Most taught master’s students can no longer bring dependants. Since January 2024 the dependant route is restricted to PhD, doctoral and research programmes, and to government-sponsored students on courses of six months or more. If you qualify, you must additionally evidence £680 per month outside London or £845 in London for each dependant, up to nine months. This is the rule that has changed most s
Can Nepali Students Bring Their Family to the UK? The 2024 Restriction Explained
This is the rule that has changed most sharply for Nepali applicants, and advice published before January 2024 is now actively misleading.
By Rahul Chhetri, Director, House of Admissions · Updated 11 Sep 2026
Most taught master’s students can no longer bring dependants. Since January 2024 the dependant route is restricted to PhD, doctoral and research programmes, and to government-sponsored students on courses of six months or more. If you qualify, you must additionally evidence £680 per month outside London or £845 in London for each dependant, up to nine months.
This page covers who can bring dependants and what it costs. For your own maintenance requirement see the 28-day rule; for proving where the money came from see source of funds.
- Changed
- January 2024
- Who can still bring dependants
- PhD, doctoral and research students
- Also
- Government-sponsored students on courses of 6+ months
- Who cannot
- Taught master’s and undergraduate students
- Dependant funds, outside London
- £680 per month, up to 9 months (£6,120)
- Dependant funds, London
- £845 per month, up to 9 months (£7,605)
- Dependant IHS
- Charged at the same rate as the main applicant
Who Can Still Bring Dependants on a UK Student Visa?
| Your course | Dependants allowed? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| PhD or doctoral programme | Yes | The main remaining route |
| Research-based postgraduate programme | Yes | Must be research-led, not taught |
| Government-sponsored, 6+ months | Yes | Sponsorship must be official |
| Taught master’s (MSc, MA, MBA) | No | The change that affects most Nepali applicants |
| Undergraduate | No | Not permitted |
A great deal of Nepali consultancy content still describes the old position, in which taught master’s students could bring a spouse. Acting on it means planning a family move that cannot happen, and in some cases paying deposits on that assumption.
What Does a Dependant Cost from Nepal?
If you do qualify, each dependant adds a maintenance requirement on top of your own: £680 per month outside London or £845 in London, for up to nine months — £6,120 and £7,605 respectively. That money is subject to the same 28-day rule as your own funds. UKVI financial evidence guidance, gov.uk, 2026
Each dependant also pays the Immigration Health Surcharge at the same rate as you, and a separate visa fee. For a Nepali family the realistic total is considerably more than most students assume.
What If You Cannot Bring Your Family?
The common routes are to study a research-based programme if that fits your goals, or to complete the taught course and bring family later on a different visa — for example after switching to Skilled Worker, which permits dependants. Switching to Skilled Worker →
Planning to bring your family?Tell us your course type and we will tell you plainly whether dependants are possible and what the real total cost would be — free, before you commit to anything.
Free WhatsApp checkFrequently Asked Questions
Only if you are on a PhD, doctoral or research programme, or are a government-sponsored student on a course of six months or more. Since January 2024 taught master’s and undergraduate students cannot bring dependants.
The dependant route was restricted. Before that, taught master’s students could bring a spouse or children. Since then the route is limited to research programmes and government-sponsored students. Advice published before the change is no longer accurate.
£680 per month outside London or £845 in London, for up to nine months — £6,120 or £7,605 — on top of your own maintenance. The same 28-day holding rule applies.
Yes, at the same rate as the main applicant and for the same length of leave, plus a separate visa fee. For a one-year course that is a substantial additional cost.
Yes — a standard visitor visa is a separate route and is unaffected by the dependant restriction. It does not permit work or long stays, but it allows family to visit.
Potentially. The Graduate Route does not have the same restriction, and the Skilled Worker route permits dependants. Many Nepali students now plan on that basis instead. Switching to Skilled Worker.
It is a genuine route but a poor reason on its own — a doctorate is three to four years of research. If family accompaniment is the priority, look at whether a research master’s genuinely fits your goals, or plan around a later switch.
Get this checked before you submit — free
Most refusals from Nepal come from paperwork, not from weak profiles. We check every document against the UKVI and MoEST requirements before you pay a fee. House of Admissions is free to students at every stage — we are paid by universities after enrolment, never by you.
Apply free WhatsApp a counsellorRelated Guides
Where Does This Information Come From?
- UKVI — Financial evidence for Student and Child Student route applicants
- GOV.UK — Student visa
- House of Admissions casework, 2016–2026 (self-reported)
Last updated 11 Sep 2026. Nepali foreign-exchange rules and MoEST procedure change by circular and are not always announced in English — confirm current figures with your bank or at noc.moest.gov.np before you rely on them. Nothing here is immigration or financial advice; for a decision on your own case, consult a regulated adviser.