Bringing in your family under the new Tier 4 points based system

You can bring in your dependants provided you are either:

• On a postgraduate course of 12 months or more or
• Government sponsored and on a course of 6 months or more

If your student visa was issued under the new Points Based System on or after the 31 March 2009 you can bring your spouse, unmarried or same- sex partner and children aged under 18.  If you have a student visa which was issued before this date your dependants will need to apply under the old system.

You will need to show you have enough money to support your family without you relying on earnings from part-time work.  You will also need to show that you have sole responsibility  for your child(ren) if you will not be joined by the other parent.

Each eligible family member must complete a visa application.  Most applications are now submitted on line.  To find out the requirements for your country google UKBA in (insert the relevant country, for example - Iraq).  You can save a draft of the application form provided you access it within 7 days.   We suggest you arrange an appointment to have it checked by the International Student Adviser together with the supporting documents.  You will need to bring your online log in and password to the appointment.

More information is available on your family’s rights to healthcare, employment and education.

Preparing to bring your family to the UK

1. Do I need to arrange housing?

If you are already in the UK then it makes sense to include information about your accommodation.  For example, you can show the rental agreement.  However, if you are all currently outside the UK it is not necessary to show proof of accommodation to get a UK Tier 4 dependant visa.

2. Make sure you have enough money

As a student you are expected to have available £800 from a month to cover your living costs.  For each family member you will need to show you have £450 a month.  Your family member will need to confirm on the form that the total amount of money will remain available for the duration of their stay in the UK.  The total amount you will have to show will vary depending on whether:

a)    You have completed a course of six months or more or are continuing on a course of more than 6 months and have recently extended your visa or will extend at the same time as your family

In this scenario you would need to show monthly figures of £800 from for yourself + £450 per dependant up to a maximum period of 2 months. This means if you want to bring your wife/husband and two children you will need to show  £800 + £450 x 3 (£1350) x2 = £4300.

b)    You have recently come to the UK for the first time and have completed less than 6 months of your course

In this scenario you will need to show monthly figures of  £450 from  per dependant up to  a maximum period of 9 months.  This means if you want to bring your wife/husband and two children to the UK for more than 9 months, you will need to show £800 + (£450 x 3) x 9= £19,350.

3. Evidence of sole responsibility for child(ren)

If you plan to bring a child or children and will not be joined by the other parent you would need to show you are either:

• The sole surviving parent, or
• You have sole responsibility for your child’s upbringing, or
• There are serious or compelling family or other considerations.  

4. Prepare the documents

If the documents are not in English the original must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator. This translation must include details of the translator’s credentials and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator.

You can help your family member by providing the following documents:

a) Proof of financial support

If you are a sponsored student and your sponsor provides financial support for your family you can show a letter from the sponsor. See the Policy Guidance for the requirements of the letter. Otherwise, you will need to show evidence of your funds in a bank account which belongs either to you or your partner.  You cannot use bank statements from family members or other sponsors.  The funds must have been in your account for 28 days and the bank statements must not be more than 31 days old. The required balance must be maintained for the full 28  day period.  

b) Accommodation

Whilst this is not a mandatory document we do recommend you provide evidence of your accommodation if you have arranged this.

• Tenancy agreement or letter from landlord
• Proof of payment of rent (can be required)

c) Student status

•  Your certificate of student status.  This is available from SSiD in the Union Building.

d) Proof of your immigration status in the UK

• Certified copy of your passport. This can be done by a solicitor for a small charge.  Contact the Student Advice Centre for a list of local solicitors.

e) Proof of relationship

• Your family member will need to show a certificate of marriage, civil partnership or birth as applicable.  If you are not married you will need to show evidence you have been living together in a relationship like marriage for a minimum of two years.  You should seek further advice for help if you are unmarried partners. If you have recently married and not seen each other for some time then it is essential that you get advice from us before you prepare your spouse's application.

f) Letter of support

• We recommend you write a letter of support giving details of the financial and accommodation arrangements.