Bringing Your Partner or Children to the UK as a Student: Who Qualifies in 2026
Bringing Your Partner or Children to the UK as a Student: Who Qualifies in 2026
This is one of the most painful rule changes in recent UK student visa history, and it still catches people out in 2026: most international students can no longer bring their spouse, partner, or children to the UK while they study.
The rule, in one sentence
Since 1 January 2024, you can only bring dependants on a Student visa if you are:
- Studying a PhD or other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree (RQF Level 8), or
- A government-sponsored student on a course lasting more than six months, funded by your home government or an international scholarship body
Who this rule shuts out
If you are studying any of the following, you cannot bring a partner or children on a Student visa dependant route, even if you could comfortably afford to support them:
- A taught master's (MSc, MA, MBA, LLM)
- An undergraduate degree
- A foundation year or pre-sessional English course
- A diploma or below-degree qualification
Who qualifies as a dependant
If you are in the eligible group (PhD/research degree or government-sponsored), the dependants who can apply alongside you are:
- Your husband, wife, or civil partner
- An unmarried partner you have lived with in a relationship similar to marriage for at least two years
- Your children under 18, including children born in the UK during your stay
What it costs
Each dependant application involves three separate costs:
1. The visa application fee - approximately £524, rising to £558 for applications made from 8 April 2026
2. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) - a separate cost per dependant, per year of the visa
3. Maintenance (financial) funds - dependants typically need to show funds in the range of roughly £680 per month per dependant, up to a maximum of 9 months, though you should verify the exact current figure on GOV.UK before relying on it, since maintenance figures have changed for main applicants as of late 2026 and dependant figures can move too
Funds must generally be held for a minimum consecutive 28-day period, and can be held in either the student's name or the partner's name. If you have official financial sponsorship covering your dependants' living costs, a sponsor letter can be used instead of a bank statement.
What children need to show
If your child is applying as a dependant for the first time, they must be younger than 18 at the time of application. For children specifically, there is an additional condition worth knowing: both parents generally need to be in the UK or coming to the UK for a child to be eligible.
If you don't qualify - realistic alternatives
If your course doesn't make you eligible, the honest options are:
- Wait until you complete your course and switch to the Graduate Route, then later to a Skilled Worker visa. Dependant rules are different (and generally more open) on work routes than on the Student route.
- If your partner has their own UK immigration status (British citizenship, settled status, or a work visa of their own), they may be able to sponsor themselves independently rather than as your dependant.
- If you are considering a PhD or research degree instead of a taught master's, and bringing family is a genuine priority, this is worth factoring into your course choice - but should not be the only reason you choose a research degree.
What has not changed
It's worth being clear about what this rule does not affect: your own Student visa conditions, your course requirements, and your work-hour limits are unchanged. This restriction is specifically about who else can join you, not about your own status.