UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff consider applications from people who wish to enter or stay in the UK as a dependent family member of those who currently have permission on a work route, or who have settled in the UK on such a route.
Guidance updated to reflect changes to dependant rules for skilled workers and that biometric residence permits are no longer issued.
11 April 2025
Guidance updated to clarify who can be a parent,
8 October 2024
Guidance updated with changes to care worker dependant requirements
and the criminal records check list.
6 June 2024
In the 'children from previous relationships' section: the definition of 'parent' in the Immigration Rules has changed.
4 April 2024
Updated the dependent family members in work route caseworker guidance with changes related to the use of SOC 2020 in place of SOC 2010, and clarifying the qualifying period.
11 March 2024
Guidance updated in line with rules changes restricting dependants of care workers and senior care workers.
5 October 2023
Updated version of guidance published.
23 August 2023
Updated guidance to correct endorsement details for entry clearance.
25 July 2023
Guidance updated due to expansion of routes covered by Appendix Relationship with Partner.
17 July 2023
Switching rules for those switching from student routes updated.
14 April 2023
Corrected references to Appendix Relationship with Partner which is not yet live.
12 April 2023
Updated guidance in line with the Immigration Rules changes on 12 April.
22 August 2022
Scale-up route dependant references added to reflect changes to Immigration Rules that came into force on 22 August 2022.
30 May 2022
Guidance updated with reference to dependants of the High Potential Individual route.
11 April 2022
Guidance updated to reflect expansion of Intra-Company routes to Global Business Mobility routes.
20 December 2021
Updated guidance.
10 November 2021
Co-habitation requirements for unmarried partners have been clarified; guidance on exceptional circumstances for parents where the other parent cannot travel; clarifying the status requirement of a second parent; updating references in line with recent rules changes; clarifying how to address children from previous relationships.