How can I bring my spouse and children under 18 to the UK if I'm a full-time postgraduate student, and what are the financial requirements for them to apply for a dependent visa?

Being a full time postgraduate student is not, by itself, enough to bring your family under current UK rules. The decisive factor is your exact course type, and getting this wrong after you've already booked flights for your family is an expensive mistake to fix.

Which Courses Actually Qualify

If your Student visa course started on or after 1 January 2024, your postgraduate course must generally be a PhD or other doctoral qualification, or a research based higher degree, for you to bring a spouse and children. Alternatively, dependants can accompany you if you're on a qualifying government sponsored course lasting more than six months. A normal taught master's such as an MA or MSc that started after that date generally does not permit Student dependants at all.

The Money Each Dependant Must Show

For a new applicant who has not already held valid UK permission for at least 12 months, the maintenance requirement per dependant is separate from your own student funds.

• London: £845 per dependant per month, up to £7,605 for nine months.
• Outside London: £680 per dependant per month, up to £6,120 for nine months.

For example, a student outside London bringing a spouse and two children needs 3 dependants multiplied by £680 multiplied by 9 months, or £18,360, on top of their own student maintenance requirement of £10,539, for a combined £28,899 in living cost funds before tuition is even counted.

Documents and Timing

Required funds must normally be held for at least 28 consecutive days, with that period ending within the applicable window before you apply, though exceptions exist for applicants already in the UK with 12 or more months of valid permission. India is not currently on the UK's differential evidence list, so you should plan to demonstrate the full financial requirement rather than assuming any evidence is waived.

This Information Is Also Available On

The UK Government's GOV.UK Student visa guidance, covering the partner and children rules and the money you need pages.

My Advice

Confirm your exact course code and RQF level with your university's admissions office before you make any family travel plans, since the label a course carries in its marketing material and its actual RQF classification can differ. If accompanying family truly matters more to you than the specific course format, it's worth discussing a PhD or research master's alternative with your counsellor, purely because it unlocks dependant visas that a taught master's no longer does.