Dependant Visa UK for Ghanaian Citizens
Certain UK visas allow the main applicant to bring their spouses/partners and children to the country as their dependents.
For more information and guidance about how as a Ghanaian citizen you may obtain a dependant visa in the UK and to receive legal and immigration advice from our team of expert advisers, reach out to us today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or message us online.
Do I Need a Dependent Visa for the UK as a Ghanaian?
Certain UK work visas, student visa (in limited circumstances), business visa, and a UK Ancestry visa allow qualified foreign nationals to bring their eligible family members to the UK.
Eligible family for the scope of a dependant visa refers to:
- Spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of the main visa holder
- Minor children (i.e. aged below 18) including those born in the UK during their stay
- Children over 18 if they live with the main visa holder in the UK as their dependants
Dependant visa holders are allowed to work and study in the UK. You can also be self-employed, but there are restrictions on employment as a professional sportsperson or a doctor/dentist in training.
You will have access to the public healthcare (NHS) and education facilities, but cannot claim access to public funds.
You may also be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) if you are a dependant on your spouse/partner’s work visa and fulfil the additional requirements for obtaining ILR.
Page Contents
- Overview of a Dependant Visa UK
- Am I Eligible for a UK Dependant Visa?
- What Are the UK Dependant Visa Requirements?
- What Documents Do I Need for a Dependant Visa UK?
- How to Apply for the UK Dependant Visa
- UK Dependant Visa Processing Time
- UK Dependant Visa Fees
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
UK Dependent Visa Eligibility for Ghanaians: Who is Eligible?
If the main applicant is holding any of the below visas in the UK, you may be able to immigrate to the UK from Ghana as their dependent family:
- Skilled Worker visa
- Health and Care visa (except certain categories)
- Innovator Founder visa
- Graduate visa (only if your partner and children joined you in the UK as your dependent family on your current Student visa, or your child was born in the UK during your current Student visa)
- Student visa (only in limited circumstances since January 2024)
- High Potential Individual visa
- International Sportsperson visa
- Minister of Religion visa (T2)
- Senior or Specialist Worker visa
- UK Expansion Worker visa
- Secondment Worker visa
- Service Supplier visa
- Graduate Trainee visa
- Representative of an Overseas Business visa
- Creative Worker visa
- International Agreement visa
- Charity Worker visa
- Religious Worker visa
- Government Authorised Exchange visa
- Scale-up Worker visa
- UK Ancestry visa
Beginning in January 2024, Student visa holders can bring their spouse/partner or children to the UK as their dependants only if they themselves are:
- A government-sponsored student enrolled in a course lasting longer than six months, or
- A full-time student on a postgraduate level course lasting nine months or more
If the course starts on or after 1 January 2024, it must be either a PhD or other doctorate level course or a research-based higher degree.
Moreover, care workers (SOC 6145) and senior care workers (SOC 6146) will not be allowed to bring their dependants to the UK from 11 March 2024 onwards.
UK Dependent Visa Requirements for Ghanaian Citizens
For a spouse/partner, you must have been in a marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK for at least two years prior to the date of the dependent visa application. Alternatively, you may be able to apply if you can prove that you have been living together for at least two years.
In case you have not lived together due to acceptable and provable reasons (e.g. it’s not accepted in your culture or you have been working/studying in different places), you may be able to apply, only if you can prove your ongoing mutual commitment through proof of regular communications, evidence of supporting each other financially, shared parental care for any children you may have, or photos from a holiday taken together etc.
Your minor children are eligible to apply to immigrate to the UK as your dependants. They must be living with you (unless studying full time in a boarding school/university) and must not be married or in a civil partnership. Children over 18 may also be eligible for a UK dependant visa if they live with you in the UK, not married/in civil partnership, and are dependent on you, financially or otherwise.
You will also have to meet the Home Office specified income threshold or have proof of financial means to cover your dependants’ expenses and provide suitable accommodation for your family in the UK.
