Skilled Worker Dependant Visa Extension
If you already have permission (leave to remain) in the UK as the partner or child of a Skilled Worker, you may need a further application to continue. Your dependant permission is separate — it doesn't automatically extend when the main worker gets more permission. And before you extend, it's worth checking whether you could now apply for settlement instead.
Check your own permission
Skilled Worker · ILR · British
Age & independent-life test
Financial provision
On this page
- Which best describes you?
- The main applicant's status
- Existing dependant partner
- Existing dependant child
- If the child has turned 18
- If the worker has settled or become British
- Financial requirement again?
- Care worker & medium-skilled
- Applying, timing & documents
- Extension or settlement?
- Common mistakes
- FAQs
An extension is a separate immigration application. Check your own permission rather than assuming your visa extends when the main worker gets further permission, and make sure your application still meets the relevant dependant requirements. This page focuses on what's different or important for existing dependants — everything else links to its own page.
In brief
- Dependant permission is separate — it does not automatically extend when the main worker gets more permission.
- A partner or child dependant may need a further application to continue.
- The main worker’s status matters, and a child turning 18 raises specific points.
- Before extending, check whether settlement is now available instead.
Which best describes you?
Jump to the part that fits your situation:
The main applicant's status matters
Your application isn't automatically tied to a simultaneous application by the worker. The rules assess your position against the worker's current status — which can be that they:
- have a pending valid Skilled Worker application;
- already hold Skilled Worker permission;
- have since settled or become British in qualifying circumstances.
So establish the worker's current position first — it decides which pathway applies. If the worker is also extending, that's their own application: see Skilled Worker visa extension.
Existing dependant partner
Extending with the same partner? A previous grant doesn't mean the relationship requirement is ignored — the continuing relationship must still satisfy the applicable rules, and the assessment of a subsisting relationship on second and later applications is covered separately.
→ Relationship requirements for dependant partners · Dependant partner
Existing dependant child
A child extending must continue to meet the Appendix Children requirements — relationship, care, and age & independent life. Those tests aren't repeated here.
→ Skilled Worker dependant child
If the child has turned 18
Your child has turned 18 since their last visa? Don't automatically switch them into another immigration category. A child who first received dependant permission before turning 18 isn't automatically ineligible on reaching adulthood — the position is assessed through the age and independent-life requirement in Appendix Children. Check that first.
→ Dependant children aged 18 or over
If the worker has settled or become British
Don't assume that the worker getting ILR — or becoming a British citizen — forces you onto a different family route. The rules recognise a qualifying existing dependant where the main applicant settled or naturalised after holding Skilled Worker permission and the required relationship existed at the relevant time (for a child, this includes specified cases of a child born in the UK before the parent settled). The correct route depends on both people's immigration history.
→ Skilled Worker dependants after the main applicant settles
Do you need to meet the financial requirement again?
Potentially — but many existing dependants fall within the 12-month provision: a dependant applying for permission to stay who has already been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months on the date of application meets the financial requirement without showing the specified funds.
Have you been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months? +
No → check the amounts and options on the financial requirement page.
→ Skilled Worker dependant financial requirement (amounts, sponsor certification, 28-day rule)
Do the care worker & medium-skilled restrictions affect extensions?
Already a dependant? Don't assume the restrictions that affect new dependants produce the same outcome for an existing dependant extending. The rules contain transitional provisions for certain workers sponsored in specified care-worker, senior-care-worker or medium-skilled occupations before later restrictions took effect, provided the continuity conditions are met — so existing families can need a different analysis. The detailed dates and occupations live on the restrictions guidance.
→ Skilled Worker dependant transitional rules · Dependants hub
Applying, timing & documents
A permission-to-stay application is made from inside the UK and must meet the validity requirements — the correct process, the fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge where required, biometrics, identity/nationality documents, and being in the UK on the application date. A genuine extension for someone who already holds dependant permission mainly turns on whether they continue to qualify under the dependant requirements.
When to apply: check the expiry date of your current permission and make the application while you still hold valid permission. Don't rely on a fixed "apply X days before expiry" rule — plan around your actual expiry date and the time you need to prepare.
