UK Skilled Worker Visa Dependant Cost 2026: Spouse and Children Fees

TL;DR

Every dependant on a UK Skilled Worker visa pays a full Home Office application fee at the same rate as the main applicant, plus their own Immigration Health Surcharge: £1,035 per year for adults and £776 per year for children under 18. For a three-year grant a spouse and two children add roughly £8,500 to the upfront family bill before any priority service or biometric charges. The section below works through the dependant fee schedule, IHS rates, switching scenarios, and a full worked example for a couple plus two children on a five-year grant.

Last reviewed: 31 May 2026

Dependant Home Office fees - same rate as the main applicant

The Home Office fee schedule sets the dependant application fee at the same rate as the main Skilled Worker applicant for every duration band and route variant. A spouse or partner applying with the main applicant pays £719 for an outside-UK application up to three years and £1,420 for more than three years. A dependent child pays the same fee at the same band. There is no family discount, no second-applicant tier, and no reduction for under-18 children on the Home Office fee itself. The cost-modelling view at the UK visa fee calculator applies these per-person rates across the household, and the route-level cost view at the UK Skilled Worker visa cost guide sets the dependant figures in the wider context of the route's full cost structure.

The same equal-fee principle applies to inside-UK applications: each dependant on an in-country extension or switch pays £827 for an extension up to three years and £1,500 for an extension of more than three years. The Immigration Salary List discount, which reduces the main applicant fee for occupations on the list, also applies to dependants on the same application, so a family with a main applicant on an Immigration Salary List role pays the lower £551 (outside, up to 3 years) or £1,084 (outside, more than 3 years) per person across the whole household.

Dependant IHS - adult rate vs child rate

The Immigration Health Surcharge differs by age. Adult dependants (over-18 partners) pay the adult rate of £1,035 per year, identical to the main applicant. Under-18 dependent children pay the child rate of £776 per year, set under the Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015 as amended in February 2024. Both rates are paid upfront with the visa application, not annually, and cover the full granted leave period. For a three-year grant a child pays £2,328 in IHS and for a five-year grant £3,880. The age check is performed at the date of application: a child who turns 18 mid-leave does not pay any top-up, but a child applying at age 17 on a five-year grant pays the under-18 rate for the full five years even though they will be 22 at the end of the grant.

The IHS is refundable in three scenarios that apply equally to dependants: if the application is withdrawn before a decision (full refund), if leave is refused (full refund), or if the holder leaves the UK before the granted leave period ends (pro-rated refund for the unused years). Where a family of four leaves the UK after two years of a five-year grant, each member receives a refund for the three unused years at their applicable rate: £3,105 per adult and £2,328 per child, for a household refund of approximately £10,866.

Adding dependants after the main visa is granted

Dependants can apply concurrently with the main applicant or join later as in-country or out-of-country dependants of a Skilled Worker holder. Joining later is common when the main applicant moves to the UK first to secure housing, school places and a local bank account before bringing the family across. The application fee and IHS structure for a later-joining dependant is identical to a concurrent dependant: the same Home Office fee at the duration band of the remaining leave, the same IHS at the applicable rate for the remaining years, and the same biometric and country-layer extras.

There are two procedural points to note. First, the Home Office fee is set by the duration of the leave granted to the dependant, not by the remaining leave of the main applicant. In practice the dependant is normally granted leave aligned to the main applicant's expiry, so the duration band matches. Second, the IHS is calculated on the dependant's leave only, not on the historical IHS already paid by the main applicant. A spouse joining 18 months into a three-year main grant pays IHS for the 18 remaining months (rounded up to two years for IHS calculation purposes), so £2,070 in IHS rather than the full £3,105.

Worked example - couple plus two children, five-year grant

A representative scenario for a Skilled Worker household on a five-year grant: main applicant aged 32, spouse aged 30, two children aged 6 and 9. Application is outside the UK, standard occupation rate, no priority service. All figures in pounds sterling at the 2026 schedule:

Main applicant Home Office fee (outside UK, more than 3 years, standard occupation): £1,420
Spouse Home Office fee: £1,420
Child 1 Home Office fee: £1,420
Child 2 Home Office fee: £1,420
Main applicant IHS (5 years adult): £5,175
Spouse IHS (5 years adult): £5,175
Child 1 IHS (5 years under-18): £3,880
Child 2 IHS (5 years under-18): £3,880
Biometric enrolment (4 x £19.20): £76.80

Total upfront cost: £23,866.80. Add VFS or TLScontact service fees at £30 to £65 per person depending on country, TB test certificates at £55 to £150 per person if applying from a listed country, courier and translation costs at £100 to £200 per family, and the realistic upfront bill for this family lands in the range of £24,400 to £25,000. Add super priority service across all four applicants (£1,000 per person) and the bill rises by another £4,000.

