In the UK as a partner or child?
Dependant Visa to Student Visa in the UK: Do You Need to Switch?
Many dependants can study on the visa they already hold. Switching to your own Student visa gives you independence and a future Graduate visa, but it can cut your work hours and change your family’s plans. Here is how to decide.
Admissions guidance only. HOA does not give advice on individual immigration cases, and no university offer guarantees a visa.
Can you study on the visa you hold?
If you are in the UK as the partner of someone on one of these visas.
- Partner of a Skilled WorkerYes
- Partner of a StudentYes
- Partner of a GraduateYes
- Want your own visa, or a Graduate visa after your degree?Switch
Some master’s and PhD subjects need a free ATAS certificate before you start. Sources: GOV.UK; Appendix Student, ST 39.3; Appendix Graduate, GR 16.3.
Can a Dependant Study in the UK Without Switching?
Usually, yes: most dependants can study in the UK without switching to a Student visa. GOV.UK lists study among the things a Skilled Worker’s partner and children can do, and the Immigration Rules permit study for the partners of Students (Appendix Student, ST 39.3) and Graduates (Appendix Graduate, GR 16.3). Some master’s and PhD subjects need an ATAS certificate first, which is free.
You need your own Student visa only for what a dependant visa cannot give you: permission that does not depend on your partner’s, a course that runs past your partner’s visa end date, or a Graduate visa after your degree, which requires Student permission (GR 1.3). Dependant visas can be switched from inside the UK, and the academic progression rule applies only if you have held a Student visa before.
The facts at a glance
Checked against the sources cited on 13 October 2026.
- Skilled Worker’s partner
- Can study, and can work in any job except as a sportsperson or coach.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker: partner and children
- Student’s partner
- Can study, subject to ATAS clearance for some subjects.Appendix Student, ST 39.3
- Graduate’s partner
- Can study, subject to ATAS clearance for some subjects.Appendix Graduate, GR 16.3
- Can you switch?
- Yes. Dependant visas are not on the list of visas you cannot switch from.GOV.UK, Student visa: switch
- Academic progression
- Applies only if you have held a Student visa before.Appendix Student, ST 14.1
- Work after switching
- Up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level, full time in official vacations.GOV.UK, Student visa
- Graduate visa later
- Needs Student permission, so it is not open to you on a dependant visa.Appendix Graduate, GR 1.3
- Cost of switching
- £558 plus the health surcharge of £776 a year.GOV.UK, Student visa
Who Can Study on a Dependant Visa?
The partner of someone on each of these visas can study in the UK without a Student visa.
| You are the partner of | Can you study? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| A Skilled Worker | Yes | GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children |
| A Student | Yes, subject to ATAS | Appendix Student, ST 39.3 |
| A Graduate visa holder | Yes, subject to ATAS | Appendix Graduate, GR 16.3 |
| A British or settled person, on a family visa | Check your visa conditions | A separate route: see below |
Studying as a dependant, you apply to the university like any other applicant, but you do not need a CAS for your visa. The university decides whether you pay home or international fees, so check your fee status before you accept an offer.
Dependant or dependent? GOV.UK spells the noun ‘dependant’. A ‘dependent visa’ means the same thing.
When Does Switching to a Student Visa Make Sense?
Switch when you need something your dependant visa cannot give you.
- You want your own statusA dependant visa rests on your partner’s. Your own Student visa does not.
- Your course runs past your partner’s visaA dependant visa ends when your partner’s does. A Student visa covers your course plus time after it.
- You want a Graduate visa after your degreeOnly someone with Student permission can apply for one (Appendix Graduate, GR 1.3). How the Graduate visa timing works.
- Your family’s circumstances are changingIf your partner is leaving the UK or your relationship has ended, your permission may be affected. Take regulated advice quickly.
What Changes When You Switch?
Your own Student visa brings new rights and new limits. Compare them before you apply.
| On a dependant visa | On your own Student visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Work | Any job except as a sportsperson or coach | Up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level; full time in official vacations |
| When your visa ends | With your partner’s visa | At the end of your course plus extra time: 4 months for a course of 12 months or more |
| Graduate visa after your degree | Not available | Available once, if you complete an eligible course |
| Settlement | Time as a Skilled Worker’s partner can lead to settlement with them, if the requirements are met | You leave your partner’s route. Take regulated advice first |
| Cost | Already paid | £558 plus the health surcharge of £776 a year |
Working full time now? Switching cuts your hours in term time to 20 a week. Plan for the change in income before you apply.
Work out what switching would cost, including the health surcharge for your course length.
Does Your Course Need ATAS Clearance?
Some master’s and PhD courses in sensitive science and technology subjects need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before you start, whichever visa you hold, unless your nationality is exempt. Nepal is not on the exempt list. The certificate is free, and your university will tell you whether your course needs one.
Apply for it as soon as you have an offer: you cannot start the course without it.
Not sure which route suits you? A counsellor can check your course options as a dependant or on your own Student visa, free.
Check my study optionsOn a Spouse or Partner Visa? Read This First
A spouse or partner visa under the family rules, for the partner of a British or settled person, is a different route from a dependant visa. GOV.UK describes it as a route to settlement once you have lived in the UK for a set time. Switching to a Student visa would take you off that route.
