Hi I got my endorsement for exceptional talent and plan to switch from Skilled worker visa. I am here with 4 dependents: spouse and three kids (all under 10 years).
Current Visa Durations:
My current skill worker visa: Oct 2023 - Oct 2026
My family’s visa (skilled worker dependent): Oct 2023 - Oct 2026
I am planning to apply for 2 years GTV i.e. Feb 2024 - Feb 2027
This way my 3 years will be completed by Oct 2026 (while I will still have 4 months of visa left), and I will apply for ILR.
At this stage, what will happen to the dependents?
Can they simply apply for extension when I apply for ILR? But this will be skilled-worker dependent extension, whereas at that point I would have GTV not Skilled worker visa. This is my preferred route. But I am concerned what if their extension is rejected due to them not being dependents of ‘skilled worker’.
OR
Do they need to need to switch to GTV dependent at this stage (or later in Oct 2026) and then apply for GTV dependent extension when I switch to ILR?
But that is my concern: How can they apply for GTV dependent extension when they never switched to GTV dependent. They will be on skilled worker dependent (which will be near expiry) when I apply for ILR based on my GTV
This is not correct, your dependent must switch to GTV before you switch to ILR. Your best bet is to seek immigration advise as this forum is not for such.
I guess your dependants may need to apply GTV dependants with you, since it says that
their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.
ref: Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children - GOV.UK
And I think you can only hold only 1 visa at the same time, which means that your “skilled worker visa” may be invalidated and expired, which impacted your dependants.
(I understand that there is a few exceptions of holding multiple visa; such as you are holding a student visa with a temporary work visa.)
And to apply now or later, I suggest to apply together because the expiry dates will be the same as yours anyway
I am trying to look for a reputable immigration lawyer to discuss this. But as far as I have researched, they would need to switch to GTV dependent. My concern now is do they need to switch NOW or can they wait until their current skilled dependent visa expires (in 2 years).
One lawyer said that they advice to switch when I apply for GTV as it might cause issues when they apply for switch 2 years down the road; while another said that they can stay on this till it expires. But these were initial (unpaid) discussions.
Will book a paid consultation to get a proper answer, and post here.
@milo In my case, my dependants continued to stay on skilled worker dependant visa (3 years validity) and when I got global talent visa, at the end of 3 years (for all of us), I applied for ILR and their GTV dependant visa and both were granted (I applied for both separately and I got my ILR first as I applied for super priority
Few things to consider (Based on my experience, not a professional/immigration advise),
If you are on GTV, your dependants will not get the visa extension longer than the expiry date of your visa
If you get ILR, your dependents can still get GTV dependant extension but it ll be granted min for 3 years even if they become eligible for ILR in 1 year.
Thank you. I read on the gov website and deduced the same that they can continue on skilled-worker dependent visa even if i switch to GTV, until their visa expires. But its very reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through this experience.
I emailed HomeOffice on their general enquiry email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
They responded by confirming that in such case the dependents do not need to switch with me. They can continue on their skilled-worker dependent visa until it expires, at which point they can apply for global-talent dependent (if they still have time left for ILR).
The response was very clear and received on the same day.