Extend UK Skilled Worker Dependent Visas: Key Rules and Costs

The arithmetic of extending a UK Skilled Worker Dependent visa changed materially on 6 February 2024. The Home Office raised the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to £1,035 per year for adults and £776 per year for children, layered on top of application fees of £827 per applicant for stays up to three years and £1,500 for longer. For a family of four - lead applicant, partner, and two minor children - all extending simultaneously, the combined bill reaches £14,174 in statutory charges alone. These are not indicative figures. They are binding, in force, and unavoidable.

Tens of thousands of dependent partners and children of Skilled Worker holders face these calculations each year. Below is a structured breakdown of the fees, eligibility rules, and compliance deadlines that govern the extension process in 2024.

Application Fees and the 2024 IHS Surcharge Hike

The fee schedule for in-country extensions follows a strict binary: £827 for stays up to three years, £1,500 for any extension exceeding three years. There is no intermediate tier. Each applicant pays the fee individually - a partner and two minor children extending simultaneously incur three separate charges.

The IHS is levied separately, calculated per year of leave granted. As of 6 February 2024, the rates are:

For a three-year extension, an adult accrues £3,105 in IHS alone; a child, £2,328. A partner plus two children therefore generate £7,761 in IHS charges on top of £2,481 in application fees - £10,242 total, before any consideration of optional services. Priority processing adds £500 per applicant; super priority adds £1,000 per applicant. Neither is refundable if the application is refused.

The IHS calculation is mechanical: the Home Office multiplies the annual rate by the number of years of leave granted, then rounds any partial year up to a full year. An 18-month extension for an adult therefore incurs IHS of 2 × £1,035 = £2,070, not the £1,552.50 that strict proration would suggest. Applicants should not assume partial-year savings.

The IHS is non-refundable if leave is curtailed or the holder exits the UK early. Model leave duration to actual need, not to the maximum allowable stay.

Health and Care Worker exemption. Dependents of Health and Care Worker visa holders occupy a distinct fee band. They are exempt from the IHS in full and pay £284 for extensions up to three years, or £551 for longer stays. This exemption is statutory and tied to the sponsor's occupation code. It does not transfer to dependents of other Skilled Worker sub-routes.

The Skilled Worker route covers occupations across the labour market - healthcare, engineering, IT, finance, and the technical and creative roles underpinning the UK's film and television production sector. Applicants in these latter fields, where Skilled Worker sponsorship is common for camera operators, sound engineers, animators, and post-production staff, can track broader industry developments through outlets covering global entertainment, film, and television news. That coverage does not alter the immigration rules, but it is the backdrop against which many Skilled Worker dependents make their case for continued stay.

Financial Maintenance and the 28-Day Evidence Rule

The financial requirement is fixed, not discretionary. Applicants must demonstrate capacity to be supported without recourse to public funds, using the following thresholds:

• Partner: £285

• First child: £315

• Each additional child: £200

These sums must be held in a personal bank account - or in the sponsor's account with a formal declaration of support - for at least 28 consecutive days, ending no more than 31 days before the application date. The closing balance must meet or exceed the threshold on the date the statement is issued.

The Home Office scrutinises the date as much as the amount. A statement dated 32 days before application will be rejected, regardless of the balance held. Statements must be the official version issued by the bank, on letterhead, with the account holder's name, account number, and closing balance clearly visible. Screenshots of online banking are not accepted. Joint accounts require both names to appear on the document. The 28-day window must be unbroken - a single day below the threshold invalidates the application, even if the closing balance exceeds it.

Two exemptions apply:

1. Sponsor certification. If the lead applicant's employer certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), bank statements are not required. This is common where the employer offers accommodation, a living allowance, or both as part of the employment package.

2. 12-month UK residence. Dependents who have held valid leave in the UK for 12 months or more at the date of application are deemed to meet the requirement. No documentation is required. This is the cleanest path for established families who have remained on a single visa category without switching routes.

