Can I bring my family with me on a UK Student visa?
Only students on postgraduate research courses (for example a PhD or MPhil) of nine months or more, or those with a government sponsorship, can bring dependants. Students on taught courses, including taught master's degrees, cannot.
Reviewed 17 September 2026 · 1 min read
Short answer: Since January 2024 only postgraduate research students (PhD and research master's) and government-sponsored students can bring a partner and children. Taught master's and undergraduate students cannot.
Who counts as a dependant
Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner of at least two years, and children under 18.
What dependants can do
Work in most jobs (not as a professional sportsperson or doctor or dentist in training), study, and use the NHS after paying the surcharge.
Extra money to show
£952 a month per dependant in London, £680 elsewhere, for nine months, on top of your own maintenance.
If you are not eligible
Family can visit on a Standard Visitor visa for up to six months at a time but cannot work or study, and repeated long visits will be questioned at the border.
Sources
General information, not regulated immigration advice. Rules change; check the source before you act, and speak to an IAA-registered adviser about your case.