How many hours per week can I work in the UK while studying, and can my family join me there?

These two rules, work hours and dependants, are governed by completely separate parts of the Immigration Rules Appendix Student, and mixing them up leads a lot of applicants to assume family eligibility follows automatically from full-time study, which it does not.

Work Hour Limits

• Degree-level courses: up to 20 hours a week during term time, full-time during official university vacations.
• Below degree-level courses: the limit drops to 10 hours a week during term time.
• The 20 hour cap is a hard weekly maximum: you cannot average it across weeks, working 25 hours one week and 15 the next is not permitted.

Can Your Family Join You

For postgraduate students starting a course on or after 1 January 2024, dependants can only join if your course is a PhD or other doctorate at RQF level 8, or a research-based higher degree at RQF level 7 or above lasting at least 9 months. There is also a narrower exception for certain government-sponsored students on courses lasting more than 6 months. A standard one-year taught master's, the most common route for Indian students, does not qualify.

Who Counts as an Eligible Dependant

Eligible dependants include your spouse or unmarried partner and children under 18. If your course qualifies under the research-degree exception, you will also need to show additional funds to support each dependant as part of your visa application.

This Information Is Also Available On

GOV.UK, Immigration Rules Appendix Student. GOV.UK, Student visa: your partner and children guidance.

My Advice

If bringing your family is a priority, check the RQF level and structure of your specific course before you apply, since a taught master's that includes a research component is not automatically the same as a qualifying research degree under these rules. Do not assume a longer course length alone helps either, the qualifying condition is about the degree type, PhD or RQF 7-plus research degree, not simply duration.