It will depend on your visa type, the course you are studying and the duration of your stay in the UK.

If you hold a Tier 4/Student visa you may be allowed to bring dependants but only if:

• you are studying a full-time course that is 9 months or more and sponsored by the University on a course at RQF Level 7 (Master's Degree) or above; or

• you are a government-sponsored student undertaking a full-time course that is 6 months or more.

You cannot bring family members under the Dependant route if you are in the UK as a visitor, a short-term study student or as a part-time Tier 4/Student.

Your partner and your children are the only family members who can be your dependant. 

Your partner can be:

• Your husband; 
• Your wife; 
• Your civil partner; 
• Your unmarried partner or same-sex partner.

You must both be at least 18 years old when you apply for immigration permission.

You must intend to live together throughout your partner's stay in the UK.

Your partner must not intend to stay in the UK longer than the period you are given.

Your children must be:

• Aged less than 18 years old at the time they apply; or
• Aged 18 or over only if they are already in the UK as your Dependant child and they are applying to extend their visa.

Your child(ren) must not intend to stay in the UK longer than the period you are given.

Important: When bringing Dependant children both living parents must normally be coming to the UK or extending their leave in this capacity. If only one parent is applying to come to the UK/extending, please speak to an Immigration Adviser at the University because there are very limited exceptions to this requirement.

Dependants can apply online from within* and outside the UK.

Outside the UK

Each dependant must complete a separate application online at the UK Government website.

Within the UK

Each dependant must apply before their current permission expires.

• Dependents applying at the same time as you should use this form.
• Dependent partner’s applying later than you should use this form.
• If a dependant child, for example a new baby born in the UK is applying later than you use this form.

*In order for a dependant to apply within the UK they must not be on immigration bail or be in the UK:

• As a visitor
• As a Short-term study
• As a parent of a Child Student
• As a Seasonal Worker
• As a Domestic Worker in a private household
• With permission outside the Immigration Rules

Documents not in English must be translated by a fully certified translator/translation company and the translation(s) must meet specific requirements. Please see the Translations page for more information.

More information about the policy on dependants can be found on pages 98-103 of the Student case working guidance.

They will need:

• Completed appropriate Dependant visa application form.
• Current passport or travel document.
• Evidence they meet the maintenance requirements. 
• Current Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card (if applicable).
• Police Registration Certificate (PRC) of dependant if they were required to register with the police and they are applying within the UK. Ensure their PRC is up to date with current address, BRP details etc.
• Tuberculosis (TB) certificate, if applying outside the UK and coming to the UK for longer than 6 months and you are resident in any of the countries listed in the following on the UK Government website. If they have lived for at least 6 months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK, and they have been away from that country for no more than 6 months they will not need a TB test.
• Letter from the university confirming the Student is currently enrolled, (if applying separately).

Additional evidence for Dependant partners:

The caseworker processing the visa application must be satisfied that the Student and their dependant partner are in a genuine and subsisting relationship and that any previous relationships must have permanently broken down.

• Evidence of marriage/civil partnership:

o a valid document providing record of the marriage or civil partnership such as a marriage or civil partnership certificate.
o a valid overseas registration document for a same-sex relationship which is entitled to be treated as a civil partnership under the Civil Partnership Act of 2004.

• Unmarried partners will need to provide evidence that they are in a relationship akin to a marriage/civil partnership by providing evidence that they have lived together for at least 2 years. This can include:
o Bank statements, council tax or utility bills
o Residential mortgage statements or tenancy agreements 
o Official correspondence or documents that link the Student and their partner and show they are living at the same address

This is not exhaustive and other documents can be used.

• Evidence that you are living together e.g. utility bill, council tax bill, joint bank statement(s) or separate statements with the same address (if applying within the UK).

• Evidence of continuing relationship with your partner if you have lived apart for some time (if applying separately). You can evidence this via emails, phone/skype logs, plane tickets from visiting one another, covering letter laying out your position etc.

Additional evidence for Dependant children:

• Evidence that demonstrates the relationship between the Tier 4/Student and the child, such as a birth certificate, a court order such as a special guardianship order, or a government issued household registration certificate.

• Babies born in the UK who are making their first application within the UK do not have to submit a passport or travel document. They must however submit their birth certificate. UK Visas and Immigration may request the passport/travel document whilst processing the application, it is therefore advisable to obtain a passport for your baby from your Embassy or High Commission as soon as possible.

