• Can my husband, wife or civil partner and my children accompany me or join me in the UK?
• Will they need a visa?
• How do they apply for a visa?
• What are visa application centres (VACs)?
• What are my biometric details?
• What do my dependants need to make an application?
• What are public funds?
• Will my husband, wife or civil partner be allowed to work?
• Will they need to register with the Police?
• More advice and information

See other guidance information Adopted children (INF 7) Appeals (INF 19) EEA and Swiss nationals (INF 18) Family members (INF 6) General information (INF 1) Husbands, wives and partners (INF 4) Overseas domestic workers (INF 17) Permit free employment (INF 14) Points Based System Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) (INF 24) Points Based System Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) (INF 25) Points Based System Tier 1, General Migrant (INF 21) Points Based System Tier 1, Investor (INF 23) Points Based System Tier 2 (Skilled Worker) (INF 26) Points Based System Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) (INF 27) Points Based System Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) (INF 28) Returning residents (INF 8) Right of abode (INF 12) Sponsors (INF 3) Tier4 General & Child Student (INF 29) Transit (INF 20) UK Ancestry (INF 9) Visitors (INF2) Work permit holders  

Can my husband, wife or civil partner and my children accompany me or join me in the UK?

Your husband, wife or civil partner and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can adequately accommodate and support them without needing any help from public funds.

 

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Will they need a visa?

They will need a visa if they:

• are a national of one of the countries listed on the visa and transit visa nationals page on this website,
• intend to come to the UK for a period of more than 6 months,
• are stateless,
• hold a non-national travel document, or
• hold a passport issued by an authority not recognised by the UK.

 

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How do they apply for a visa?

They can apply in a number of ways, for example, by post, by courier, in person and online. Staff at their local visa application centre will tell them about the ways in which they can apply.

Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if they can apply for their visa online please visit our Visa4UK website.

If they cannot apply online they will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF 3B).  They can get a form free of charge from their nearest visa application centre or from the visa application forms page on our website.

They must apply for a visa in the country of which they are a national or where they legally live.

In some countries, if they are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, they may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept thei application.  They can find out if they need to be tested by using our Do I need a visa? questionnaire on the homepage of this website, or by contacting the nearest visa application centre.

 

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What are visa application centres (VACs)?

In some countries we are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres. The VACs are in largely populated areas making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deals with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information along with the relevant fees and provide information on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether to issue or refuse your visa. VAC staff will have no say in this decision.

 

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What are my biometric details?

Biometric details are scans of all 10 fingers and a full-face digital photograph. You will need to provide your biometric details in person. The whole procedure should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Your visa application will not be processed until you have met this requirement. More information about biometrics is available on the Biometric data collection for visa applicants page on this website.

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What do my dependants need to make an application?

Your dependants will need to make their application online or fill in the following visa application form:

 Application form VAF3B - Student Dependant
 VAF Guidance notes

They will also need the following:

• Their passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm),colour photograph of themselves. This should be:
• • taken against a light coloured background
  • clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
  • printed on normal photographic paper, and
  • full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless they wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
• The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and they must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where they are applying.
• Evidence of their relationship to you.
• If they are your spouse/civil partner, evidence that they will live with you during your stay and that your marriage/civil partnership is subsisting.
• If they are your child, evidence that they have not formed an independent family unit and they are not leading an independent life and that both their parents must either be lawfully present in the UK, or being granted entry clearance or leave to remain at the same time as them, unless:
  (i) you are the applicant’s sole surviving parent, or
  (ii) you have or have had sole responsibility for the their upbringing, or
  (iii) there are serious or compelling family or other considerations which would make it desirable not to refuse your child’s application and suitable arrangements have been made in the UK for your child’s care.
• Evidence that you can adequately accommodate and support them without needing any help from public funds.
• Evidence of the course of study you are doing or are going to do in the UK.
• A copy of the relevant pages from your passport, showing your permission to stay if you are already in the UK.

We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged.  It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document with an application.  Your application will be automatically refused and you may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if you use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information. You may also be banned if you have breached immigration laws in the UK.

 

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What are public funds?

Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK, you must be able to support yourself and any dependants without claiming certain benefits.

You can find more information about public funds in the Immigration Rules on the UK Border Agency website.

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Will my husband, wife or civil partner be allowed to work?

Your husband, wife or civil partner will be allowed to work in the UK if we give you permission to stay in the country for at least twelve months.

 

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Will they need to register with the Police?

Nationals of certain countries are required to register with the police if they are entering the UK for more than six months. Their visa will state if this is necessary.
In London, police registration is made at the:

Overseas Visitors Registration Office (OVRO)
Brandon House
180 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1LH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7230 1208

If they are not in London, they can register at the nearest police station specified as a registration office. They will be charged for the intial registration certificate.

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More advice and information

Please read other guidance on this website. The full list is accessible through links on the left hand side of this page.

Full information about the Points Based System is available on the UK Border Agency website.

If you are outside the UK please contact your nearest visa application centre (VAC) or where no VAC is in operation, your nearest British mission where there is a visa section.

Where can I get immigration advice?

If you need help with your application or advice about the UK’s Immigration Rules and requirements, you should seek advice from a qualified immigration adviser.  In the UK these are immigration advisers regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC – www.oisc.gov.uk) or legally qualified professionals regulated by designated professional bodies.  The Law Societies of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Institute of Legal Executives can provide a list of Law Firms who can advise on immigration matters.  Their websites are:

Law Society of England and Wales

Law Society of Scotland

Law Society of Northern Ireland

Institute of Legal Executives

For more advice and information about extending your stay once you are in the UK:

The UK Border Agency
Croydon Public Caller Unit
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY
Phone: (+44) (0)870 606 7766 (general enquiries)
Phone: (+44) (0)870 241 0645 (application forms)
Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

For advice on bringing personal belongings and goods into the UK contact:

HM Revenue & Customs
Dorset House
Stamford Street
London SE1 9PY
Phone: (+44) (0)845 010 9000
Website: www.hmrc.gov.uk

Drugs warning
Anyone found smuggling drugs into the UK will face serious penalties. Drug traffickers may try to bribe travellers. If you are travelling to the UK, avoid any involvement with drugs.

False documents
It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document with an application. Applicants will be automatically refused and may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if they use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information.  They may also be banned if they have breached immigration laws in the UK.

Travellers to the UK who produce a false travel document or passport to the UK immigration authorities for themselves and/or their children are committing an offence. People found guilty of this offence face up to two years in prison or a fine (or both).

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