You don't need a new Certificate of Sponsorship — a CoS belongs to the worker's sponsorship, not to you. What matters is the worker's qualifying position and your own requirements. Evidence is best assembled from your circumstances (identity & current status · the main applicant's current position · relationship or child evidence where relevant · financial evidence only where the 12-month provision doesn't already apply) rather than one fixed checklist.
Generate my extension document checklist (personalised tool — in development)
Extension — or could you qualify for ILR?
Don't apply for another extension on autopilot. If you're approaching the qualifying period, settlement (ILR) may be the right next application instead. Ask yourself:
- Are you a dependant partner?
- How long have you held dependant partner permission? (a dependant partner's settlement route includes a 5-year continuous qualifying period)
- Has the main applicant reached or obtained settlement?
- Do you meet the relevant settlement requirements?
If ILR could be within reach, check that route before preparing an extension. → Skilled Worker dependants & settlement
After an extension is approved: check your new eVisa/status details and permission dates, keep your immigration records, and — if you're nearing the qualifying period — start planning for settlement.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the dependant visa extends automatically — your permission is separate and should be checked independently.
- Assuming the worker's ILR ends the dependant route — existing dependants may continue under the relevant provisions.
- Automatically moving an 18-year-old to another route — first assess the Appendix Children age and independent-life requirements.
- Repeating the full maintenance exercise unnecessarily — 12+ months in the UK with permission meets the financial requirement without showing the funds.
- Treating existing dependants like new overseas dependants — transitional provisions can make immigration history matter.
- Extending without checking settlement — if you're near the qualifying period, ILR may be the better application.
Frequently asked questions
Does my dependant visa extend automatically when the Skilled Worker extends? +
No. You have your own permission and should make the appropriate application where further permission is required.
Can I extend if the main Skilled Worker already has ILR? +
Potentially. The rules recognise qualifying existing dependants where the main applicant settled after holding Skilled Worker permission and the required relationship existed at the relevant time.
What if the main applicant has become British? +
Qualifying existing dependants can also be recognised where the main applicant subsequently became British after holding Skilled Worker permission.
Does my child stop qualifying when they turn 18? +
Not automatically. The age and independent-life requirements in Appendix Children must be considered.
Do I need to show maintenance funds again? +
If you're applying for permission to stay and have already been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months, you meet the financial requirement without showing the specified funds.
Should I extend or apply for ILR? +
That depends on whether you meet the separate settlement requirements. A dependant partner's settlement route includes a five-year qualifying-period requirement, so check settlement before preparing another extension.
Your extension journey
- Who is extending — partner or child?
- What is the main applicant's current status? → Skilled Worker · ILR · British
- Are the partner or child requirements still met?
- Has the child turned 18? → age & independent-life check
- Any transitional dependant issue?
- 12+ months in the UK? → financial provision
- Extension required — or potentially eligible for ILR?
Related guidance
Disclaimer. The information on this page provides general information about UK immigration law and does not constitute legal advice on any individual immigration application. Immigration requirements depend on your individual circumstances and may change. You should seek professional advice before making an application or relying on the information provided.
Source basis: the UK Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker and the related work-route Appendices, together with the Home Office caseworker guidance published on GOV.UK. Immigration Rules and guidance change; confirm the current version on GOV.UK before applying.
Eyyup Yaprak
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Founded to make regulated advice honest and accessible.
Before founding the practice, Eyyup spent 10 years teaching English in Turkey and Liverpool, so every stage of an application is explained clearly, in English or Turkish. A BA and MA in English Language Teaching and an Associate Degree in Computer Programming & Technology sit alongside AAT Level 4 in Accounting, giving a strong grasp of the financial evidence many visa categories require.
Casework spans family, work, settlement and Ankara Agreement (ECAA) applications, plus sponsor licence guidance for employers.
Extend your dependant visa — or check for ILR
Before preparing another extension, it's worth confirming whether you now qualify for settlement. We can check your position and the right next application for your family.