Can I bring my family with me to the UK on a Global Talent Visa?

Some British visas, including the Global Talent, allow the Main Applicant to bring their family members (dependants) to the UK. In this article, we discuss the main requirements for the Dependant Visa, unmarried partners, documents needed to prove the relationship, application process and other important nuances.

It is an entry document of a dependant family member, based on the main British visa category Tier 1 — Tier 5 (including the Global Talent Visa).

The Dependant Visa allows the family member to join the Main Applicant in the UK from overseas, to accompany the Main Applicant in moving to the UK, or enables the family member, already resident, to continue living together with the Main Applicant in the UK. The Dependant Visa is valid for the same period of time as the main visa. Note that you’ll need to show proof of your relationship when you apply for this visa type.

A dependant is any of the following:

• Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• Your child under 18 — including if they were born in the UK during your stay
• Your child over 18 if they’re currently living in the UK as your dependant

It is highly unlikely that other family members would be successful in claiming dependant status for the purposes of a Dependant Visa.

Dependant children

If your child is 16 or older, they must:

• Live with you (unless they are enrolled full-time in a boarding school, college, or university)
• Not be married, in a civil partnership, or have any children
• Be financially supported by you without using any public funds
  

Children may apply for a Dependant Visa if:

• Both parents are applying for entry-clearance at the same time, or
• Both parents are already in the UK and the child is applying to join them, or
• One parent is already in the UK and the other parent is applying for entry-clearance to join them along with the child

Dependant unmarried partners

You can bring your unmarried partner if you've lived together for 2+ years and can prove it.

2-year-relationship is the minimum requirement and there’s no way around it if you are not legally married.

Documents to prove you’ve lived together:

• Lease agreement/documents confirming ownership
• Statement from a joint bank account
• Utility bills or council tax
• Passports/ID-cards/driver's licences showing residential address
• Shared subscriptions to various services
• Letter from the landlord confirming you lived together
• Shared flights
• Hotel/airbnb bookings
• Official correspondence or documents that link the lead applicant and their partner and show they are living at the same address
  

Documents to prove you’re in a relationship:

• Letters from family and friends confirming your close relationship and residential address
• Photos
• Screenshots of correspondence and/or call log

Dependant married partners

If you are legally married, the requirements for the Dependant Visa are less strict — you only need to prove the relationship with the marriage certificate.

How to apply for a Dependant Visa?

You can apply for a Dependant Visa online both inside (if you're in the UK on a different type of visa) and outside the UK.

If your partner or children are already in the UK (to extend or switch their visa), they can apply to switch visas:

• At any moment before their existing visa ends, or
• At the same time that you as the Main Applicant apply for the Global Talent Visa itself, meaning after you get the endorsement from Tech Nation
  

Read more about the endorsement application in our blog and take our scoring test to get the detailed feedback from our team. Immigram can help you compile a successful case and apply for the Tech Nation's endorsement.

What else to include in the application?

1. The main applicant’s Unique Application Number (UAN). It’s their visa application number that can be found in their own PBS application (usually 2nd and 3d line)

2. A passport or other valid document (yours and the Main Applicant’s)

3. A marriage certificate (for the spouse) or birth certificate (for the child) or other evidence of your relationship

💬 Immigram notes:
The said certificates should be translated to English. The translation has to be signed and dated by a professional translation services agency. For example, “We, name of the agency, a professional translation services agency, hereby certify the document has been translated by an experienced and competent professional translator, name of the translator. Phone number, email, date and signature.” The documents don’t have to be apostilled or notarised.

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4. A TB test result, if you need it. Your test must be from a clinic approved by the Home Office

💬 Immigram notes:
You can get tested in any clinic approved by the Home Office, even if it’s not in the country of your residence. If you decide to apply from another country, check if you can get tested for tuberculosis there before you leave your country of residence. In other words, you can move to Turkey, for example, and apply there, but you’ll have to provide a TB test as part of your application, which you can’t get tested for there.

Visa processing time

For those applying outside the UK, the visa processing time takes 10-12 weeks as of November 2022.

For those applying inside the UK, the Dependant Visa takes 6-8 weeks to be processed.

Fees

Each family member will need to complete a separate application and pay the visa fee — £623 for the Global Talent Visa application. Additionally, you have to pay £19.20 to have your biometric information taken and the Healthcare Surcharge — £624 per year per person.

For example, if you are a Russian citizen, applying for the Global Talent Visa outside the UK and planning to bring two dependants of the same nationality, the total for the health surcharge will be £1,872. The Global Talent Visa and Dependant Visas (valid for 3 years) overall cost will be approx. £7,500.

Read more about the Healthcare Surcharge and find out about potential discounts depending on the circumstances in our blogpost.

Dependant Visa advantages

Unlike other similar types of visas in other countries, the UK Dependant Visas allows its holders to work and study in the UK and be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (UK permanent residence) and British citizenship. Meaning, dependants will have the same rights in the UK as the Global Talent Visa holder.

Work opportunities for dependants

Adult holders of the Dependаnt Visa have very flexible work options and can legally work in the UK as part-time or full-time employees.

They can also work in a self-employed capacity but there are restrictions on employment as a professional sportsperson (including a sports coach).

They may also not be hired as a Doctor/Dentist unless they:

• Have obtained a degree in medicine or dentistry at the bachelor’s level or higher in a UK institution that is a recognized or listed body in the UK, or that is licensed as a sponsor;
• Have applied for leave to remain and have or were last granted entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain that did not restrict their employment and have been employed as a doctor or dentist in training during that period.

ILR

Dependants can apply for ILR after 5 years of living in the UK on a Dependant Visa.

As a dependant, you can apply at the same time as the Global Talent Visa holder. Each person, whether the main applicant or a dependant, is charged the same ILR (£2,389) fees.

Note that all ILR candidates over the age of 18 must meet the English language criteria and complete the “Life in the UK” test.

Applying for citizenship

You are eligible for British citizenship by naturalisation if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and have had an ILR for 12 months.