Growing Up on a Dependant Visa: What Young Migrants Need to Know About Work, University and ILR
For many young people who came to the UK as dependants of parents on work visas, turning 18 brings a whole new set of questions.
Can I go to university?
Can I get a job?
Can I start an apprenticeship?
Can I earn my own money?
Can I move away from home?
What happens if my parent’s sponsor loses their licence?
And perhaps the biggest question of all:
Could something I do now affect my ability to get Indefinite Leave to Remain later?
These were some of the questions at the heart of the first Ask the Immigration Advisor session hosted by Blossoming Beyond Borders, in collaboration with Tulia Group.
The free Q&A brought together young migrants and families seeking practical information about navigating life in the UK while holding dependant immigration status.
The session was led by Rumbidzai Bvunzawabaya, solicitor and immigration advisor, who spoke particularly about children and young adults who came to the UK as dependants of Skilled Workers.
“Describe your immigration journey in one word”
The evening began with a simple question.
Participants were asked to describe their immigration journey in just one word.
The answers told their own story:
“Stressful.”
“Rollercoaster.”
“Amazing.”
“Trustful.”
Behind every immigration application is a person trying to build a life.
For young people, immigration status does not sit separately from education, friendships, career choices and family life. It can influence decisions about university, apprenticeships, where to live, whether to travel and even what opportunities they feel able to pursue.
That is why access to clear information matters.
The issue many young dependants do not know about: “independent life”
One of the central themes of the session was the concept of living an independent life.
A young person who originally obtained immigration permission as a child dependant can, in certain circumstances, continue to be treated as a dependant after turning 18.
But turning 18 does not mean immigration status stops needing careful management.
The current immigration framework contains an independent life requirement for dependant children.
For young adults approaching extension or settlement applications, questions around relationships and living arrangements can therefore become particularly important.
For example, moving away permanently to establish a completely separate household is very different from temporarily living away from your parents because you are attending college or university.
The message from the session was simple:
Do not make major assumptions about your immigration status.
Before changing your living arrangements, relationship status or immigration route, understand the possible consequences.
Can a dependant child work?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that young people on dependant visas must remain financially helpless in order to remain dependants.
That is not the case.
Under the Skilled Worker route, dependant partners and children are generally permitted to work, including through self-employment and voluntary work, subject to the restrictions attached to their immigration permission.
This means that becoming ambitious, earning money and beginning to establish a career does not, by itself, mean a young person has suddenly lost their dependant immigration status.
But immigration circumstances are individual.
Young people should still understand the conditions attached to their own visa and think carefully about the wider evidence of their family and living arrangements, particularly when approaching an extension or settlement application.
What about apprenticeships?
This generated significant discussion.
For many young migrants, apprenticeships are an attractive alternative to traditional university study. A degree apprenticeship can allow someone to gain a qualification while simultaneously gaining professional experience and earning an income.
The important message from the session was:
Do not automatically assume that being paid through an apprenticeship prevents you from qualifying for ILR as a dependant.
Work itself is permitted on the Skilled Worker dependant route.
However, the wider circumstances matter.
For example, an apprenticeship that requires a young person to establish a permanent home away from their parents may raise different considerations from someone who continues to live within the family household.
Where an apprenticeship involves relocating, young people should therefore obtain advice about their particular circumstances rather than relying on general information.
Can I go away to university?
Studying is generally permitted for Skilled Worker dependants.
Living away from the family home for genuine full-time education, such as attending college or university, is specifically recognised within the Home Office guidance on the independent-life requirement.
However, young people should still retain evidence explaining their circumstances.
Useful records may include:
* university or college correspondence;
* evidence of the family home remaining their main family base;
* financial records where parents continue to provide support;
* correspondence showing their residential arrangements; and
* documents demonstrating the continuing parent-child relationship.
Immigration applications often depend not only on what happened, but on whether you can evidence what happened.
Start building your immigration file now
One of the strongest practical messages from the session was that immigration preparation should not begin a few days before a visa expires.
