Can I bring my family to the UK as dependants?

Most main visa holders can be joined by close family as dependants, on leave that mirrors their own. The important practical point is that a dependant’s status is derived from yours — it is granted separately but stands or falls with the main visa.

Who qualifies

• A spouse or civil partner
• An unmarried partner, generally where you have been in a genuine relationship for at least two years. Evidence matters here: joint finances, correspondence to a shared address, photographs together over time, and travel records.
• Children under 18, with the usual care and accommodation requirements

Each family member makes their own application and pays their own fees, including the Immigration Health Surcharge. Nobody travels on the main holder’s permission. You must also meet the financial requirement that applies to your route, which is calculated to cover the whole family.

What dependants can do here

On most work routes dependants have an unrestricted right to work: any sector, full-time or part-time, employed or self-employed, with no minimum salary and no requirement to work in the same field as you. That freedom is often worth more to a household than the main visa’s own conditions.

The risk to plan for

If the main visa is curtailed — most commonly because sponsorship ends when an employer’s licence is revoked or the job stops — dependants are affected too. They receive the same grace period, typically around 60 days, to find another basis to remain. If you secure a new sponsor and a new visa quickly, dependants can normally apply to extend on the same footing, so act immediately rather than waiting for individual notices.

A few routes restrict who may bring dependants at all, and the rules have changed more than once in recent years. Check the current position for your specific visa on GOV.UK, or with an OISC-regulated adviser, before your family makes plans or gives up jobs and school places abroad.