Tier 2/Skilled Worker Dependent Visa Extension 2024

If you currently hold a Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa, you can apply for an extension when the main Skilled Worker visa holder extends their stay under this route. Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visas are normally granted with the same expiry date as that of the main Skilled Worker visa holder. This means that you can apply for your Tier 2 Dependent visa extension at the same time that the main Skilled Worker visa holder applies for their Skilled Worker visa extension. It is imperative that you submit your Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension application to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) before your current visa expires.

Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension requirements

To make a successful Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension application, you will need to meet the same eligibility requirements that you met when your dependant visa was granted by UKVI. The eligibility criteria for the Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa state that:

• You must still be an eligible dependant of the main Skilled Worker visa holder
• The main Skilled Worker visa holder must have secured an extension of their visa or be applying for one.

Eligible dependant requirements

To qualify for a dependent visa, you must be a dependant partner or child of a Skilled Worker visa holder. A dependant partner includes a married, civil partner, or unmarried partner (as long as you have been living with your partner for 2 or more years) who is still in a genuine and subsisting relationship with the main visa holder.

A dependant child must be under 18, live with (unless they attend university or board school) and be financially supported by their parent/s, and not be married or in a civil partnership. In other words, they must not live an independent life.

If a child is born in the UK to Tier 2 parents, they will not qualify for British citizenship. Therefore, your child may require a Tier 2 Dependent visa for a child born in the UK. However, if certain conditions are met, your child may be able to register for British citizenship. For more information, see our guide on British citizenship for child born in uk to non-british parents.

Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension documents

As part of Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension application process, the Home Office will ask you to provide a number of documents to prove your eligibility; these include:

• The Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN) for the main Skilled Worker visa holder – to ensure your extension applications are linked together
• Proof of a genuine and subsisting relationship:
  • marriage or civil partnership certificate
  • valid overseas registration document for a same-sex relationship
  • evidence that you still live with your partner in the form of bank/building society statements, council tax, utility bills, residential mortgage statements, tenancy agreements, or other correspondence showing you both live at the same address
• Child’s birth certificate
• Evidence of child dependency (if 16 years or over):
  • bank or building society statement (showing funds provided by the parent to the child)
  • official letter from the child’s current school, college, or university confirming their address

Please note the list of documents above is by no means exhaustive. UKVI will provide you with a full list of documents you will need to provide as part of your Skilled Worker Dependent visa extension application.

How to apply for a Tier 2 / Skilled Worker visa extension

To apply for a Tier 2 / Skilled Worker visa extension, you will need to complete the following steps:

1. Complete and submit the Tier 2 / Skilled Worker visa extension application form – you must include the main Skilled Worker visa holder’s Global Web Form (GWF) or Unique Application Number (UAN). The form you need to complete depends on whether you are applying as a child¹ or as a partner².
2. Pay the Tier 2 Dependent visa extension fees (up to 3 years: £719 per person or more than 3 years: £1,423 per person – this is less if the main visa holder has a job on the shortage occupation list).
3. Pay the healthcare surcharge (£1035 per year per adult and £776 per year per child).
4. 4. Book and attend an appointment at your nearest UKVCAS service to provide your biometrics (fingerprint scan and photo).
5. Submit or upload any Tier 2 Dependent visa extension documents requested by UKVI.

In most cases, you can expect to receive a decision on your Tier 2 / Skilled Worker visa extension within 8 weeks. If you require a faster decision, you may be able to use the super priority service for a fee of £1,000 for a decision within 1 working day. Alternatively, the priority service can provide a decision within 5 working days for a fee of £500.

Can you extend your dependant visa if the main applicant has ILR?

Yes, the Home Office guidance confirms that if a main Skilled Worker visa holder has gone on to obtain settlement (i.e. ILR) or British citizenship, their dependent/s can either apply for permission to stay or settlement, assuming that they qualify. To extend your dependant visa, if the main applicant has ILR, you must have held permission to stay in the UK as their dependant before they settled in the UK.

References

¹ GOV.UK: Application as a child

² GOV.UK: Application as a partner