Families should know:
When does the parent’s visa expire?
When does each dependant’s visa expire?
What immigration route is each person actually on?
What evidence will be needed at the next application?
When might the family become eligible for settlement?
Young people over 18 who are applying for settlement as dependant children may also need to meet the relevant English language and Life in the UK requirements.
Preparing early can avoid unnecessary panic later.
What if the parent’s sponsor licence is revoked?
This was another significant concern raised during the Q&A.
Sponsor licence revocation can have consequences far beyond the employee.
It can affect an entire family whose immigration status is connected to the main Skilled Worker.
Where a sponsor loses its licence, the sponsored worker’s immigration permission may be shortened, normally to 60 days or the remaining period of their permission if that is shorter, depending on the circumstances.
That means families should not assume:
“We have visas until 2028, so we don’t need to worry until 2028.”
If the main applicant’s sponsorship collapses, urgent immigration advice may be necessary.
Finding a new sponsor, understanding curtailment, making an appropriate application and protecting continuity of lawful residence can all become critical.
Five years in the UK does not automatically equal ILR
Another important discussion concerned settlement.
There can be a dangerous assumption that once someone reaches five years in the UK, Indefinite Leave to Remain automatically follows.
It does not.
The immigration route and the requirements of that route still have to be satisfied.
For a Skilled Worker, this includes meeting the relevant settlement requirements at the date of application.
For dependant children, their own eligibility requirements must also be considered.
The important lesson is to start reviewing a family’s proposed route to settlement well before the five-year point.
What if I cannot afford an immigration application?
The session also touched on circumstances where families experience financial difficulties and cannot afford immigration-related fees.
Depending on the immigration route and circumstances, a fee waiver may be available for certain applications.
But this is another area where timing is crucial.
Allowing immigration permission simply to expire while trying to work out what to do can create significantly more complicated problems.
Where someone is approaching the end of their immigration permission and cannot afford their application, they should seek advice urgently about what options are legally available.
Immigration status should not stop young people from dreaming
Perhaps the most important message of the evening went beyond immigration rules.
Young migrants should not spend their formative years afraid to move.
You should be able to think about:
university;
apprenticeships;
careers;
business;
travel;
professional development;
and your future.
But you should make those choices from a position of knowledge.
There is a significant difference between saying:
“I can’t do that because I’m a dependant.”
and saying:
“I understand my immigration status, I understand the conditions attached to it, and I know how to protect my future while pursuing this opportunity.”
That is immigration empowerment.
Why conversations like this matter
Blossoming Beyond Borders created Ask the Immigration Advisor because young migrants need spaces where they can ask the questions that affect their everyday lives.
Not simply:
“Which form do I fill in?”
But:
“Can I accept this apprenticeship?”
“Can I move to another city for university?”
“Can I start earning?”
“What happens if my parents separate?”
“What happens if my parent’s sponsorship disappears?”
“Will I still be able to settle in the UK?”
These are life questions as much as they are immigration questions.
The response to the first session showed the level of need. There were more questions than could be answered within the available time, and further immigration Q&A sessions are now being considered.
What happens next?
Blossoming Beyond Borders will continue to build its community of young migrants, creating opportunities for information, conversation, support and connection.
Attendees who need advice about their individual immigration circumstances can book a consultation with Tulia for personalised legal advice.
Participants are also encouraged to join the Blossoming Beyond Borders community to hear about future sessions, opportunities and resources.
And because of the number of questions raised during this first event, this conversation is not ending here.
Ask the Immigration Advisor will be back.
A final word to young dependants
Know your status.
Know your visa expiry date.
Keep your documents.
Ask questions before making major changes.
Prepare for settlement early.
And most importantly, do not allow uncertainty about immigration to make your world smaller.
Information gives you options.
Preparation protects those options.
And the right advice can help you make decisions about your future with confidence.
This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for immigration advice about an individual’s circumstances. Immigration Rules and Home Office policy can change. The information should therefore be checked against the rules in force at the date of any application.
