Graduate Route Dependants UK
A Graduate visa does not open a new door for family. This guide explains who can stay as a dependant, the one exception for a child born in the UK, what dependants can do, and what happens when the Graduate visa ends.
- Section
- Student & Graduate
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 20 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Only a partner or child who was already a dependant on your Student visa can apply.
- A child born in the UK during your Student, Tier 4 or Graduate permission does not need to have been a dependant before.
- New dependants cannot be added from outside the UK on this route.
- A dependant pays the same £937 fee, and their visa ends on the same date as yours.
A partner or child can only stay on your Graduate visa if they were already a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa. A child born in the UK during that permission is the exception. This guide explains the published rules, the costs and what happens when the Graduate visa ends.
Who Can Apply as a Dependant
GOV.UK says that if your partner and children joined you in the UK as dependants on your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, they can apply to stay as dependants on your Graduate visa. A dependant is any of the following:
- Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
- Your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay
- Your child over 18, if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant
Your partner must have been a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 visa, and you must show the relationship still exists: a marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, living together in a relationship for at least 2 years, or a relationship of at least 2 years where you cannot live together.
A child under 18 usually needs to have been a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 visa too. GOV.UK gives one exception: they do not need to have been, if they were born in the UK while you were on your current Student visa, Tier 4 visa or Graduate visa. A child aged 18 or over must have been a dependant on your Student visa, Tier 4 visa or Graduate visa.
A new dependant cannot join you from outside the UK on the Graduate route. GOV.UK notes they may be able to join you if you switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa.
The published rules are on GOV.UK.
Dependants on the Student Visa Itself
Because a Graduate route dependant must already have been a Student visa dependant, the Student visa rules decide who can be on this route at all. For a course starting on or after 1 January 2024, GOV.UK says you can only bring dependants if you are:
- A government-sponsored student on a course lasting longer than 6 months, or
- Studying a PhD or other doctorate (level 8), or a research-based higher degree, lasting 9 months or more
A taught master's degree below doctoral level does not allow dependants.
Work Rights for Dependants
A dependant on the Graduate route has the same work conditions as the main applicant. They can:
- Work in most jobs
- Be self-employed
- Do voluntary work for a charity or voluntary organisation
- Study
They cannot work as a professional sportsperson, and they cannot claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.
See our Graduate route work rights guide for the main applicant's work rights.
Costs
Each family member makes a separate application and pays the fee. Each dependant pays:
- Application fee: £937, the same as the main applicant
- Healthcare surcharge: usually £1,035 for each year in the UK. GOV.UK lists £1,152.50 for 18 months, £2,070 for 2 years and £3,105 for 3 years
A decision usually takes 8 weeks. A successful dependant gets an eVisa, which is a digital record of their status held in a UK Visas and Immigration account. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024.
See the UK visa fees guide.
When the Graduate Route Ends
A Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. If you completed a PhD or other doctorate it lasts 3 years. It cannot be extended, and a dependant's visa ends on the same date as yours. Before that date, both you and your dependants need to either:
- Switch to a Skilled Worker visa
- Switch to another eligible visa route
- Leave the UK
The Graduate route does not lead to settlement on its own — you must switch to a route that does.
If a Family Member Is Outside the UK
The Graduate route has no way to add a new dependant. The published alternatives are:
- Switching to a route that does allow new dependants. GOV.UK names the Skilled Worker visa
- The family member applying for a visa in their own right
- A family visa, which requires the sponsoring partner to be British, Irish, settled or on certain other routes. A Graduate visa holder is none of these, so it does not apply while you are on this route
Where the Restriction Came From
The restriction that reaches most people is the Student visa dependant rule that took effect for courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, not a change to the Graduate route itself. The Migration Advisory Committee's rapid review of the Graduate route in May 2024 said the effect of that student dependant change should be assessed before further changes were considered. For broader context, see the 2026 immigration changes.
Next Steps
If you have dependants, plan your next visa step early. The Graduate to Skilled Worker transition is the most common path. For official guidance, visit GOV.UK.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
Can I bring dependants on the Graduate route?
Only a partner or child who was already a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa can apply to stay as your dependant on a Graduate visa. The one exception GOV.UK gives is a child born in the UK while you were on that Student visa, Tier 4 visa or Graduate visa.
Can Graduate route dependants work?
Dependants on the Graduate route have the same work conditions as the main applicant: they can work in most jobs and be self-employed. They cannot work as a professional sportsperson or claim most benefits.
What happens to my dependants when my Graduate route ends?
A dependant's visa ends on the same date as yours. Before that date, you and your dependants must switch to another visa or leave the UK. The Graduate visa cannot be extended.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.