• Children aged 16 and over at the time of application – in addition to already being in the UK as a Dependant, they will need to submit particular documents to demonstrate that they have not formed an independent family unit or be leading an independent life e.g. NHS registration document, letter from their educational institution confirming their address, bank statements (you need to submit 2 items).

If they are living separately it must only be for study elsewhere and you will need to submit evidence of this such as, official confirmation from their school, college or university.

Outside of the UK - The application fee is £363 per dependant. There may be an additional fee (£55) if you attend a ‘user pay Visa Application Centre (VAC)’.

You may be able to pay for optional additional services, such as, priority, document scanning assistance and delivery services. Please check with the VAC that you are going to attend if you want information on these services and the cost.

Within the UK - The application fee depends on the application type:

At times Priority and Super Priority applications may not be available.

As part of the application process, any dependants will each be required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to cover the duration of their stay in the UK. They will then be able to use the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK and will not require private medical insurance. Please note that they will still need to pay for certain types of services (e.g. prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests). That is a requirement for everybody, including British nationals. 

If they are applying within the UK and they pay the surcharge twice for the same period of 6 months or more, they may be entitled to a refund of the surcharge for this overlapping period.

The cost of this charge will be £470 for each applicant per year of the actual visa to be granted, including any final extra period. Periods less than six months are charged at £235. Periods between 6 and 12 months are charged at the full year rate.

Outside of the UK:

After you have paid to submit the visa application online any dependants will need to book an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) and upload copies of their documents. If you do not wish to upload their documents, you may be required to pay for the relevant additional service. Check with the VAC you are going to attend.

At the appointment, any dependants will also need to provide their biometrics (fingerprints and a photo).

After your dependants have provided their biometrics and their supporting documents at an appointment, the next correspondence received should be from UK Visas and Immigration via email with your dependants’ visa application decision(s).

Vignette and Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

Your dependants will receive a 90-day vignette (sticker) in their passport. They use this to travel to the UK during its validity to enable them to collect their biometric residence permits. They must not travel to the UK before the start date on the vignette.

If their visa is issued for six months or less, their vignette will be valid for their whole stay in the UK.

If they are coming to the UK for longer than 6 months, they will need to pick up their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) after arriving in the UK. You will be able to view the collection location by logging back into the application form.

Within the UK:

They will need to book an appointment to attend a UKVCAS service point to enrol their biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) and to provide the required documents (if you have not uploaded the documents yourself online).

There are three different types of service points:

Core – offering both free and chargeable appointments. The closest core service point to Reading is in Croydon. You will either need to upload the documents yourself online before the appointment or pay extra for the Document Scanning Service.

Enhanced – offering chargeable appointments only, but document scanning is included. The closest service point is Reading Central Library in the town centre.

Premium lounge – offers a personalised customer experience for a higher fee.

After your dependants have provided their biometrics and their supporting documents at an appointment, the next correspondence received should be from UK Visas and Immigration via email with your dependants’ visa application decision(s). Their BRP(s) will arrive separately.

If you are a student and you are pregnant, it is very important that you talk to one of our International Student Advisers as soon as possible.

We advise that students who have babies born in the UK seek to make an immigration application for them as soon as possible after their birth to avoid potential liability for NHS charges for treatment in any period between three months after they are born (up to which free treatment is automatically allowed) and granting of their leave.

Birth in the UK does not automatically make a baby a British citizen. If your baby is born in the UK but is not a British citizen, it is quite lawful for him or her to remain in the UK without making an immigration application. However, the baby will need immigration permission to re-enter the UK after any travel abroad, and for babies born to Tier 4 students/Students, there are limited instances when the baby can apply for immigration permission as your dependant.

Police Registration:

People aged 16 years or more with a nationality listed in appendix 2 of the Immigration Rules who come to the UK for longer than six months or extend their permission in the UK will be required to register with the police and update them with any relevant changes. 

For further information visit our police registration webpage.

'No recourse to public funds’:

You will be prohibited from accessing/claiming specific welfare benefits known as ‘public funds’.

For further information visit the gov.uk website.

Work:

Dependants of University of Reading students are permitted to work. Dependants can work almost without restriction except for working as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach).

Study and Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS):

Study is permitted whilst the dependant visa is valid. However, the study is subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS (if the study will commence when the partner or child is aged over 18).