Can I Bring My Family on a UK Student Visa? Dependant Rules for 2026

Most international students on a UK Student visa cannot bring a partner or children. As of October 2026, you can only bring dependants if you are a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months, or a full-time postgraduate on a PhD, other doctorate or research-based higher degree lasting at least 9 months. Taught master’s and undergraduate students usually cannot.

Key points

• The dependant ban for most taught courses has applied to courses starting on or after 1 January 2024 (GOV.UK).
• Each dependant needs £845 a month (London) or £680 a month (outside London), for up to 9 months.
• Each dependant pays the £558 fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• Dependants’ visas end on the same date as the student’s.
• A Graduate visa only lets you keep dependants who were already on your Student visa.

Who can bring dependants on a Student visa?

According to GOV.UK, you can bring your partner and children if one of these applies:

Category	Conditions
Government-sponsored student	Sponsored by a government, on a course longer than 6 months
Postgraduate research student	Full-time course at RQF level 7 or above, lasting at least 9 months. For courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, it must be a PhD or other doctorate (RQF 8) or a research-based higher degree

If you are on a taught master’s (MSc, MA, MBA and so on), an undergraduate degree or a course below degree level, you usually cannot bring dependants, whatever the course length.

What counts as a “research-based higher degree”?

This is a postgraduate qualification where research makes up most of the course, such as an MPhil or MRes, depending on how the course is structured. Your university decides whether to describe your course this way on your CAS. Ask its visa team before you assume you qualify.

Who counts as a dependant?

• Your husband, wife or civil partner
• Your unmarried partner (you will normally need to show you have lived together for at least 2 years)
• Your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay

Children must be unmarried, not in a civil partnership, and living with you unless they are in full-time education away from home.

How much money each dependant needs

Each dependant needs money on top of your own living costs and fees:

Course location	Per month	Maximum (9 months)
London	£845	£7,605
Outside London	£680	£6,120

The same 28-day rule applies as for students: hold the money for 28 consecutive days, with the period ending within 31 days of the application. If you apply together, you show your own funds plus the extra for each dependant. A dependant who has held a UK visa for 12 months does not need to show funds.

The student’s own monthly figure rises for applications from 30 November 2026, but the dependant figures did not change in that update. See our Student visa bank balance guide for details.

Worked example: PhD student in Manchester with a partner and one child

• Student living costs (applying from 30 November 2026): £1,203 × 9 = £10,827
• Partner: £680 × 9 = £6,120
• Child: £680 × 9 = £6,120
• Tuition paid by a funder (official sponsor letter)
• Total to hold: £23,067

What it costs to bring family

Cost per dependant	Amount (as of Oct 2026)
Visa application fee	£558
Immigration Health Surcharge	£776 per year of the visa

Students’ dependants pay the student rate of the surcharge (GOV.UK). For a 4-year PhD visa, the surcharge alone is about £3,104 per dependant, depending on the exact visa length.

How dependants apply

From outside the UK: each family member applies online as a partner or child of a student, using the main applicant’s application number (GWF or UAN). They prove their identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre.

From inside the UK: dependants can apply at the same time as you or later, before their own visa expires. They cannot switch in the UK from a visit visa, short-term student visa, Parent of a Child Student visa, seasonal worker visa or domestic worker visa. They must not leave the Common Travel Area while the application is pending.

Documents dependants usually need

Each family member submits their own application, with:

• a valid passport
• your application number (GWF or UAN) or details of your current grant
• proof of relationship: a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or evidence of at least 2 years living together for unmarried partners; a birth certificate for children (a UK birth certificate must name both parents)
• financial evidence showing the extra funds for that dependant, unless an exemption applies
• for children, 2 documents confirming the child’s address (for example a bank statement, driving licence or NHS registration document)
• a tuberculosis test certificate if they live in a country where one is required
• certified translations of any documents not in English or Welsh

GOV.UK lists other accepted relationship evidence in separate Home Office guidance. Missing or inconsistent relationship evidence is a common reason for delays.

Timing tips

Dependants applying from outside the UK should usually apply at the same time as you or soon after, because their visa ends on the same date as yours. If they apply later, they still need to meet the funds rule at that time.

Children born in the UK

A child born in the UK while you are on a Student visa does not automatically become a British citizen. You should apply for them as your dependant. GOV.UK notes that the child must have a dependant visa applied for before turning 18 if they want to stay. If you later move to the Graduate visa, a UK-born child can be included even if they were not your dependant before.

Options if you cannot bring your family

There is no way around the rule on the Student route itself. Couples sometimes consider these routes, each with its own requirements:

1. Your partner applies for their own visa. If your partner qualifies for a Skilled Worker, Health and Care, Global Talent or other visa in their own right, you could be their dependant instead, depending on that route’s rules. See our Skilled Worker visa guide.
2. Choose a research degree. If you were already planning doctoral study, a PhD lets you bring family. Do not choose a course only for this reason.
3. Government sponsorship. Students fully funded by their government on courses over 6 months can bring dependants.
4. Visits. Family members can visit for up to 6 months at a time as visitors. They must intend to leave, cannot work, and cannot live in the UK through frequent or long visits.
5. Join later on a work route. After graduating, if you move to a Skilled Worker visa, your partner and children may be able to join you as your dependants, subject to that route’s rules.

Be careful with advice online suggesting ways to bring a partner on a taught course. Applications that misrepresent a relationship or course can lead to refusal and a re-entry ban.

Dependants and the Graduate visa

If your partner and children were your dependants on your Student visa, they can usually stay with you when you switch to the Graduate visa. A partner who was not your dependant cannot be added on the Graduate route (GOV.UK).

For more on study routes, visit our UK hub or the UK Student visa guide.

What to do next

1. Check with your university how your course is classified (taught, research or doctoral).
2. If you qualify, calculate the funds for every family member and start the 28-day period early.
3. Budget for £558 plus the surcharge per dependant.
4. If you do not qualify, discuss long-term plans with your partner before accepting a place.
5. For complex family situations, speak to an OISC-regulated adviser or solicitor.