Dependants

The money can be held by the dependant or by you. If the dependant is your child, the funds can be held by the child’s other parent.

The money must have been in the account for a minimum period of 28 consecutive days up to the date of the closing balance. The account must not have dropped below the amount required at any time during the 28-day period. Also, the final date of this 28-day period must not be more than 31 days before the immigration application is made.

There is an exception to this requirement if any of the following institutions are giving you money to cover your course fees or living costs:

• a government
• the British Council
• an international organisation
• an international company
• a university
• an independent school

In that case, ask if they are prepared to give you a letter stating that they will cover the full maintenance costs of your dependant. If they will, then that letter on its own will mean that your dependant has met the financial requirements. There will be no requirement for them to show that they have any money at all in a bank or building society account, or in an account with an officially regulated financial institution. There are precise instructions about the format the letter must take in the Home Office guidance on financial requirements. Your letter will need to comply with all of these instructions. 

Each dependant must declare in their application that the money for living costs will remain available to them, unless used for living costs in the UK. 

If the funds held in the account (relied upon to prove funds for the immigration application) fall substantially below the level of funds required, the caseworker must be satisfied when they make a decision on the application, that the used funds have been, in part, used to pay a deposit for accommodation or for “other costs associated with the proposed period of their permission in the UK”.  

If in the 12 months before the date of application, any of your dependants have completed a course of studies in the UK for which they have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, they must provide written consent to the application from that government or agency.

'Low risk' applicants

If your dependant counts as a 'low risk' applicant, they must have the right amount of money for the right period held by an acceptable financial institution, but they do not have to provide any evidence of that with their immigration application. The Home Office calls this the ‘differentiation arrangement’ for low risk applicants. Your dependant will count as a low risk applicant if all of these apply:

• Both your nationality and the nationality of your dependant are listed within paragraph ST 22.1 of Appendix Student of the Immigration Rules.
• Your dependant is applying at the same time and in the same location as you.
• Your dependant is applying for entry clearance in the country of their nationality or where they are resident, or they are applying for leave to remain inside the UK. 

It is very important that your dependant should obtain the evidence that they meet the financial requirements, even though they do not need to send it in. This is because the Home Office are entitled to ask them for it at any point while they are processing the application. If the applicant is unable to produce it within a short period of time, then their application will be refused. 

The Student and Child guidance outlines how to complete the application form if relying on these arrangements.