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Care worker visas and dependants: the 11 March 2024 rule

GOV.UK says a partner and children outside the UK can apply to join a care worker or senior care worker only if the worker has been continually employed in that role on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or the child was born in the UK. Different conditions apply to dependants already in the UK.

Care workers and senior care workers sponsored on the Skilled Worker route (the Health and Care Worker visa) face a rule about dependants that does not apply to nurses, doctors or most other sponsored jobs. A worker who started in the role before 11 March 2024, and has stayed continuously employed in it on a Skilled Worker visa, can have a partner and children join or stay. A worker who started later does not meet that first test. There are exceptions for children, and the rule works differently for dependants outside the UK and those already inside.

This guide explains the rule using GOV.UK's Health and Care Worker and Skilled Worker pages and Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 29.1A and SW 32A.2), read on 9 October 2026. It also sets out fees and the practical effect when a worker changes sponsor. It explains how the rule works and does not say whether any family meets it. People affected by this rule are sometimes in difficult circumstances, so the tone is deliberately factual and the last section points to official help.

The rule in GOV.UK's words and the Rules' words

GOV.UK sets the rule out under the heading "If you're a care worker or senior care worker". For partners and children outside the UK, they can apply to join the worker as a dependant if either:

  • the worker has been continually employed in the UK as a care worker or senior care worker and on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024; or
  • the person applying is a child born in the UK.

For partners and children inside the UK, they can apply to stay as a dependant if any of the following are true:

  • the worker has been continually employed in the UK as a care worker or senior care worker and on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024;
  • the child was born in the UK;
  • the child's only living parent is the worker, who is responsible for them; or
  • the child's other parent is also sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker.

The Health and Care Worker page uses almost the same words, with "a Health and Care Worker visa or a Skilled Worker visa" in the first test and, for the in-country child cases, "you're the only living parent responsible for your child" and "your child's other parent is also sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker".

In the Rules the same idea is in SW 29.1A (for partners) and SW 32A.2 (for children). They say the worker must be sponsored in a listed Table 1, 2 or 3 job, unless the worker was, or is being, granted permission in the care worker code "6145 Care workers and home carers" or "6146 Senior care workers" (the older occupation codes) under the Rules in force before 11 March 2024, and has continuously had Skilled Worker permission in one of the specified codes since. GOV.UK now lists the same job titles under occupation codes 6135 and 6136, and the Rules' later transitional protection for medium-skilled jobs expressly excludes those two codes, which leaves the 11 March 2024 date as the one that matters for care workers.

Outside the UK or inside the UK: how the rule differs

The rule is narrower for dependants who have not yet arrived. A partner or child abroad has two routes in: the worker's continuous employment since before 11 March 2024, or the child having been born in the UK (SW 32A.2(b) covers a UK-born child for entry clearance and for permission to stay alike).

For dependants already in the UK, the Rules (SW 32A.2(c) and (d)) add two cases that apply only to applications for permission to stay and only to children: the worker is the sole surviving parent or has sole responsibility for the child, or the worker has joint responsibility with another Skilled Worker who is also sponsored in the same kind of care job. These cases protect children whose parents are in the UK, whether one or both are care workers. They do not extend to a partner.

A few definitions in the Rules matter in practice:

  • "Continuously" has to be read with the exceptions in the Rules. Where the "Exceptions for overstayers" section of Part Suitability applies, a period of overstaying is disregarded.
  • The worker must keep Skilled Worker permission in one or more of the listed care codes. SW 29.1A(b) refers to permission "sponsored in one or more of these" codes, which is how a change of sponsor within the same codes can sit inside a continuous period.
  • The wording refers to specified occupation codes, so the codes the worker has held since the qualifying grant are part of the question.

What this means for new care workers

The Health and Care Worker page says care workers (code 6135) and senior care workers (code 6136) are now listed only for people extending, updating or switching to the visa. Someone switching from a different visa must have been working legally in the job for the sponsor for at least 3 months. The sponsor must be registered with the Care Quality Commission if it employs care workers or senior care workers in England. The standard salary figure on the page is at least £25,000 or the going rate if higher.

Taken together, those pieces mean that a new care worker cannot normally get entry clearance under these codes, and a worker already in the UK can switch in, but their partner and children are subject to the dependants rule above. The effect on a family depends on the date the worker's care work began and whether their employment since then has been continuous. For a worker who began after 11 March 2024, GOV.UK's wording leaves only the child-based cases described above.