For a three-year grant the same household pays approximately £14,600 in Home Office fees and IHS combined, plus country-layer extras. The five-year band saves the family the cost of a future renewal application but doubles the upfront cash requirement, so the choice between bands turns on cashflow rather than total lifetime cost.

What dependants can and cannot do in the UK

Skilled Worker dependants have permission to work in the UK with the following exceptions: they cannot work as a professional sportsperson, and they cannot fill a Skilled Worker role under their dependant status (a new Skilled Worker sponsorship from a separate employer would be required). They can work as employees, as self-employed contractors, or as company directors. There is no salary threshold or occupation list for dependant work, so the rules are notably less restrictive than for the main applicant.

Dependants have access to most public services, including state schools for under-18 children. NHS access is granted through the IHS already paid as part of the visa application. Dependants do not have access to public funds (income-based benefits) and have a "no recourse to public funds" condition on their leave, identical to the main applicant. The condition can be lifted on application in cases of destitution or specific risk to children, under guidance published on gov.uk.

If the main applicant changes employer mid-leave, the change does not affect the dependant's leave directly. The main applicant must apply for fresh leave with a new Certificate of Sponsorship from the new employer; the dependants remain on their existing leave. Where the new application aligns the main applicant's expiry to a later date, the dependants typically apply at the same time to align expiry across the household, paying a fresh Home Office fee and pro-rated IHS top-up for any additional leave granted. Where the main applicant moves to a different visa route (such as Global Talent or Innovator Founder), the dependants must also switch and may need to apply on the dependant route of the new visa category.

Frequently asked questions

Do Skilled Worker dependants pay the same Home Office fee as the main applicant?

Yes. The Home Office fee schedule sets the dependant application fee at the same rate as the main applicant for every duration band and route variant. A spouse or partner pays the same as the main applicant, and each dependent child pays the same as the main applicant. There is no family discount and no second-applicant tier. The Immigration Salary List discount applies to dependants too if the main applicant is on a listed occupation.

What is the IHS rate for dependant children?

Under-18 dependent children pay the IHS at the child rate of £776 per year, set under the Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015 as amended in February 2024. The age check is performed at the date of application: a child applying at age 17 on a five-year grant pays the under-18 rate for the full five years. Adult dependants (over-18 partners) pay the adult rate of £1,035 per year.

Can a dependant join the main applicant after the visa is granted?

Yes. Dependants can apply concurrently with the main applicant or later as in-country or out-of-country dependants of a Skilled Worker holder. The Home Office fee and IHS structure for a later-joining dependant is identical to a concurrent dependant: same fee at the relevant duration band and same IHS for the granted leave period. The dependant is normally granted leave aligned to the main applicant's expiry.

Can Skilled Worker dependants work in the UK?

Yes. Skilled Worker dependants have permission to work in the UK with very limited exceptions (no professional sport, no filling a Skilled Worker role under dependant status). They can work as employees, as self-employed contractors, or as company directors. There is no salary threshold or occupation list for dependant work, which makes the dependant work rules notably more flexible than the main applicant's route conditions.

What happens to dependant leave if the main applicant changes job or visa?

A change of employer by the main applicant does not affect dependant leave directly; the main applicant applies for fresh leave with a new Certificate of Sponsorship, and dependants remain on existing leave. Dependants typically apply at the same time to align expiry. If the main applicant switches to a different visa route entirely, dependants also switch and apply on the dependant route of the new visa category, with the relevant fee and IHS.

Sources

Disclaimer: The figures on this page are estimates based on the Home Office fee schedule current at the date shown. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, or the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide immigration advice. For application-specific advice consult a regulated immigration adviser. Verify current fees against gov.uk before applying.