Health and Care Visa Dependant Application Guidance

What is a UK Health and Care Dependant visa and who can apply?

The UK Health and Care Dependant visa allow eligible partners and children of Health and Care Worker visa holders to come to the UK. Eligible dependant partners include married partners, civil partners, and unmarried partners.

Children coming to the UK on this type of visa must be dependant on a Health and Care visa holder. This can include those who are over 18 as long as it can be shown that they meet the necessary criteria, as explained below.

Health and Care Dependant visa requirements

To qualify as a Health and Care visa dependant, applicants must prove that:

• Their partner or parent holds a valid UK Health and Care Worker visa, or
• Their partner or parent is applying for a Health and Care Worker visa at the same time, or
• Their partner or parent has settled or become a British citizen assuming their last grant of leave was as a Health and Care Worker.

One of the main differences between the Health and Care Worker Dependant visa and the Skilled Worker dependent visa is that Health and Care Worker visa dependants do not need to pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge. This is normally £1035per adult and £776 per child per year. In addition, the visa application fee is much lower for this type of UK dependant visa (see the how to apply sections below).

In addition to the above requirements, dependant visa applicants must meet the:

• Relationship requirements
• Financial requirements

Health and Care Visa dependant relationship requirements

To qualify as a dependant partner, the applicant must be:

• Married to or in a civil partnership with the Health and Care Worker visa holder, or
• Have been in a genuine relationship and living with the Health and Care Worker visa holder for at least 2 years.

To qualify as a dependant child, the applicant must normally be under 18 years. However, if they are already present in the UK as the dependant of the main visa holder, they can apply if over the age of 18. The rules for dependant child visa also state that applicants must:

• live with the main visa holder (unless they live away at university or attend boarding school)
• not be married or in a civil partnership
• not have any children
• rely on the main visa holder financially

To prove their eligibility, applications for dependant children should include proof of their address. This can be provided in the form of a bank statement, credit card bill, driving licence, NHS registration document, or a letter from their university or college in the UK.

Health and Care Visa dependant financial requirements

Health and Care Worker dependant visas will only be granted by the Home Office where it can be shown that there are sufficient support funds of:

• £285 for a partner
• £315 for the first dependant child
• £200 for each subsequent dependant child

The dependant family member will not need to meet these financial requirements if they have already been in the UK for 12 months or more or if the employer is willing to cover these costs. This must be stated on the main visa holder’s Certificate of Sponsorship.

How to apply for a Health and Care Dependant visa

How you apply for a Health and Care Dependant visa depends on whether the application is being submitted from outside the UK or from inside the UK.

Apply from outside the UK

The application steps to apply from outside the UK are as follows:

• Complete and submit the online application form. You will need to select the correct application form depending on whether you wish to apply for a dependant partner¹ or child². Please note you must add the Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN) for the main visa holder to ensure all applications are linked together.

• Pay the application fee of £247 for up to 3 years or £479 for over 3 years – this is per person.

• The dependant family member may need to attend an appointment at their nearest visa application centre (VAC) to have their photo taken and fingerprints scanned.

• Upload any documents required by the Home Office.

Applications from outside the UK typically take up to 3 weeks to process, although it is possible to pay more for a faster decision.

Apply from inside the UK

The application steps to apply from inside the UK (assuming the applicant is switching to or extending their dependant visa) are as follows:

• Complete and submit the online application form – you will need to select the correct application form depending on whether you wish to extend or switch a Health and Care Worker visa as a dependant partner³ or as a dependant child⁴.

• Pay the application fee.

• The dependant family member may need to attend an appointment at their nearest UKCAS service point.

• Upload any documents required by the Home Office.

Applications from inside the UK typically take up to 3 weeks to process, although it is possible to pay extra for a faster decision within 1 or 5 working days, depending on which priority service you choose.

What a Health and Care Visa Dependant can and cannot do?

Health and Care Worker visa dependants can live, work, study, and travel freely to and from the UK. The period of their permission to be in the UK is generally the same as that of the main visa holder. They are also able to extend their stay or apply for indefinite leave to remain once they have lived in the UK continuously for 5 years. Tier 2 Health and Care Worker visa dependants are not permitted to apply for public benefits.

How can Reiss Edwards help?

Reiss Edwards is a leading immigration solicitor based in Central London. We can assist with all aspects of your family member’s Health and Care Worker Dependant visa, including

• Check your eligibility for a Health and Care Dependant visa.
• Advising if your family member has any other immigration options available to them.
• Handle your application and advise on how to overcome any issues with a Health and Care Dependant visa application.
• Handle the refusal of a Health and Care Dependant visa.
• Advise on settling permanently in the UK with your partner and children, and how to get British citizenship.

References

¹ GOV.UK: Apply for dependant partner

² GOV.UK: Apply for a child

³ GOV.UK: Extend or switch a Health and Care Worker visa as a dependant partner

⁴ GOV.UK: Extend or switch to your Health and Care Worker visa as a dependant child