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Book a consultationThe Points-Based System (PBS) is the UK’s immigration system to manage the entry of skilled workers, students, and other individuals from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. It assigns points to applicants based on specific criteria, such as qualifications, work experience, language proficiency, and sponsorship. The PBS dependent visa is the mechanism for allowing the partners and children of these migrants to come with them to the UK for the duration of their visas. As the PBS system covers a wide range of different visas, from multi-million pound investor visas to student visas, there’s a significant amount of variation in the duration and cost of the dependant visas. However, all PBS dependant visas work along the same broad principles:
The PBS dependant visa allows family units to remain together and provides significant opportunities and rights to the visa holder. It also provides a pathway to indefinite leave to remain and in time British citizenship. However it’s always important to understand that as a PBS dependant visa holder, your stay in the UK is inextricably linked to that of the main visa holder. Future extensions and the right to remain in the UK can only be granted if the main applicant extends their stay and you remain in a genuine and subsisting relationship with the main visa holder.
To be able to apply for a PBS dependant visa you need to ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. This includes requirements for both you as the dependant family member as well as requirements for the main visa holder. The most important of these requirements is that main visa holder must have a qualifying PBS visa. The following list provides an overview of the most common qualifying PBS visas:
*subject to the level of the qualification, duration of the course and the institution
**subject to the specifics of the temporary work visa
In addition to the above, the applicant for the PBS dependant visa must:
Providing all of the above requirements are met and the necessary evidence is submitted, your application for a PBS dependant visa should be granted.
The PBS dependant visa bestows a number of benefits to the visa holder, which includes the right to work and study, as well as some more general rights. The PBS dependant visa allows the holder to:
However it is important to note that there are some limitations to the visa, including the right to access public funds:
The cost of a PBS dependant visa varies by each tier of the PBS system and by each visa type. In some instances the fee can also be influenced by the length of the visa. As the most common type of PBS dependant visa application is as the partner or child of a Tier 2 General Skilled Worker, we have provided an illustration below based on this criteria.
Therefore in this example, the cost for the main applicant on a Tier 2 General Skilled Worker visa would be £2,516.20 (£625 + £19.20 + £1,872). The cost for a dependant adult would also be £2,516.20, while the cost for a dependant child would be £2.054.20.
Much like the costs for a dependant PBS visa, the maintenance requirement is variable based on your visa, tier and the length of time spent in the UK. Once again we will use the example of the dependant partner or child of a Tier 2 General Skilled Worker as an example, to illustrate how the maintenance requirement works.
So in the instance of a family consisting of the main applicant, a partner and two children, a maintenance requirement of £2,070 would apply (£1,270 + £285 + £315 = £200). As part of your application you will need to provide bank statements showing that the maintenance funds have been in your account for at least 28 days in a row. The last day of this period must also be within 31 days of the application for the visa.
It’s important to note that if the main applicant has been living in the UK for over 12 months, then they will satisfy the maintenance requirements automatically. This applies to both the main applicant and any dependants.