Here we explain what is meant by a Student Dependant and the application process and requirements
Your partner and/or child can come to the UK as your Student Dependant, extend their stay as your Student Dependant, or switch from their current status to Student Dependant, if:
To be eligible to bring dependants through holding a government scholarship or sponsorship the award must be a government funded scholarship or sponsorship provided by His Majesty’s Government or your national government. State-owned and state-funded companies/entities providing scholarship or sponsorship are not the same as the scholarship coming directly from a national government department, which is the current requirement.
Below is the list Queen Mary courses that meet the requirements for Student visa applicants to be eligible to apply to have dependants join them in the UK:
Please note that Queen Mary also offers MRes courses, which do not meet the requirements for Student visa applicants to have dependants.
Your partner or child can apply for Student Dependant permission from inside the UK if they have been valid UK immigration permission in any category except the categories listed below:
(a) as a Visitor; or
(b) as a Short-term Student; or
(c) as a Parent of a Child Student; or
(d) as a Seasonal Worker; or
(e) as a Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or
(f) outside the Immigration Rules.
Your Dependant can be your partner or child.
In this context, partner means:
The relationship with your partner must be genuine and subsisting and you must intend to live together throughout your stay in the UK.
You and your partner must be 18 or older on the date when you arrive in the UK.
Your child must either be:
Both child’s parents must also be in the UK or plan to travel to the UK with them, unless
You can submit your and your dependants’ applications at the same time, or separately, depending on your circumstances.
If your dependant is applying from overseas and the visa application centre in the country of application offers premium services, the fee per person is as follows:
If your dependant is extending or switching to Student Dependant immigration permission in the UK, the fee per person is as follows:
Standard Applications UKVCAS appointment
Evidence of relationship to partner
Evidence of relationship to child
If you have already started your course, you can download a Student Status Letter from your Gradintelligence account. If you have not yet started studying, your dependant can submit a copy of your CAS statement.
If your dependant is applying for permission to stay from within the UK and has been in the UK for at least 12 months with valid permission, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.
If they are applying from outside the UK, or from inside the UK but have been in the UK for less than 12 months, each dependant will need to show a minimum of £845 for every month of the immigration permission they are applying for, up to a maximum of 9 months (£7605).
The funds should be in addition to the funds that are required for you, the student.
The funds can be shown in the student's name or the dependant's name. If your child is your dependant, the funds can also be shown in the child's other parent's account.
The funds must be shown for a minimum of 28 consecutive days, the evidence should be in the format which meets the Student requirements.
If your dependant's living expenses are also being covered by your financial sponsor, they can provide an official financial sponsorship letter containing all the required details.
We are aware that the Student Dependant application form does not currently provide the option for your dependant to say that they are financially sponsored by your official financial sponsor. We therefore recommend that your dependant explains this in the 'additional information' section of the application form and includes an explanatory cover letter with their supporting documents.
Birth in the UK does not automatically make a baby a British citizen. The baby needs to have a parent with British citizenship or Settled Status in the UK in order to acquire British nationality.
Your baby can stay with you lawfully in the UK without making a Student Dependant application. However, your baby will need immigration permission (and a passport) if they need to re-enter the UK after any travel.
A baby who is born in the UK is exempt from paying charges for NHS hospital treatment while they are aged three months or less. Therefore, if you would like your baby to be able to get free hospital treatment after three months, you can make a Student Dependant application for them. Alternatively, you may decide to pay for private medical insurance for your baby. There is information about how to apply for immigration permission for babies born in the UK on the UKCISA website.
Whilst you are pregnant, you are eligible for free NHS prescriptions and free dental care. You might also qualify for Healthy Start food vouchers. If you are pregnant but have also been working, you might also qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance. If your partner is pregnant, you may qualify for Paternity Pay. See the Money Helper webpage for more information. Maternity Action provides guidance about your entitlements if you are pregnant and have no recourse to public funds as a condition of your immigration permission- this will be the case if you have Student immigration permission.
You might also qualify for Maternity/Paternity Pay if you are a postgraduate student getting Research Council funding or Queen Mary funding. If you have specific questions, please contact the Research Degrees Office directly. There is general information on interrupting your studies including due to maternity/paternity on the Research Degrees Office web pages.
You may like to look at the Advice and Counselling Service Students with children guidance . This explains how much pre-school childcare may cost and who is eligible for free schooling in the UK.