A child dependent visa lets a child under 18 join a parent who lives in the UK, or stay with them, but there is no single “child dependent visa”. The application, the evidence and the fees depend on your own immigration category, your child’s age and whether your child is applying from inside or outside the UK. This guide explains how to work out which route applies to you, what you must prove, what it costs and how long it takes.
TL;DR
- Your child applies as a dependant of your route (for example Skilled Worker or Student), so the rules, forms and money requirements differ from route to route.
- A child must normally be under 18 on the application date, must not live an independent life and must not have a partner.
- For Skilled Worker dependants, you must show £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days.
- The UKVI standard is 12 weeks for a child family visa application made outside the UK and 8 weeks for one made inside the UK.
- A child born in the UK to a temporary migrant does not automatically become British and needs their own permission.
Table of Contents
- What a child dependent visa actually is
- Who can apply: the eligibility rules
- Applying from outside the UK or from inside it
- Money and documents
- What it costs
- How long it takes and how long the visa lasts
- What changed in 2026
- Our perspective
- How we can help
- Common mistakes to avoid
- FAQ
- Sources
What a child dependent visa actually is
People search for “child dependent visa” as if it were one visa. In practice, the Home Office deals with children under several parts of the Immigration Rules. Most dependent-child applications are assessed under Appendix Children, which lists the routes a child can follow, including Skilled Worker, Student and Graduate. Children of British citizens or of people settled in the UK are usually dealt with through the family visa route instead.
So the first question is not “what does my child need?” but “what permission do I hold, or what am I applying for?” If you want a wider overview of the options, our guide to the types of dependent visas in the UK sets them side by side.
Dependants of work and study visa holders
If you hold a Skilled Worker visa, your partner and children may apply to join you or stay with you as dependants, and each person needs a separate application, according to GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker guidance. The same pattern applies to other routes. Secondment Worker dependants, for instance, follow a comparable money test.
Note that care workers and senior care workers have their own, more restricted rules on bringing dependants, so check your occupation code before planning a family move.
Children of British citizens and settled parents
If your child’s parent is British or has indefinite leave to remain, the application falls under the family visa rules. GOV.UK’s page on applying as a child under the family visa route covers children born in or outside the UK, and children who apply separately from a parent. Our own Spouse / Fiancé / Child Settlement service handles many of these applications.
Who can apply: the eligibility rules
The Home Office looks at four things: age, independence, relationships and living arrangements.
Age
An applicant must be under 18 on the date of application. There is a narrow exception for those who were last granted permission as a dependent child and whose permission is still valid, or expired no more than 14 days earlier, plus applicants under the Bereaved Partner and Victim of Domestic Abuse routes, as set out in Appendix Children.
This matters for families approaching a child’s 18th birthday. A child who turns 18 before you apply generally cannot be added as a child dependant unless the exception applies. Plan the timing well in advance, and take advice if a birthday is less than a year away.
Independence, partners and where the child lives
According to the caseworker guidance for Appendix Children, a child must:
- not be leading an independent life;
- not have a partner, including a marriage-like relationship lasting two years or more;
- live with a parent, except when away for full-time education at boarding school, college or university.
The applicant also has to prove the relationship to the parent. Where only one parent is involved, sole parental responsibility may satisfy the relevant parental requirement. We explain what the Home Office looks for in our article on sole responsibility for a child visa.
Step-children and children living apart from a parent
These are the cases that most often go wrong. If the child’s other parent is alive and has contact, or if you are not the biological parent, the Home Office wants clear evidence of who makes the major decisions in the child’s life and why the move is in the child’s interests. The department must also take account of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the UK, in line with the Secretary of State’s duty under section 55, so a letter of consent from the other parent, court orders or school records can all matter.
Applying from outside the UK or from inside it
Outside the UK
The form depends on the parent’s route. Where the child applies together with a parent who is applying as a partner of someone listed in the rules, the online Appendix FM application is used. Otherwise the child completes the online application and the paper Appendix 1 form, according to GOV.UK. A child who applies separately must include proof of the parent’s income.
Inside the UK
A child already in the UK applies online, either to extend their stay or to switch into a dependant category. Check first whether your own route permits switching, because some visitor and short-term visas do not. Our article on why a visitor visa cannot simply be switched to a spouse visa shows how strict these limits can be.
A child born in the UK
Birth in the UK does not make a child British if the parents are temporary migrants. GOV.UK states that a child born to a Skilled Worker migrant does not automatically become British, needs a dependant visa to travel in and out of the UK, and that the application must include a full UK birth certificate naming both parents, per its Skilled Worker partner and children page.
On the family visa route, a UK-born child receives the same permission as the parent and can be added to the parent’s next application or apply separately, according to GOV.UK. The University of Sheffield’s student immigration guidance adds a practical warning: a non-British child born here can remain lawfully without applying at once, but if the child leaves the UK before getting a visa, they must obtain one from overseas before returning. If you plan to travel soon after the birth, apply first.
Money and documents
Maintenance funds
For Skilled Worker dependants, you generally need to show £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child. The money must be held for 28 days, with day 28 falling within 31 days of the application, subject to the exceptions GOV.UK lists on its Skilled Worker dependants page. Secondment Worker dependants face the same figures for 28 consecutive days.
A worked example: a Skilled Worker bringing two children needs £315 plus £200, which is £515 for the children, and the partner’s funds are assessed on top of that. Do not move the money in and out during the 28 days, because a dip below the figure on any day can sink the application.