The dependants rule sits alongside the route's other conditions for the worker, including the minimum salary, the English requirement and sponsor compliance, which are covered in the care worker visa guides.

Fees, funds and the healthcare surcharge for those who qualify

Where a dependant is eligible, the usual dependant rules apply.

  • Fee. The Health and Care Worker fee applies to each family member: £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for more than 3 years, from inside or outside the UK, per person. GOV.UK says each family member completes a separate application and pays the application fee.
  • Healthcare surcharge. GOV.UK states on the Health and Care Worker page: "You - and your partner or children - will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge." The IHS page lists dependants of eligible health and care workers among those who do not pay.
  • Funds. Dependants must show £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying (SW 33.3 and 33.5). This is usually required unless everyone has been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months or the employer certifies on the certificate of sponsorship that it can cover the family's costs for the first month.
  • Decision times. GOV.UK says dependants usually get a decision within 3 weeks from outside the UK and within 8 weeks from inside the UK.

A dependant's visa usually ends on the same date as the worker's. SW 36.1 gives a partner permission that ends on the same date as the worker's, or 3 years if the worker is granted settlement. SW 36.2 gives a child permission to the earlier of the parents' end dates. Our guides to sponsor licence revocation and to exploitation by a sponsor explain what happens to a worker's own permission in those situations.

Switching sponsor and keeping a family's position

A change of employer is done by updating the visa. The Health and Care Worker page says you need to apply to update it if you change to a job with a different employer, if your job changes to a different occupation code (unless you are in a graduate training programme), or if you leave a job on the Immigration Salary List for one that is not on it. A care worker working in England must have a new employer registered with the Care Quality Commission, and the new job needs a new certificate of sponsorship. The page adds that a partner's or child's visa will not automatically change when the worker updates theirs; if they do not update, it stays valid until its original end date. For the dependants' rule, the key question is continuity: SW 29.1A(b) and SW 32A.2(a) require that since the qualifying grant the worker has "continuously had permission" as a Skilled Worker in the listed codes. A worker who stays in care work on a new sponsor's certificate, within the Rules, is still within that wording. A gap with no permission, or a move out of the listed codes, is where the wording stops applying.

For partners and children already in the UK on dependant permission, GOV.UK says that if the worker extends or switches, the dependant's current visa stays valid until its original end date, and they apply to extend or switch either at the same time as the worker or at any time before their current visa expires. This includes children who turned 18 during the stay.

Some people cannot switch into dependant status from within the UK at all: those on a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa, a domestic worker in a private household visa, on immigration bail, or with permission outside the Rules, for example on compassionate grounds. A person on a Student visa can switch only after completing the sponsored course or studying for a PhD for at least 24 months.

Children born in the UK, and what a parent should know

A child born in the UK to a worker on a Skilled Worker visa does not automatically become a British citizen, according to GOV.UK. The worker must apply for the child's dependant visa if they want to travel in and out of the UK with the child, with a full UK birth certificate showing both parents' names, and must do it before the child turns 18 if the child is to stay in the UK. The rule above lists a UK-born child as eligible whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK, which is why it appears as a separate case.

Dependants who are eligible can work (except as a professional sportsperson or coach), study, and travel abroad and return, and can apply to settle if they have lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other requirements. They cannot claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.

This rule has affected many families in care work, and some face hard choices about where to live. If you are worried about the position of a family member, or about pressure from an employer or agent connected with your sponsorship, the official routes are: GOV.UK's guidance on finding a regulated immigration adviser, and the helplines and reporting routes on GOV.UK for modern slavery and exploitation. Check GOV.UK for the current contact details. Our guide to exploitation by a sponsor under the new rules covers what the rules now say for workers whose sponsor is exploiting them.

Worked examples (illustrative)

Example 1: a start date before 11 March 2024. A worker was granted Skilled Worker permission as a care worker in 2023 and has stayed on a Skilled Worker visa in care work since. GOV.UK's first test, continuous employment as a care worker on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, is the one that decides whether a partner and children can join them. Any gap in permission, or a move out of care work, needs to be checked against SW 29.1A(b).

Example 2: a start date after 11 March 2024. A worker who switched into the care worker role from another visa in 2025 has no continuous Skilled Worker permission in a care code from before 11 March 2024. For their children inside the UK, the other cases apply if they fit: UK-born, sole responsible parent, or the other parent also sponsored as a care worker. For a partner, the rule's cases do not include those.

