What You Need to Know If You Are Planning to Study in the UK Having Spouses with You.pdf
1. What You Need to Know If
You are Planning To Study
in the UK Having Spouses
with You
2. INDEX
Basic Discussion
Who is classified as a dependent?
Applying for a dependent visa
Are spouses allowed to work in the UK?
When to apply for a dependent visa in the UK?
What much would it cost to apply for a dependent visa?
How to apply for a dependent visa?
ID Check app
Financial Requirements
Which UK universities offer dependent visas?
Final Thoughts
3. Basic Discussion:
Choosing to study in the UK is one of the smarter choices students can make for their
personal and academic growth. It opens up new avenues of opportunities and gives them a
lot of room to explore their career choices. The outstanding academia equipped with a
global reputation and diverse student communities is ideal for all international students who
wish to go abroad to pursue higher studies. The UK also offers a lot of flexibility and
convenience for its international students, like offering spouse visas.
If you are a student planning to study abroad and your spouse, the United Kingdom is a
great choice for exploring your options. For international students in the UK who wish to live
with their spouses, the option to apply for a UK Dependent Visa is available.
4. Who is classified as a dependent?
The following people meet the criteria of applying
for a UK Dependent Visa:
Your spouse (over 18 years old or above)
Your husband or wife, civil partner, same-sex partner or unmarried one.
Please refer to UKCISA guidance for a detailed explanation of the terms
mentioned above.
Your children (under 18 years old)
If one of the parents is applying for a UK degree programme,
their children will be considered eligible for a dependent visa.
According to immigration rules, both parents are required to be present
in the UK. However, there are exceptional cases where
either you are a divorced or widowed parent. For more details,
refer to the UKCISA guidance.
5. Applying for a dependent visa
If the duration of your UK course programme is
longer than six months, you will be eligible to
apply for your spouse’s dependent visa in the UK.
New UK students can only bring their spouse in
the following cases:
6. If they are enrolled in a postgraduate course, i.e., 12 months or longer.
If they are a Government-sponsored student with a 6-months or longer
course duration.
The eligible age requirement is 18 years or older, and you must ensure that
your spouse meets all the eligibility criteria rules listed by the UK immigration
authority for dependent visas.
If you are enrolled in a course programme that does adhere to UK Dependent
Visa rules and regulations, your spouse cannot come to the UK. You must
take care of the course programme that you choose and spare some room to
make amendments if required.
Be thorough with your research when you plan to apply for a course programme and
make sure it is in accordance with your long-term plans of living in the UK.
7. The work permit for your spouse in the UK is dependent
on various factors. Your course selection
is a critical deciding factor of whether your spouse
will be allowed to work in the UK or not. For course
programmes that are 12 months or longer, a work permit
is granted to the spouse in most cases, but
the situation may vary for some.
Government-sponsored students have the upper
hand in this case, and their spouses are easily
granted a work permit.
Are spouses allowed to work in the UK?
8. It is usually recommended that students should apply
for their spouse’s dependent visa right when they are
applying for their UK course programme or just after
they have received their visa application.
If the student is still waiting for the outcome of his UK
visa application, their spouse visa application should
also be kept on hold until the first visa application is
accepted.
When to apply for a dependent visa in the UK?
9. The application fees will be charged
as per each individual dependent; the
fee is £348.The immigration health
surcharge of £470 will also be added
to the fee for the visa’s validity period.
What much would it cost to apply
for a dependent visa?
10. Just like the student visa, the dependent would also need to apply from either the
country of residence or the country of nationality. The application needs to be
prepared and submitted online. Your spouse’s application will be independent; you
may add individual applications for other people if there may be.
As you will be preparing for the online application of your spouse, your spouse will
need to book an appointment to physically visit a visa application centre in the country
of residence for biometrics enrolment, facial image records and submitting all other
supporting documents.
If your spouse is coming from the USA, New Zealand and or from Australian cities,
they will go for biometric registration to a local immigration centre. After completing
this step, your spouse must send their documents to UK Visas and Immigration
(UKVI).
How to apply for a dependent visa?
11. ID Check app
EEA or Swiss nationals can apply via the UK
Immigration. They can have IDs checked through an
app and won’t necessarily have to visit a Visa
Application Centre to process their documents. The
app allows you to submit scanned copies of your
passport along with your photo. The app is
compatible with iPhone 7 model or the newer
versions and any Android phone. The app is user
friendly and provides step by step instructions to
help students with the application process.
12. The visa application for dependent needs to ensure
that they have sufficient funds to cover the living cost
in the UK. The visa validity is of up to 9 months, so
the finances that you reflect in your account should
be according to the number of months you are
planning to stay. The amount of £680 is required for
each month. If you are planning to live for a period of
9 months, then it should be a total of £6,120.
This requirement is fulfilled by providing a bank
statement and holding the funds in the student’s or
their spouse’s name. The supporting financial
document needs to show that the funds have been
in the account for 28 days at the minimum; it must
not be more than 31 days before the date of
application. For example, if you are submitting your
application on 20th May, your bank statement should
be from 20th February to 20th March.
Financial Requirements
13. Which UK universities offer dependent visas?
Here is the list of the top-tier UK universities that
offer dependent visas to international students for
their spouse:
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
University of Bradford
University of Birmingham
University of Essex
The University of Edinburgh
University of Leeds
University of Northampton
Brunel University London
University of Liverpool
University of Southampton
University of Stirling
Bournemouth University
University of Warwick
For more details and information regarding the university policies and preferred course
programs for students applying for a dependent visa, visit their website.
14. Final Thoughts
We hope that this article helped guide you with if you are planning to study in the UK
having spouses with you. Applying to the UK as a student having spouses may seem like
an overwhelming process for many. Get in touch with experts in the field to take over this
job from you. While you can worry about planning your life ahead, we will take care of all
the necessary arrangements. Contact us now, and we will be glad to assist you with the
entire process.