For family visa children applying separately, the money question is different: the child must provide evidence of the parent’s income against the relevant financial requirement, or the partner financial requirement where the parent has refugee or humanitarian protection status. Our guide to the spouse visa financial requirement explains what counts as income.
Documents
For Skilled Worker dependants, GOV.UK asks for evidence of the relationship and of the child’s address, for example a bank statement, an NHS registration document or an official letter from a university or college. In every route, the applicant has to show that the Appendix Children requirements are met, and caseworkers can ask for more information if something is unclear.
A typical child bundle includes:
- The child’s passport or travel document.
- A birth certificate naming both parents, with certified translations if it is not in English.
- Evidence of your own status and, where relevant, your sponsor’s certificate of sponsorship details.
- Proof of the child’s address and of living with you.
- Maintenance or income evidence for your route.
- Consent letters, court orders or sole responsibility evidence where one parent is not applying.
See also our broader list of UK family visa documents.
What it costs
There are three separate costs: the application fee, the healthcare surcharge and, for some routes, a biometric or service fee.
Application fee. For family visas, GOV.UK lists £2,064 per person when applying from outside the UK and £1,407 per person from inside the UK, and the same figure applies to each dependant added to an application. Fees for work and study dependants follow the fee table for those routes, so check the current figure before you pay.
Immigration Health Surcharge. For family visas, the surcharge for each child under 18 is £1,940 for 2 years and 6 months, £2,328 for 2 years and 9 months, or £3,880 for 5 years, according to the family visa overview.
Fees change, usually with a Statement of Changes or an annual uplift, so always check the official page on the day you apply.
How long it takes and how long the visa lasts
The UKVI customer service standard for family applications is 12 weeks for a child application made outside the UK and 8 weeks inside the UK. These are targets, not guarantees, and an incomplete bundle can add weeks.
If the application succeeds, the child’s visa usually ends on the same date as the parent’s. Where the parents’ visas end on different dates, it ends on the earlier one. This means a child’s extension should be planned in step with yours, not left until their own visa is about to run out.
What changed in 2026
The Statement of Changes (HC 584) brings numerous updates through 2026, but for dependants the changes are route-by-route amendments inside existing appendices, not a new overall dependent visa category. In practice, that means you should read the rules for your own route as they stand on the day you apply, rather than relying on an older guide, including this one. The published Statement of Changes is the document to check.
Our perspective
We see the same pattern in child dependant cases. Families treat the child’s application as an add-on to a parent’s, then discover that the child’s evidence is where a refusal comes from: a missing other-parent consent, a birth certificate that does not name both parents, or a bank balance that dipped on day 19.
That is why every enquiry at MNS Solicitors is handled by a qualified solicitor from the start, not passed to a trainee. A child’s application is rarely complicated by the form itself. It is complicated by family circumstances: separated parents, step-children, a child close to 18, a parent whose own visa is about to expire. Those need judgement from someone who has seen similar cases, and an honest early answer on whether the application is strong enough to file.
Our advice is simple. Check the child’s age against your timeline first, gather the parental-responsibility evidence before the financial evidence, and never let your own application run ahead of the child’s without a plan for both.
— michelle
How we can help
If your situation is straightforward, you may be comfortable applying alone. If it involves a child close to 18, a step-parent, a parent abroad who has not consented or a previous refusal, a solicitor’s review before filing is worth the cost.
An initial consultation with us lasts one hour and costs £120. Our published fixed fee for Spouse / Fiancé / Child Settlement is £1,100, and additional family members are £400 each per additional applicant. The full list is on our fees page, with no hidden extras. If time is short, our urgent visa service can prepare an application in as little as 24 hours. Child cases that need settlement advice are covered by our child settlement visa team.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving it too late. A child who turns 18 before the application is filed may fall outside the child rules.
- Assuming a UK birth means British. It does not, for children of temporary migrants.
- Moving the maintenance funds. The 28-day rule is strict.
- Applying as a child when the route is wrong. Check whether your route is Skilled Worker, Student, family or something else first.
- Ignoring the other parent. If they are not applying, the Home Office will ask why.
FAQ
How long does a child dependent visa take?
The UKVI standard for a child family visa application is 12 weeks if you apply outside the UK and 8 weeks if you apply inside the UK. Complex cases and missing documents can take longer. If you need a faster outcome, speak to a solicitor about priority options for your route.
How much does a child dependent visa cost?
For family visas, GOV.UK lists £2,064 per person from outside the UK and £1,407 from inside the UK, plus the healthcare surcharge, which is £1,940 for a child for 2 years and 6 months. Other routes have their own fees, so check the page for your route. Our own fixed legal fee for a child settlement application is £1,100.
Can my child apply separately from me?
Yes, in some cases. On the family route a child can apply separately from a parent, but must then provide proof of the parent’s income. Dependants of work and study visa holders also make separate applications, each with its own form and fee.
Can a child over 18 still be a dependant?
Generally not, unless they were last granted permission as a dependent child and it is valid or expired no more than 14 days earlier, or they apply under the Bereaved Partner or Victim of Domestic Abuse routes. Anyone near 18 should take advice straight away.
Is my UK-born child British?
Not automatically. If you are on a Skilled Worker visa, your child needs a dependant visa to travel in and out of the UK, and the application must include a full UK birth certificate naming both parents.
Sources
- Immigration Rules Appendix Children
- Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children
- Secondment Worker visa: Your partner and children
- Family visas: apply as a child
- Family visas: overview and fees
- Appendix Children caseworker guidance
- Family customer service standards
- University of Sheffield: dependants inside the UK
- Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584
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