Dependants of a sponsored worker

A sponsored worker’s family members need their own eligibility assessment for dependant permission. The availability of the route can depend on the worker’s occupation, sponsorship history and applicable restrictions, so do not promise that every family can apply on the same basis.

Gather relationship, identity and existing status evidence and check current conditions. Family applications also have their own costs, timing and decision outcomes.

Check dependant eligibility before promising a family move

A Skilled Worker's partner and children may be eligible to join or remain with them, but dependant permission is not automatic. Each family member needs the appropriate application and supporting evidence. The worker's occupation, immigration history and the family member's circumstances can affect eligibility. An employer should avoid promising that a relocation package guarantees visas for the whole family. ^[1]

Gather the worker's route and occupation, relevant earlier permission dates, family relationships and where each person currently lives. Identify children approaching adulthood and any existing dependant permission. Keep the employer's role limited to the agreed support: the family's personal application may require information that is not needed by the hiring manager. Clarify who is advising the family and who receives the conclusions.

Review occupation-specific restrictions and exceptions

The current guidance places particular restrictions on dependants of care workers, senior care workers and people in specified medium-skilled occupations. Transitional provisions and certain child-related exceptions exist, and the conditions differ depending on whether the family member is inside or outside the UK. Do not turn these provisions into either “all dependants are allowed” or “no children can ever apply”. ^[1]

Ask an authorised adviser to assess the exact occupation, continuous employment and permission history against the relevant dates. A worker recruited under a new rule may have a different family position from someone continuously sponsored before the specified change. Where an exception concerns a child born in the UK, parental responsibility or another parent's sponsorship, obtain the relevant facts and evidence rather than relying on an informal summary.

Prepare relationship and child evidence carefully

Partners need evidence of a qualifying relationship. The guidance recognises marriage or civil partnership and specified unmarried-partner circumstances, including some cases where a couple cannot live together but can demonstrate a durable relationship and ongoing commitment. Do not insist that every unmarried couple must have an identical shared-address history without reviewing the applicable provision. Keep evidence proportionate and relevant to the relationship being established. ^[1]

For children, identify age, existing permission, living arrangements and parental circumstances. A child over 18 may need to be continuing an existing dependant position rather than applying as a new adult relative. Complex custody, sole-parent or consent issues should receive specialist advice. A work visa for one parent does not settle every child's eligibility or the separate family-law requirements for travel and relocation.

Plan finances, applications and travel for each person

The maintenance requirement and possible exemptions need to be assessed for the family members applying. Where the sponsor certifies maintenance, confirm exactly what the CoS covers rather than assuming support for the worker automatically includes every dependant. Each application has its own fee and evidence steps, and the family may use the linking process described by the official service. Linking applications does not remove individual requirements. ^[1]

If the worker extends or changes their permission, existing dependant visas do not automatically acquire a new expiry date. Review each person's deadline and whether they will apply together or later. Our guide to Changing employers on a sponsored work route considers employer changes and the need to plan family applications separately. Pending in-country applications also have travel restrictions, so coordinate holidays and relocation bookings with the actual application stage.

Read each decision and record the next dates

After approval, check the family member's identity details, permission dates and conditions. Dependant permission commonly permits work and study subject to restrictions, but the actual conditions should be read rather than assumed. A dependant taking employment needs their own employer's prescribed right-to-work check. The main worker's CoS is not evidence that another family member can undertake any job. ^[1]

For assistance through Skilled Worker application coordination, provide the worker's occupation and permission history, family relationships and each person's location. Case-specific immigration advice must be supplied by an appropriately regulated or otherwise legally authorised adviser. Agree a secure method for personal documents and clarify whether the employer or family is the client. A useful plan identifies eligibility, applications, evidence and dates for each person individually.

Keep school, housing and travel commitments conditional where permission remains undecided. The employer can offer practical support while being clear about what is approved, what is being funded and what still depends on a Home Office decision. This reduces the chance of a family making irreversible arrangements based on a recruitment assumption.

Illustrative scenario

An employer’s candidate asks whether a partner and children can accompany them. A regulated adviser reviews the specific sponsored role and relevant dates before the relocation plan assumes dependant eligibility.

Preparation checklist

• Identify family relationships
• Review route restrictions
• Gather identity and status evidence
• Plan separate application costs and timing