Statements must be in the applicant's name or jointly held with the sponsor. Statements issued in the sponsor's name alone do not satisfy the requirement unless accompanied by a written declaration that the funds are available to support the dependent.

Relationship Validity for Unmarried Partners and Adult Children

The Home Office distinguishes between married and unmarried partners at the evidentiary level, and the extension process enforces this through documentary proof.

Unmarried partners must demonstrate cohabitation in a relationship "akin to marriage" for at least two years at the date of application. Acceptable evidence includes:

• Joint tenancy agreements or mortgage statements

• Joint utility bills, council tax demands, or bank statements

• Official correspondence addressed to both parties at the same address

• Travel records showing shared trips over the qualifying period

The two-year window is measured to the application date, not to the decision date. An application submitted one day short of the qualifying period will be refused. The Home Office does not apply discretion to this requirement, and there is no appeal route for a shortfall measured in days.

Children aged 16 or over at the date of extension must:

• Not be leading an independent life

• Live with both parents (unless in full-time education at a residential institution away from home)

• Not be married or in a civil partnership

• Not have children of their own

These criteria are assessed as at the date of the original visa application, not the extension. A child who was 15 when the parent's Skilled Worker visa was first granted remains a dependent for extension purposes even if they turn 18 during the current grant of leave. Status is fixed at the original application.

A dependent's leave cannot exceed the lead applicant's leave. The application must align with the sponsor's expiry date, not the dependent's preferred schedule.

Transitional Salary Thresholds for Existing Visa Holders

The general Skilled Worker salary threshold rose to £38,700 (or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher) on 4 April 2024. New applicants from that date must meet the increased threshold.

Visa holders granted leave before 4 April 2024 are protected by transitional arrangements. They continue to be assessed against the threshold in force at the time of their original application - typically £29,000, or the relevant occupation-specific rate.

The practical consequence for dependents is direct: an extension application will not be refused because the lead applicant's salary no longer meets the current £38,700 figure, provided the sponsor held leave before 4 April 2024 and continues in the same occupation code.

The relevant test at extension is the sponsor's ongoing employment, not their current salary level. A Skilled Worker who accepted a reduction in pay after 4 April 2024 does not jeopardise a dependent's extension, so long as the original visa category remains valid and the sponsor's employment continues without a material change of role.

Transitional protection does not transfer automatically across materially different occupation codes. A sponsor who has changed jobs or moved to a different SOC code since the original grant should expect additional Home Office scrutiny, and dependents should be prepared to supply updated Certificate of Sponsorship evidence and a fresh maintenance review. The transitional salary threshold protects only the salary test - it does not shield the application from refusal on other grounds, including insufficient maintenance or invalid leave history.

Aligning Extension Timelines with the Lead Sponsor's Leave

A dependent's leave is structurally bound to the sponsor's leave. The Home Office will not grant an expiry date that exceeds the lead applicant's expiry date, regardless of when the dependent applies or whether they qualify independently on other grounds.

Applicants should therefore synchronise submissions. Where a family is extending together, a single application covering all members, filed within the sponsor's final three months of leave, produces aligned processing and aligned expiry dates.

Where extension timing has drifted - for example, a partner whose previous grant expires before the sponsor's current expiry - the dependent must apply before their own leave expires. Late applications trigger Section 24 overstayer provisions and create curtailment risk for the entire family unit.

Processing time reality. Standard in-country processing currently runs eight weeks, though operational delays have stretched this in practice during 2024. Cases routed for additional verification - particularly those involving unmarried partner evidence or occupation code changes - have waited four to six months in some reported instances. The priority service (£500) targets a five-working-day decision; super priority (£1,000) targets one working day. Neither is guaranteed, and neither is available in every category at every point. Daily capacity limits apply, and slots can disappear without notice. Applicants should not treat premium processing as a fallback for late applications.

Compliance Checklist

Before submission, verify the following