UK tightens skilled worker visa rules for families
The changes are important for Pakistani workers in UK who want to bring their spouses and children. Under the UK Skilled Worker visa route, applicants must meet specific eligibility conditions before their family members can join them.
The updated UK family visa rules also require many applicants to prove they have enough savings.
Who Can Bring Family Members?
Eligible family members generally include a husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner or child under 18.
Partners must prove their relationship through marriage, a civil partnership or evidence of a relationship lasting at least two years.
Children usually need to live with the worker, unless they are away for full-time education, and must not be married.
However, not everyone qualifies. The UK dependant visa route has restrictions for some occupations.
These conditions are especially important for Pakistani workers in UK who are planning to relocate with their families.
The government’s care worker visa restrictions mean care workers and senior care workers can generally bring dependants only if they meet specific exemptions.
One key condition is having continuously held the relevant Skilled Worker permission since before March 11, 2024. Some children born in the UK are also covered by an exception.
Similar restrictions apply to medium-skilled jobs, with a cut-off date of July 22, 2025. The UK family visa rules generally prevent newer workers in these roles from bringing dependants from abroad, subject to exceptions.
How Much Money Must Families Show?
Applicants applying from abroad, or those who have lived in the UK for less than 12 months, usually need to show money to support their family.
The required amounts are:
- £285 (about Rs105,500) for a partner
- £315 (about Rs116,600) for the first child
- £200 (about Rs74,000) for each additional child
The money must be held for at least 28 consecutive days. This UK visa savings requirement is separate from the £1,270 (about Rs470,000) generally required for the main worker.
The funds can be held by the applicant, the worker or the child’s other parent. Some applicants may be exempt if they have lived in the UK legally for at least 12 months or their approved employer confirms it will cover the family’s costs for the first month.
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Visa Fees and Other Expenses
A worker bringing a spouse and one child generally needs £600 in family maintenance funds, in addition to the worker’s own required savings. Based on the figures provided, the combined amount is around Rs692,000.
However, this UK visa savings requirement does not include visa application fees or the immigration health surcharge.
A visa lasting up to three years costs £819 per person when applying from outside the UK, while the health surcharge is usually £1,035 per year.
For a spouse, these charges could total £3,924 over three years, or about Rs1.45 million. Families should check the latest official fees before applying.
Other Conditions for Dependants
Some partners must provide criminal record certificates from countries where they lived for at least 12 months during the past 10 years as an adult.
The UK dependant visa rules also prevent people on certain temporary visas, including visitor and seasonal worker visas, from switching directly to dependant status.
Approved Skilled Worker dependants can generally work and study, but they cannot claim public funds or work as professional sportspeople or sports coaches.
Pakistani workers in UK should confirm that every family member meets the relevant conditions before submitting an application.
The care worker visa restrictions are particularly important for new applicants. Anyone considering a job in care or a medium-skilled occupation should check the applicable cut-off dates before making relocation plans.
