Settlement for Dependants: How Partners and Children Apply
A dependant's settlement application is their own: their own qualifying period, their own tests, their own fee. This guide sets out what GOV.UK requires of a partner and of a child, and where those requirements differ from the main applicant's.
- Section
- ILR & Settlement
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 3 September 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
- Each person applying pays £3,226. There is no family rate.
- A partner needs 5 years in the UK with permission as the main applicant's dependant.
- The Life in the UK test applies to ages 18 to 64, not simply to adults — a dependant aged 65 or over does not take it.
- A dependent child can be included only if both of the child's parents are applying to settle or are already settled.
- The immigration health surcharge is not payable on an application for indefinite leave to enter or remain.
A partner and children who hold permission as dependants can be included on the same settlement application as the main applicant, or apply later. A partner needs 5 years' continuous residence as a dependant and, if aged 18 to 64, the Life in the UK test and the English language requirement. A child under 18 is exempt from both tests, but can only be included if both parents are settling or already settled. The fee is £3,226 for each person, and the immigration health surcharge is not charged on a settlement application.
Who Counts as a Dependant
For settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, GOV.UK's family members page for the Skilled Worker route defines a dependant by the permission they hold, not by the relationship alone:
- a partner who has permission to be in the UK as your partner — that is, as a dependant on your visa
- a child who has permission as your dependant, and who is not married or in a civil partnership
Someone in the UK on their own visa is not a dependant for this purpose, even if they are your spouse. They settle on the terms of the route they hold — for example the partner route.
Settlement applications are refused on the suitability grounds in the Immigration Rules. The good character requirement is a citizenship requirement and is not part of a settlement application.
Requirements for a Partner
- Continuous residence: GOV.UK requires the partner to have lived continuously in the UK as your dependant for at least 5 years.
- Life in the UK test: required at ages 18 to 64. Someone aged 65 or over does not take it. See our guide to the test.
- English language: GOV.UK sets this out for a partner aged 18 to 64. This is a real difference from the main applicant on the Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 and Tier 2 routes, who GOV.UK says does not need to prove English again at settlement. Our guide to English at settlement covers the level and the exemptions, and the level rises from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027 on the routes named in the statement of changes HC 1691.
Requirements for a Child
- Both parents: GOV.UK's condition is that you and the child's other parent are both currently applying to settle, or are already settled.
- Under 18: no Life in the UK test and no English language requirement.
- 18 or over: a dependent child who has reached 18 must pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English language requirement, and GOV.UK asks that a child first granted dependant status under 18 has not established an independent life.
- Permission: the child must hold permission as your dependant and must not be married or in a civil partnership.
Costs
GOV.UK states that settlement costs £3,226 for each person applying. There is no family rate, so a family of four pays four times that. Fingerprints and a photograph are taken at an appointment and GOV.UK says there is no fee for that.
The immigration health surcharge is not charged on an application for indefinite leave to enter or remain. GOV.UK lists that among the cases where the surcharge is not payable, with one caveat in its own words: “You need to pay the healthcare surcharge if you apply for indefinite leave to remain but are only given limited leave.”
The Life in the UK test costs £50 each time it is booked, and an approved English test is charged separately by the provider. Our breakdown of settlement costs and our guide to visa fees set the figures out in full.
Applying Together or Separately
GOV.UK says you can include your partner and children on the same application form if they are eligible, and that your partner and children can apply separately at a later date, for example if they are not eligible yet. Both are published options; this site does not recommend one over the other. Our guide to a family settlement application covers the mechanics.
If a Dependant Is Not Yet Eligible
A dependant who joined later and has not completed the qualifying period can continue on their dependant permission and apply when they meet the requirements. Each person's application is decided against the requirements that apply to that person, with the one published exception above: a dependent child's eligibility turns on both parents settling or being settled.
Our guide on what happens after a refusal sets out the routes that exist. For the requirements in force, see GOV.UK on indefinite leave to remain, which lists each route separately.
Questions and answers
Can my dependants apply for settlement at the same time as me?
GOV.UK says you can include your partner and children on the same application form if they are eligible, and that they can apply separately at a later date, for example if they are not eligible yet. Each person pays the £3,226 fee.
Do children need to pass the Life in the UK test?
The Life in the UK test applies to people aged 18 to 64. A child under 18 does not take it and does not have to meet the English language requirement. A dependent child aged 18 or over does have to meet both.
Does my partner have to prove English even though I do not?
On the Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 and Tier 2 routes, GOV.UK says the main applicant does not need to prove the English language requirement again at settlement. It sets that requirement out separately for a partner aged 18 to 64, alongside the Life in the UK test. Check the requirement for the person applying, not for the route.
How much does settlement cost for a family?
GOV.UK states it costs £3,226 for each person applying. There is no family rate. The immigration health surcharge is not charged on an application for indefinite leave to enter or remain, although GOV.UK says it becomes payable if the application results in limited leave instead.
Can my child settle if only one parent is applying?
GOV.UK's condition for a dependent child is that you and the child's other parent are both currently applying to settle, or are already settled. There are circumstances outside that which are handled in the Immigration Rules rather than on the GOV.UK route page.
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.