Wetin You Need to Know: The UK Skilled Worker route is how many qualified Nigerians enter the UK. If you’re the main worker, you can bring your spouse and children along—but recent rule changes, especially for care workers, are serious!
This guide breaks down the process, focusing on the key points and common issues for the Naija-UK family connection.
1. Who Can Be Your Dependent (Dependant)?
Only your Partner (spouse/unmarried partner) or Child can apply to join you, either with your application or after you’ve arrived.
- For Partners: You must be legally married, in a civil partnership, or have been in a marriage-like relationship (cohabiting) for at least two years before applying. You must both be 18 or older and intend to live together in the UK.
- The “Bona Fide” Test: If you haven’t lived together (cohabited), especially as an unmarried partner, the Home Office will scrutinise your relationship’s authenticity. Get your documents ready to prove your commitment!
- For Children: They must be under 18 at the time of the initial application. They can extend their visa after turning 18 if they were granted their first visa as your dependent. They must not be living independently (e.g., married or financially independent).
2. Special Rules for Children (The High Bar)
For children, the main hurdle is proving the responsibility of the Skilled Worker parent:
- The child’s other parent must generally be applying at the same time or already be legally settled in the UK.
- The “Sole Responsibility” Challenge: If the other parent is not applying, you must prove sole responsibility for the child. This is a very high bar; it means the other parent has had no involvement in major decisions about the child’s life for a significant period. (It’s more than just legal custody—it is notoriously difficult to prove!)
- Serious and Compelling Reasons: This exception is for extreme cases only. Simply wanting to live as a family is not enough. Get professional advice if you rely on this.
🛑 3. CRITICAL LIMITATIONS: Who CANNOT Sponsor Dependents?
ATTENTION NIGERIANS IN CARE ROLES! Recent UK rule changes specifically target who can bring family. This is the most crucial update:
| Job Role (SOC Code) | Rule Change | Key Date |
| Care Workers (6145/6135) & Senior Care Workers (6146/6136) | New Applicants CANNOT bring/sponsor dependents. This is a ban for new entries/switches. | Effective March 11, 2024 |
| Transitional Protection: | If the Skilled Worker was already sponsored in these care roles before the ban date, they can still bring, extend, and sponsor dependents. | Before March 11, 2024 |
| Medium-Skilled Roles (Below RQF Level 6) | Workers in many RQF Level 3-5 roles (the “medium-skilled” bracket) may also lose the right to sponsor new dependents. | Before July 22, 2025 |
What this means: If you are a new applicant for a Care Worker visa, you cannot bring your family. If you are already here as a Care Worker before the March 2024 date, you are safe for now but must maintain continuous permission.
💰 4. Financial Requirements (Maintenance Funds)
You must prove you have enough money to support your family without relying on public funds for the first month, unless you’ve all lived in the UK for a year or more, OR your sponsor confirms they will cover the cost on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
| Dependent Type | Required Fund Amount |
| Partner | £285 |
| First Child | £315 |
| Each Additional Child | £200 |
| TOTAL Minimum | (Sum of the above) + £1,270 (for the main worker) |
- Holding Period: The money must have been held in the bank account for a continuous period of at least 28 days, ending no later than 31 days before the date of application.
5. Cost of Application & Processing
The total cost is substantial and requires careful budgeting.
- Application Fees (Vary by CoS Length): These fees are the same for the dependent as for the main applicant. If the job is on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), the fee is lower.
| Duration on CoS | Outside UK (Standard) | Inside UK (Standard) |
| Up to 3 Years | £769 per applicant | £885 per applicant |
| More than 3 Years | £1,519 per applicant | £1,751 per applicant |
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): This must be paid upfront for the entire duration of the visa. It grants access to the NHS.
- Adults: Typically £1,035 per year.
- Children (Under 18): Typically £776 per year.
| Service | Processing Time |
| Outside UK | Generally 3 weeks from biometrics submission. |
| Inside UK | Up to 8 weeks. |
| Priority Services | Available for an extra fee to speed up the decision. |
6. Switching from a Student Visa (Crucial!)
If your dependent is currently in the UK as a Student and wants to switch to a Skilled Worker Dependent Visa, they must meet extra requirements to qualify:
- They must have either completed the course their CAS was issued for, OR
- They must have completed at least 24 months of a PhD programme.
7. Criminal Record Check (For Partners)
If the main Skilled Worker is sponsored in a job that involves working with vulnerable people (like medical professionals, social workers, teachers, etc.), the dependent partner must provide a criminal record certificate from any country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years (since turning 18).
🏠 8. Can Dependents Apply for Settlement (ILR)?
Yes. Dependents can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)—settlement—after continuously living in the UK for five years on this route.
- Applicants between 18 and 65 must also pass the Life in the UK Test and meet the English Language requirements at the time of their ILR application.
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