UK Visa Dependants Cost 2026: Full Family Application Breakdown

UK visa dependant costs scale linearly with family size because the Home Office charges each applicant, whether main or dependant, the full application fee for the relevant route plus the full Immigration Health Surcharge for the full length of leave. The fee architecture was redesigned on 4 October 2023, with further rises layered in on 9 April 2025 under the UKVI fee schedule published on gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table, and the combination of rising headline fees, the £1,035 adult IHS rate introduced on 6 February 2024, and full fee parity between main applicants and dependants means that a family of four on a 3-year Skilled Worker application now faces the single largest upfront immigration charge in UK history. Understanding how fees layer across route, length, IHS rates, and biometric enrolment is essential for any household planning a move, because the bill is payable in full on application and non-refundable if the application is refused.

Do dependants pay the same fees as main applicants?

Yes. Each dependant on a UK visa application pays the full application fee set for the route, identical to the main applicant's fee, per the UKVI fee schedule effective 9 April 2025, published on gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table. Spouses, partners, and children each trigger a separate application and a separate fee, with no family discount or sibling concession.

The rule applies to entry clearance and in-country extension alike, and to switching applications made from within the UK. A Skilled Worker applicant applying with a spouse and two children, for example, lodges four applications and pays four full fees. The only structural break is that dependants pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at the child rate of £776 per year rather than the £1,035 adult rate where they are under 18 at the application date.

How does the Immigration Health Surcharge apply?

IHS rates rose on 6 February 2024, with adults paying £1,035 per year and children under 18 paying £776 per year, per the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2024 on gov.uk. The surcharge is paid upfront for the full length of leave, so a 3-year grant attracts £3,105 adult IHS or £2,328 child IHS per person.

The student rate of £776 per year applies to Student route applicants and their dependants regardless of dependant age, reflecting a concession for the study route. The standard adult rate of £1,035 applies to Skilled Worker, Family, and most other routes. Where a visa is granted for a period not ending in whole years, the IHS is charged pro rata for the partial year, rounded up, per paragraph 6 of the Order.

Who qualifies as a dependant?

Spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners in a subsisting relationship of 2+ years, and children under 18 qualify as dependants on most work and study routes, per the relevant Appendix (Skilled Worker, Student, Global Talent) on gov.uk. Adult children over 18 can remain as dependants only in narrow circumstances set out in the Rules, typically where they are already in the UK as a dependant.

Parents and siblings of a main applicant do not qualify as dependants on work or study routes. Family route dependants, under Appendix FM, operate on a different framework where only spouses, partners, and children can be added, with parents needing a separate Parent route application.

What is the worked cost for a Skilled Worker family of four?

A Skilled Worker applicant outside the UK applying for 3 years of leave with a spouse and two children under 18 pays the following: 4 × £1,519 visa fees = £6,076; £3,105 adult IHS for applicant; £3,105 adult IHS for spouse; £2,328 child IHS for each of two children = £4,656; plus biometric enrolment at £19.20 per person = £76.80. That brings the baseline government cost to £17,018 for entry clearance alone.

Layering in a £239 Certificate of Sponsorship and the £1,320 Immigration Skills Charge per year (medium-large sponsor), the sponsor employer contributes a further £4,199 for a 3-year grant. Where the family opts for Super Priority processing at £1,000 per application, a further £4,000 is added, taking a family-of-four move to roughly £25,217 before legal fees, translation, TB tests, and biometric travel costs.

How do Student and Family route costs compare?

A Student route applicant with a spouse and one child applying for a 12-month master's faces a materially lower bill: £524 × 3 = £1,572 visa fees; £776 × 3 × 1 year = £2,328 IHS; biometrics and miscellaneous £70. That brings the baseline to roughly £3,970 for the whole family, reflecting the student IHS concession.

A Family route (spouse visa) applicant applying as a main applicant with one dependent child pays £1,938 × 2 = £3,876 visa fees, plus £3,105 adult IHS for the main applicant and £2,328 child IHS for the child across the 33-month grant. That brings the baseline to roughly £9,390 for a two-person family visa entry.

How do the three routes compare for a family of four?

Totals exclude biometric enrolment, priority service, Immigration Skills Charge for sponsor-led routes, TB test fees, translation, and legal costs. Priority service adds £500 per application, so a family of four on Priority pays an extra £2,000, on Super Priority an extra £4,000.

Frequently asked questions

Can dependants apply separately from the main applicant?

Yes. Dependants can apply at the same time or later, provided the main applicant holds valid leave on the qualifying route. Separate applications each carry the full fee.

Is the IHS payable upfront?

Yes. The full surcharge for the grant length is paid at application. A refund is issued only where the application is withdrawn before decision or where leave is granted for a shorter period than paid.

Do Student route dependants pay £776 IHS regardless of age?

Yes. Student route dependants of any age pay the £776 per year student IHS rate, per the 6 February 2024 schedule on gov.uk. This concession does not extend to Skilled Worker or Family route dependants.

Can the Care Worker route add dependants?

Since 11 March 2024, new Care Worker applicants (SOC 6145 and 6146) cannot bring dependants under Appendix Skilled Worker paragraph SW 33.1A, a closure announced in December 2023. Existing in-country Care Worker visa holders with dependants are unaffected.

Do Graduate route dependants qualify?

Only where they were already in the UK as Student dependants. No new dependant can be added from outside the UK on the Graduate route, per paragraph GR 17 of Appendix Graduate.

Is there an exemption for NHS workers?

Health and Care Worker visa applicants and their dependants are exempt from IHS entirely, per the Immigration (Health Charge) Order as amended. Visa fees are also discounted for the Health and Care route.

Are application fees ever refunded?

Only where an application is withdrawn before biometrics are enrolled. Refusals do not attract a fee refund. Admin review fees are refundable if the review succeeds.

Sources

• UKVI, Visa regulations revised table, gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table — fee schedule effective 9 April 2025.
• Home Office, Immigration Health Surcharge rates, gov.uk — effective 6 February 2024.
• Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2024, legislation.gov.uk — statutory basis.
• Home Office, Appendix Skilled Worker, Immigration Rules, gov.uk — version effective 11 March 2024 care worker dependant changes.
• Home Office, Appendix Student, Immigration Rules, gov.uk — current version accessed April 2026.
• Home Office, Appendix FM, Immigration Rules, gov.uk — current version accessed April 2026.
• UKVI, Health and Care Worker visa, gov.uk — IHS exemption guidance.

Related reading on kaeltripton.com: UK visa fees, IHS Immigration Health Surcharge, Skilled Worker salary threshold 2026.