Before you consider switching, check whether your current visa conditions already let you study, and take regulated advice: a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority can look at your full history.
How to Switch From a Dependant Visa to a Student Visa
Only if switching is right for you. If you simply want to study, check the first step.
-
Decide whether you need to switch
If you only want to study, check whether your dependant visa already allows it.
-
Choose a course and check ATAS
Confirm the course level and whether it needs an ATAS certificate.
-
Check the timing
The course must start no more than 28 days after your current visa expires. You can apply up to 3 months before it starts.
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Get an offer and your CAS
Your CAS from a licensed university confirms your place.
-
Check money and English
No funds are needed after 12 months in the UK with a valid visa. For degree-level study, the university can assess your English itself.
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Plan with your partner
Switching changes your own status. Take regulated advice if settlement or your children’s visas are involved.
-
Apply before your current visa expires
Apply online, pay £558 plus the health surcharge, and prove your identity. You can stay in the UK while you wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Dependant visas are not on GOV.UK’s list of visas you cannot switch from, so you can apply from inside the UK if you meet the Student visa requirements, including a CAS for a course that starts no more than 28 days after your current visa expires.
Usually, yes. The partners of Skilled Workers, Students and Graduates can study on their dependant visas, subject to an ATAS certificate for some master’s and PhD subjects. You only need a Student visa for what a dependant visa cannot give you.
Yes. GOV.UK lists study among the things a Skilled Worker’s partner and children can do. The partner can also work in any job except as a sportsperson or coach.
Yes. Appendix Student (ST 39.3) permits study for a Student’s partner, subject to the ATAS condition for some subjects.
Only if you have held a Student visa before. If you came to the UK as a dependant and have never been a Student, the rule does not apply to your first Student visa application.
Yes, in term time. At degree level, a Student can work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in official vacations, whereas a Skilled Worker’s partner can work in any job except as a sportsperson or coach.
No. A Graduate visa needs Student permission (Appendix Graduate, GR 1.3). If you want one after your degree, you would need to switch to a Student visa for that course.
Not if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more on the date you apply. Otherwise you must show up to 9 months of living costs, held for 28 consecutive days.
The application fee is £558, plus the health surcharge of £776 for each year of your new visa, charged at half rate for a final part-year of 6 months or less. For a one-year master’s that comes to about £1,722.
Your switch does not change your partner’s visa, but it takes you off your partner’s route, which can matter for settlement and for your children’s applications. Take regulated advice if your family’s plans depend on your current visa.
Not without regulated advice. A spouse or partner visa under the family rules leads to settlement after a set period, and switching would take you off that route. Check first whether your current conditions already let you study.
Yes, free. HOA helps you choose a course, check its level and ATAS needs, and apply, whether you study on your dependant visa or switch. Questions about your own immigration position go to a regulated adviser.
Guides for Students Already in the UK
Each guide answers one question. The first one is where you can ask a counsellor to check your options.
- Graduate visa to Student visaSwitch inside the UK, and check your options
- Academic progressionWill your next course count?
- Second master’s in the UKVisa rules, PSW and costs
- Dependant visa to Student visaSwitch, or study as you are
- Can you extend a Graduate visa?And what to do before it ends
- Student visa expiringYour options before it ends
- Student visa extension costFees, surcharge and a calculator
- February 2027 intakeUniversities we could confirm
Key Terms
- Dependant
- A partner or child granted UK permission because of a family member’s visa. Their permission normally ends when the main visa holder’s does.
- Switching
- Applying from inside the UK for permission on a different visa route, such as from a dependant visa to a Student visa, before the current permission expires.
- Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
- A free UK government certificate needed before starting some master’s and PhD courses in sensitive science and technology subjects, unless the student’s nationality is exempt.
- Graduate visa
- UK permission to stay and work after an eligible UK course, granted once per person and only to someone with Student permission.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page was checked against these sources on 13 October 2026. If GOV.UK and this page ever disagree, GOV.UK is right.
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
- GOV.UK, Graduate visa: your partner and children
- GOV.UK, Student visa: switch to this visa
- GOV.UK, Student visa
- Home Office, Immigration Rules, Appendix Student (ST 12, ST 14, ST 39)
- Home Office, Immigration Rules, Appendix Graduate (GR 1.3, GR 16.3)
- GOV.UK, Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
- GOV.UK, Student visa: knowledge of English
- GOV.UK, Family visas
- Immigration Advice Authority, About us
About This Guide
Who wrote it. House of Admissions (HOA), a UK-only education consultancy founded in 2016, with offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara. All 20+ HOA counsellors hold the British Council’s UK counsellor certification, and HOA’s guidance is free to students.
Who checked it. Reviewed by Rahul Chhetri, Director. Every rule and figure was checked against the sources above on , and each one links to its source.
What it is not. Admissions guidance, not immigration advice. For advice on your own case, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Related Guides
Study on Your Visa, or Switch: Get It Right First
Tell us your visa, your partner’s visa and the course you want. A counsellor will check your study options, free.