How to plan your study in the UK if you have a spouse?

Choosing to study in the UK is one of the smarter choices students can make for their personal and academic growth. It opens up new avenues of opportunity and gives them a lot of room to explore their career choices. The outstanding academia, equipped with a global reputation and diverse student communities, is ideal for all international students who wish to go abroad to pursue higher studies. The UK also offers a lot of flexibility and convenience for its international students, like offering spouse or dependent visa in the UK.

If you are a student planning to study abroad with your spouse, the United Kingdom is a great choice for exploring your options. For international students in the UK who wish to live with their spouses, the option to apply for a UK dependent visa is available.

Who is classified as a dependent?

The following people meet the criteria for applying for a UK dependent visa:

• Your spouse (over 18 years old or above)
• Your husband or wife, civil partner, same-sex partner or unmarried one. Please refer to UKCISA guidance for a detailed explanation of the terms mentioned above.
• Your children (under 18 years old)
• If one of the parents is applying for a UK degree programme, their children will be considered eligible for a dependent visa.
• According to immigration rules, both parents are required to be present in the UK. However, there are exceptional cases where either you are a divorced or widowed parent. For more details, refer to the UKCISA guidance.

Applying for a dependent visa

If the duration of your UK course programme is longer than six months, you will be eligible to apply for your spouse’s dependent visa in the UK.

New UK students can only bring their spouse in the following cases:

• If they are enrolled in a PhD and selective program.
• If they are a government-sponsored student with a 6-month or longer course duration.
• The eligible age requirement is 18 years or older, and you must ensure that your spouse meets all the eligibility criteria rules listed by the UK immigration authority for dependent visas.
• programIf you are enrolled in a course program that does adhere to UK dependent visa rules and regulations, your spouse cannot come to the UK. You must take care of the course program that you choose and spare some room to make amendments if required.

programBe thorough with your research when you plan to apply for a course programme and make sure it is in accordance with your long-term plans of living in the UK.

Are spouses allowed to work in the UK?

The work permit for your spouse in the UK is dependent on various factors. Your course selection is a critical deciding factor of whether your spouse will be allowed to work in the UK or not. For course-specific programmes that are longer than 12 months, like PhD students, a work permit is granted to the spouse in most cases, but the situation may vary for some.

Government-sponsored students have the upper hand in this case, and their spouses are easily granted a work permit.

When to apply for a dependent visa in the UK?

Students should apply for their spouse’s dependent visa right when applying for their UK course programme. Moreover, they can do it right after receiving their visa application. Suppose the student is still waiting for the outcome of his UK visa application. In that case, their spouse’s visa application should also be kept on hold until the first visa application is accepted.

How much would it cost to apply for a dependent visa?

According to GOV.UK, the cost is £1,846 (inside the UK) and £1,258 (outside the UK) if you bring your spouse, parent, or child. The cost of each dependent added to the application is £1,258 for those outside of the UK and £1,846 for those inside the UK.

The application fees will be charged as per each individual dependent, and the immigration health surcharge will also be added to the fee for the visa’s validity period.

How do I apply for a dependent visa?

Like the student visa, the dependent would also need to apply from either the country of residence or nationality. The application needs to be prepared and submitted online. Your spouse’s application will be independent. However, you may add individual applications for other people if there may be. As you will be busy preparing for the online application of your spouse, your spouse will need to look after other arrangements. They will have to book an appointment to physically visit a visa application centre in the country of residence. This is necessary for biometrics enrolment, facial image records and submitting all other supporting documents.

If your spouse is coming from the USA, New Zealand, or Australian cities, their biometric registration will be done from a local immigration centre. After completing this step, your spouse must send their documents to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

About UK Immigration: ID check app

EEA or Swiss nationals can remotely apply for UK immigration. Their IDs can be checked through the ID Check App. This means that they do not need to visit a Visa Application Centre to process their documents.

The ID Check App allows you to submit scanned copies of your passport along with your photo. The app is compatible with iPhone 7 model or the newer versions and any Android phone. This app is user-friendly and provides step-by-step instructions to help students with the application process.

Financial requirements

The visa application for dependents requires the availability of sufficient funds to cover the living costs in the UK. The visa validity is up to 9 months. Hence, the finances you reflect in your account should be according to the number of months you are planning to stay, and it is required for each month. If you are planning to live for 9 months, the amount may go up.

The financial requirement is fulfilled by providing a bank statement and holding the funds in the student’s or spouse’s name. The supporting financial document needs to show that the funds have been in the account for 28 days at the minimum. Moreover, it must not be more than 31 days before the date of application. For example, if you submit your application on 20th May, your bank statement should be from 20th February to 20th March.

Which UK universities offer dependent visas?

Here is the list of the top-tier UK universities offering dependent visas to international students for their spouses:

• University of Cambridge
• University of Oxford
• University of Bradford
• University of Birmingham
• University of Essex
• The University of Edinburgh
• University of Leeds
• University of Northampton
• Brunel University London
• University of Liverpool
• University of Southampton
• University of Stirling
• Bournemouth University
• University of Warwick

For more details and information regarding the university policies and course programmes for a dependent visa, visit their website.

Final thoughts

We hope that this article helped guide you if you are planning to study in the UK having spouses. Applying to the UK as a student having spouses may seem like an overwhelming process for many. However, you can get in touch with experts in the field to take over this job from you.

While you can worry about planning your life ahead, we will take care of all the necessary arrangements. Contact us now, and we will be glad to assist you with the entire process.

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