circumstances, including: 

• the length of your course;
• where you will be studying; and 
• if you are applying having completed a course, or are about to complete a course of study in the United Kingdom that was at least six months long in the past four months. 

Your family members (or you) must have enough money to cover their monthly living costs. Your family member may have to pay a lower amount of living costs if you are applying having completed a course, or are about to complete a course of study in the United Kingdom that was at least six months long in the past four months.  If your family member does not have enough money and cannot prove it, their application will be refused.

The amount of money that your family members (or you) will need to show (as well as the money you must show to cover your own living costs in the United Kingdom) is:

If you are applying having completed a course, or are about to complete a course of study in the United Kingdom that was at least six months long in the past four months, the money you will need to show is:

Your family members must be able to prove they have enough money available by providing documents with the application form. See Proof of availability of money for more information.

Conditions of their stay

If their application is successful, your family member will be given permission to come or stay in the United Kingdom, as long as:

• they have no access to state benefits (also known as public funds); 
• they must register with the police, if paragraph 326 of the immigration rules needs them to.

How do my children or partner apply?

To apply, your family member (also known as dependants) must fill in the dependant application form, which you can find on the right side of this page.

If you are applying from inside the United Kingdom, and send their form at the same time as your main application, you will only be charged a fee of £50 for each partner or child (except for children who are 18 years old or over who must pay separately). We encourage you to send both forms at the same time, as dependant application forms sent separately or later will be charged a fee. See Visa fees for more information.

If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom, each family member will be charged the same amount as you.

If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom, you will be charged the full amount.

Can my partner or children work?

Your partner and children can work while they are here only if you have been given more than 12 months permission to stay in the United Kingdom, but not as a doctor in training, unless when they were last granted leave which was not subject to a condition restricting their employment and they are currently working on an NHS foundation programme or working as a doctor in training, they can apply to be excempted from the condition prohibiting this type of employment.

In order to qualify for this exemption they should provide the following evidence:

• To prove that they are on a foundation programme you will need to provide a letter from their postgraduate Dean that satisfies the requirements of the immigration directorate instruction (IDI) on postgraduate doctors and dentists (see in particular page 17 of that IDI) confirming:
• that the they have a place on a foundation programme; and
• the foundation programme is recognised by the medical community; and
• the place on the foundation programme is full time.

Or

• To prove that they are working as a doctor in training you must provide a letter from the NHS trust employing them, confirming that they are working in a post/programme that has been approved by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board as a training programme or post.

You must include all of the above or any grant of leave will be subject to the 'doctor in training' restriction.

How to apply inside the United Kingdom

If you have a family member who wants to join or stay with you in United Kingdom, you or they should fill in the separate dependant application form.

We encourage you to send their application (also known as dependant application form) at the same time as your application.

Your family member should tell us:

• if they are sending their application at the same time as your application, as it tells us that both applications should be looked at together; 
• if you have already received official word from us that your application has been successful; 
• the immigration category and tier that you have applied under.
  

How to apply outside the United Kingdom?

If your family member is applying from outside the United Kingdom, they will need to make an application for permission to come to the United Kingdom (also known as entry clearance) at their nearest visa issuing post.

Applications are decided by visa services. Your family members (known as dependants) should contact visa services, whose website you can find on the right of this page, for information about how to make their application, the cost and waiting times for deciding applications.