The rules around dependants for Health and Care Worker visas changed on 11 March 2024. These changes affect who can include family members in their visa applications and under what circumstances they can stay in the UK or apply for an extension.
If you applied for your Care Worker visa before 11 March 2024 and included dependants, they can remain in the UK, extend their visa, or switch to another eligible route. However, if your application was submitted after this date, the rules are stricter. Care Workers and Senior Care Workers are no longer allowed to add dependants unless they qualify under specific exceptions. This includes anyone switching from a dependent/student/graduate visa after the 11th of March 2024.
You might be exempt if you were already on a Skilled Worker visa under SOC codes 6135 or 6136 before 11 March 2024. Exemptions also apply if you are the sole surviving parent of a child, have sole or joint responsibility for a child, or have a child born in the UK.
For dependants who were granted leave before the rule changes, their status remains secure. They can still extend their visas or switch to other eligible routes. If the main applicant moves to a visa that doesn’t allow dependants, their current leave will remain valid until it expires, but they won’t be able to extend it further.
If you didn’t include dependants in your original application before the deadline, you won’t be able to add them later unless you meet one of the exemption criteria.
Understanding these changes is essential to ensure you meet the requirements and properly manage any dependant visa applications.
Non-care workers on a Skilled Worker visa are not affected by the changes introduced on 11 March 2024. They can continue to include dependants in their applications, such as their spouse or partner and children under 18. The usual rules for dependants apply, with no additional restrictions linked to the March 2024 updates.
We have created this breakdown matrix to outline the most common scenarios for people on, or switching to, the Care Worker visa.