Required Documents for Ghanaian Citizens Applying for a UK Dependent Visa
The required supporting documents may include (but not limited to):
- Your current and valid Ghanaian passport
- Proof of your relationship with the main visa applicant, such as marriage/civil partnership certificate, documents proving you have been living together or have an ongoing commitment for the past two years, birth certificate etc.
- Proof of sufficient financial means to cover your dependants’ expenses, or evidence showing that you meet the minimum salary threshold, if applicable for the main applicant’s visa type (e.g. a Skilled Worker visa)
- Proof that your children are living with you, such as a bank statement, credit card bills, driving licence etc.
- A tuberculosis test certificate
How to Apply for the UK Dependant Visa
The application process for a UK dependant visa is the same as other UK visa applications. Each dependant visa applicant must complete a separate application and pay the visa fee and applicable health surcharge.
First, you will have to create an account on the Home Office website with an email ID. Please have all your supporting documents and other relevant information ready with you so as to answer the questions on the online form completely and accurately.
You will need the main applicant’s application number to apply for your UK dependant visa, also called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN), to be found on Home Office’s emails and letters to the main visa applicant.
You may also enter the ‘family linking code’ if the main applicant got one when they applied for their visa, which will connect your applications.
After completing the form, you will have to submit the same online along with scanned copies of your supporting documents, and pay the applicable visa fees and immigration healthcare surcharge.
Next, you will have to book an appointment with a UK visa application centre near you to submit your biometric information as well as your original passport and copies of supporting documents.
TLScontact is the official third-party UK visa services provider in Ghana. They have a visa application centre in Accra for your passport/document submission and providing biometrics information. They will keep your original passport for visa processing, to be returned to you once a decision is made.
If you are already in the UK on a different visa and want to switch to a dependant visa, you may be eligible to do so unless you are holding any of the following:
- A visit visa
- A short-term student visa
- A Parent of a Child Student visa
- A Seasonal Worker visa
- An Overseas Domestic worker visa
UK Dependent Visa Processing Time: What to Expect
As per UK Visas and Immigration’s current estimate, a dependant visa application may take up to three weeks to receive a decision if applied from outside the UK. If you are already in the UK and have applied to switch to a dependant visa from your current visa, this may take up to eight weeks.
In both scenarios, the processing time may increase further if your application is incomplete or inaccurate, the immigration authorities require additional supporting documents to process your application, or if your local British embassy/consulate is experiencing a huge volume of visa applications.
Fees for a UK Dependent Visa
A UK dependant visa fee is in line with the main applicant’s visa type. For example, if the main applicant is holding a Skilled Worker visa in the UK for up to three years, each dependant visa applicant will have to pay a fee of £769 (i.e. same as the main applicant).
A summary of UK Dependent Visa fees:
| Location | Visa Type | Fee (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the UK | Joining partner, parent, or child | £1,938 |
| Each dependant added to application | £1,938 | |
| Adult needing care from a relative (general) | £3,413 | |
| Adult needing care from a relative (temporary protection status) | £424 | |
| Inside the UK | Joining partner, parent, or child | £1,321 |
| Each dependant added to application | £1,321 | |
| Adult needing care from a relative (general) | £1,258 | |
| Adult needing care from a relative (temporary protection status) | £1,258 |
In addition, an immigration healthcare surcharge of £1035 must be paid per applicant for each year of your stay in the UK.
How Total Law Assists Ghanaians with UK Dependant Visa Applications
Our Total Law team of sympathetic immigration lawyers have helped several Ghanaian nationals with their UK dependant visa application (as well as other UK visas) over the years, regardless of their immigration circumstances or the complications involved in their cases.
If you are seeking overall advice with your dependant visa UK application or would like an immigration expert to complete your application on your behalf, we are happy to help. We provide application services where our specialists can guide you through each stage of your application.
To know more about the bespoke services we provide and how we can help you, please call us on +44 (0)333 305 9375 or message us online today, to speak to our team of immigration advisers.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
A UK dependant visa is valid for the same duration as the main applicant’s visa validity, and can be extended if and when the main applicant is eligible or required to extend their visa.
A UK dependant visa application does not require proof of your knowledge of the English language.
