If you want your family or friends to stay or visit you while you are studying at Bath, email student immigration. One of our advisors will help you to find out:
- if you are a dependent, or if any of your family or friends should be classed as dependents
- which visa types your family and friends need, and how to apply
- what evidence you or your family need to provide in the application
The University also provides information about the support available for family members of international students.
Bringing your family to live with you in the UK (Dependent visa)
If you are a full-time Student visa holder, you can have family with you in the UK as a dependent if:
- you are government sponsored and your course is longer than six months
- you are studying a postgraduate course of nine months or longer
You must already have your Student visa, or you and your dependents must apply at the same time and in the same country.
You are not allowed to bring your family members with you if you are on a part-time Student visa.
Documents your dependents must provide
For Student dependent visa applications, you must provide a current passport or other valid travel document.
Read the UK government's detailed guidance for dependents to find out how much money you will need, and which other documents you must provide.
Financial evidence for dependent applications
For a dependent visa application, you will need to show £680 per person per month, for up to nine months (maximum of £6,120 per dependent). This amount must be held in the account for 28 days before the date of the application. For example, if you are applying for two dependents to join you, and your course is one year or longer in length you will need to show £680 x 9 for each dependent: £12,240 in total.
If you are applying at the same time as your dependent, you need to show this financial requirement on top of the financial requirements for your own Student visa application.
If you are financially sponsored for your studies, and your sponsor is also paying for your dependent family members to live in the UK, the sponsorship letter must be on official letter headed paper or stationery of the organisation of the official financial sponsor which must have the official stamp of that organisation and contain the following details:
- your name and your dependent's name
- the name and contact details of your official financial sponsor
- date
- the length of sponsorship
- the amount of money the sponsor is giving to you or a statement that your official financial sponsor will cover all of your fees and livings costs and the living costs for your dependents
If the financial sponsorship only covers part of your dependent's living costs, you must provide documents to show the remaining maintenance requirement.
Evidence of your relationship
If you are applying to extend your Student dependent visa, you do not need to provide any evidence of your relationship to the main visa holder.
If you are applying for a dependent visa for the first time, you will need to provide one of the following forms of evidence to prove your relationship to the main visa holder.
Partners (including spouses and civil partners)
You must provide a marriage or civil partner certificate.
Relationship akin to marriage/civil partnership for a period of at least two years
Where you are applying as a Student dependent where you are not married or in a civil partnership with them, you will need to provide documents to show that you have been living in a relationship akin to marriage/civil partnership for a period of at least two years – documents should therefore cover the whole of this period. Documents will only be accepted where they are from official sources such as utility bills or NHS registration.
Children
You must provide a full birth certificate showing both parents' names.
If you have ‘sole responsibility’ for your child, you must provide evidence of this (for example a divorce or death certificate, a letter from an employer, or evidence that returning home would have a disproportionate effect on the child). You are strongly advised to apply for their visa(s) at the same time as your own before leaving home.
If your child is 16 or over, they also need to show that they are not living an independent life in the UK. In order to apply as a child of a Student visa holder, you must normally be under the age of 18 on the date of application. Please speak to an adviser if you have a dependent who is over the age of 16 or 18.
Children born in the UK
Children born in the UK are not automatically British citizens. The baby needs to have a parent with British citizenship or settled status in the UK in order to be born British.
If your baby is born in the UK but is not a British citizen, it is quite lawful for him or her to remain in the UK without making an immigration application. However, the baby will need immigration permission to re-enter the UK after any travel abroad, and for babies born to Student visa holders, you can only apply for a dependent visa for them if you are eligible to apply for a dependent visa (see "Bringing your family to live with you in the UK (dependent visa)" paragraph above).
Please note, if you are a Student visa holder, and you have a baby born in the UK, your baby will only have healthcare cover for the first three months on the NHS. After this point, you will either need to obtain private medical insurance, or apply for a Student dependent visa for your baby.
Inviting your family and friends to visit
If your family or friends want to visit you for a short stay in the UK, they’ll need a Standard Visitor Visa. This type of visa is suitable for coming to see graduation ceremonies, or other short visits. Certain nationals (see Appendix 2) must get a visa before they leave home, but some people can ask for permission when they arrive in the UK.
You can find a full list of documents required for visitor visa applications at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
If your family or friends have to apply from their home country, you should register online. You can request a Proof of Status letter from SAMIS to provide details of who you are inviting.
When you have all of these documents, your family member or friend should apply on the government's website.
Health insurance
If a family member or friend is visiting you in the UK, they should buy private healthcare insurance. This will help them to avoid incurring significant costs if they need to use the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
What your visitor can and cannot do with a Standard Visitor visa
Your visitor can:
- visit for six months
- study in the UK for up to 30 days (as long as this is not their main reason for coming)
Your visitor cannot:
- get free medical treatment on the NHS
- get private medical treatment
- work
- extend the visa or switch to another type of visa
- do paid or unpaid work
- live in the UK for long periods of time, by visiting often
- claim public funds
- marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of their marriage or civil partnership
Standard Visitor visa checklist
Your visitor/s will need to present the following documents for their visitor visa application (and they should carry copies in their hand luggage when travelling, to present when they arrive).
- a letter from the University proving your status as a full-time student and details of who you’re inviting
- a personal letter of invitation written by you, and addressed to your visitors
- copies of your passport pages
- copies of your bank statements or sponsors' letters (optional, but we recommend this if you are funding the visit yourself)
- proof of accommodation, such as a copy of your tenancy contract, or a hotel reservation
Your visitors will also need to present the following for their visitor visa application:
- evidence of their intention to return home, such as details of business or study commitments
- proof of their salary or financial independence
- a return ticket, or enough money to buy one
- the application fee of £100