Dependant Visa UK from Philippines: 2026 Requirements and How to Apply

If you are a Filipino citizen legally residing in the UK, you may be able to apply for your spouse and children to join you. To join you in the UK, they will usually need to take the dependant route.

Note that as they join the main visa holder (i.e., you) as ‘dependants’, their visas are usually referred to as ‘dependant’ visas tied to the main applicant’s UK visa type (e.g., a Skilled Worker visa or a Global Talent visa), although there is no specific visa called the dependant visa in the UK.

There are a number of work routes through which your family may be able to join you in the UK, including if you are in the UK with a Skilled Worker visa, a Global Business Mobility visa, a T2 Minister of Religion visa, or a UK Ancestry visa. It is generally not possible to be joined by your family if you are on a Temporary Work visa.

It is no longer possible for most students to be joined by their family members under this route (except in the case of PhD students or postgraduate researchers). Additionally, it is no longer possible for care workers to be joined by their Dependants.

Page Contents

• Dependant Visa UK: Overview
• UK Dependant Visa Requirements for Filipinos
• Financial Requirements Filipinos Must Meet for a UK Dependant Visa
• Supporting Documents Filipino Citizens Must Provide
• How Can Filipinos Prepare for UK Dependant Visa?
• How to Apply for a Dependant Visa UK from the Philippines
• Processing Time and Fees for the UK Dependant Visa
• Can Dependants Work or Study in the UK?
• Why UK Dependant Visas Are Refused and How to Fix It
• Settlement in the UK on a Dependant Visa
• UK e-Visa
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

The financial requirements for a dependant visa vary depending on the main applicant’s visa type.

For example, if a Filipino citizen is in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, they must show that they have at least £285 for their spouse/partner, £315 for first child, and £200 for each additional child.

Generally speaking, you must be able to prove that you have sufficient financial means to cover your dependants’ expenses in the UK. In case your employer is sponsoring your dependants to the UK (applicable only for sponsored workers), you will need to submit evidence thereof.

However, if a dependant visa applicant is already legally and continuously living in the UK for 12 months or longer before they apply, they may be exempt from meeting the financial requirements.

In case they were absent from the UK during the said period for a significant duration, they must meet the financial requirements for a dependant visa.

Here’s a checklist for documents that are usually required to apply for a UK dependant visa:

• Your current and valid passport
• The Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN) for the main visa applicant (to link your applications)
• 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 certificates (for dependent children), etc.
• Proof that the main applicant has sufficient financial means to cover their dependants’ expenses, or evidence showing that they meet the minimum salary threshold, if applicable depending on their 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 (applicable if you are applying from the Philippines or any other listed countries where you are currently a resident. Not applicable if applying from within the UK)
• Criminal record check certificate for adult applicants (where applicable)

Keep in mind that depending on your immigration circumstances and whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK, the Home Office may ask you to submit additional supporting documents.

Anyone applying for a UK visa that lasts more than six months must complete a tuberculosis (TB) test in the Philippines. The UK only accepts results from clinics approved by the Home Office.

You can find approved clinics in Manila, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo. Results from any other hospitals or laboratories will be rejected.

How it works

• Book an appointment by contacting your chosen clinic
• The cost is ₱600 for children below 11 and ₱3,600 for everyone aged 11 or above
• Bring your valid passport on the day and the test fee
• The TB certificate is valid for six months

Applying too early can cause issues if the certificate expires before your visa is decided. Always time the test carefully.

Once the online application is submitted and fees paid, you must book a biometrics appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). These are managed by VFS Global with locations in Manila and Cebu.

Manila offers more services and appointments, while Cebu may be easier for those based outside Luzon.

What to expect

At the appointment you will:

• Give fingerprints and a photo
• Present your passport and TB certificate
• Submit supporting evidence or arrange document scanning

VFS also offers optional “premium” services such as faster processing, on-site document checking, or courier delivery. Fees for these services vary, so check the VFS website before booking.

The processing time for a UK Dependant visa from the Philippines is generally 3 weeks. However, this may take longer if there are any errors with the application or if further information is needed.

Additionally, applications may take longer to process if a high number of other applications are also being processed simultaneously. Minimise delays by making sure that all applications are completed correctly and that any additional requested information is provided promptly.

The cost of the application fee varies depending on the type of visa under which the dependant is applying and whether or not the role in question falls under a shortage occupation. For example, a Global Talent dependant visa application fee is £766.

Applicants will also need to pay the immigration health surcharge, which allows them to use the UK’s national health service. This surcharge is £776 for minor dependants and £1035 for adult dependants per year.

Yes. Once your family members have successfully obtained their Dependant visas, there are a number of activities in which they can engage. These are as follows:

• Working in the UK (except as a sportsperson or coach)
• Studying in the UK
• Leaving and returning to the UK

The Dependant visa will only be valid for the duration of the legal stay of the family member in the UK who they are joining. As such, holders of the Dependant visa are not authorized to stay in the UK in their own right, independently of the family member who they have joined. If they wish to do so, they must instead apply for a different type of UK visa.

Common reasons for a dependant visa refusal include:

• Incomplete application form
• Missing or incorrect supporting documents
• Invalid TB certificates from unapproved clinics
• Relationship evidence that is incomplete or poorly translated
• Expired documents
• Documents not in English

How to Ask for an Administrative Review or Appeal the Refusal Decision

You may be able to ask the Home Office for a formal review of the refusal decision. It is known as an administrative review.

You can ask for a review only if you have sufficient reason(s) to believe that the Home Office made a case working error(s) while arriving at the visa refusal decision. Plus, it must be mentioned in your decision letter.

In some scenarios, you may be able to appeal the refusal decision instead, citing violation of human rights based on private and family life. Whether or not you have a right to appeal against the Home Office decision will also be mentioned in your decision letter.

If you don’t have rights to either of these remedies or have already exhausted them, submitting a fresh visa application (after correcting your previous application error) or taking the judicial review route may be the more appropriate option.

After living in the UK legally and continuously on a dependant visa for five years, you may be able to apply for permanent settlement, also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’. You must meet the following conditions in order to do so:

• As a spouse/partner, you are in a genuine relationship with the main visa holder and wish to continue your relationship after applying for ILR (i.e., you are not in the relationship solely for obtaining ILR in the UK), or
• As a dependent child, you are:
  • Living (or intend to live) with your parents or parents (unless studying at a boarding school or university)
  • Supported and accommodated by the main visa holder without claiming social benefits
  • Not married or in a civil partnership, or living an independent life

Moreover, the family must be generating sufficient income to support themselves in the UK while applying for ILR.