The UK Health and Care Dependant visa allow eligible partners and children of Health and Care Worker visa holders to come to the UK.
 

Dependant visa applicants must meet the relationship requirements and the Financial 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. 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

    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

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.