Example 3: cost where a dependant is eligible. A worker on a 3-year certificate with a partner and one child eligible to apply from inside the UK pays £324 for the worker and £324 for each of the two dependants, £972 in all, with no healthcare surcharge, and the partner and child together show £600 in funds (£285 plus £315) unless the exceptions apply.

Finding a regulated adviser

Dependants' eligibility on care worker visas turns on dates, continuity of permission and the occupation code, and families often ask a regulated adviser to check them. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser. Only advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC), solicitors and barristers may give immigration advice in England and Wales.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

Can a care worker bring their partner and children to the UK?

GOV.UK says partners and children outside the UK can apply to join a care worker or senior care worker as dependants if the worker has been continually employed in that role in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or if the child was born in the UK.

What is the 11 March 2024 rule for care workers?

It is the date in GOV.UK's guidance and in Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 29.1A and 32A.2). Dependants of a care worker or senior care worker are eligible if the worker has been continually employed in the role on a Skilled Worker visa since before that date, with exceptions for UK-born children and, inside the UK, some children of sole or joint-sponsored parents.

Do care worker dependants pay the healthcare surcharge?

GOV.UK says on the Health and Care Worker page that the worker and their partner or children will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge. Each family member still pays the application fee, £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for more than 3 years.

What if my child was born in the UK while I am a care worker?

GOV.UK lists a child born in the UK among those who can be dependants whether the application is made inside or outside the UK. The child is not automatically British, and the worker must apply for the child's dependant visa to travel in and out of the UK with them.

Does changing employer affect my family's right to stay?

The Rules ask whether the worker has continuously had Skilled Worker permission in the listed care codes since the qualifying grant. Changing sponsor requires an application to update the visa. Whether a particular change keeps that continuity is a question to check against SW 29.1A and with a regulated adviser.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • Bringing family on a Skilled Worker visa: costs and rules — Each partner and child pays the same application fee as the Skilled Worker for the same length of stay (£819 or £1,618 from outside the UK), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, and must show £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. Restrictions apply to dependants of care workers and some medium-skilled jobs.
  • Care worker visa in 2026: who can still apply — Under rule SW 6.1B, care workers (6135) and senior care workers (6136) can only apply for permission to stay, not for entry clearance from abroad. The rule allows either a switch after at least three months working legally for the sponsor, with an application before 22 July 2028, or an application by someone already holding permission in those codes.
  • Care workers changing sponsor: the rules in 2026 — A care worker or senior care worker who wants a new sponsor applies to update their visa with a new certificate of sponsorship. The new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission if the job is in England, and the fee is £324 for up to 3 years with no health surcharge.
  • Sponsor licence revoked: what it means for your visa — If your sponsor loses its licence, the Immigration Rules say your permission may be cancelled. Home Office guidance says that where you were not involved, cancellation normally leaves you 60 days to apply for permission with a new sponsor or to leave. There is no appeal or administrative review against cancellation. A temporary arrangement currently protects care workers.
  • Exploited by your sponsor: the October 2026 Skilled Worker change — From October 2026 a new Skilled Worker rule (SW 18.3) lets the Home Office amend the work conditions of a Skilled Worker who has a positive Conclusive Grounds decision from the National Referral Mechanism, so they can do any work for the rest of their permission. It is discretionary, it does not lengthen the visa and it does not give access to public funds.
  • Medium-skilled jobs after July 2025: the ISL and TSL — Since 22 July 2025 the Skilled Worker route is open to degree-level jobs, plus mid-level jobs only if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or if the worker already held permission before that date. Both lists have a cut-off date for new certificates.
  • ILR after a Skilled Worker visa: the 5-year test — Settlement as a Skilled Worker needs 5 continuous years with permission on listed work routes, absences of no more than 180 days in any 12 months, a sponsor that still approves and pays you at least the settlement salary, and the Life in the UK Test. Rule SW 22A.1 adds B2 English for applications made on or after 26 March 2027. The fee is £3,226 per person.
  • How to check a UK immigration adviser is registered — In the UK only a "qualified person" may give immigration advice: an IAA-registered adviser, a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive, or someone working under their supervision. Ask for the regulator and registration number, then check it yourself on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA Solicitors Register.