Moving abroad rarely means moving alone. Once you have a work or study visa lined up, the next question is almost always: can my partner and children come with me — and can they work or study once they’re there? The answer varies enormously by country, by the type of visa you hold, and even by which degree you’re studying. Get it wrong and you can lose thousands in fees for a dependant application that was never going to be approved, or arrive to find your spouse locked out of the job market for the length of your stay.
This guide compares dependant rules across the US, UK, Canada and Australia — the countries where VisaMet sees the most demand for family-route questions — and flags the 2026 changes that have tightened eligibility in several of them. It is preparation guidance, not legal advice: dependant rules change often and are strictly enforced, so confirm your own case against the official source before you apply.
The quick comparison (2026)
| Country | Can dependants join a student visa? | Can dependants join a work visa? | Can dependants work? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States (F-1/F-2) | Yes, spouse + unmarried children under 21 | Yes on most work visas (H-4, L-2, etc.) | No on F-2; some H-4/L-2 spouses can apply separately |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Only postgraduate research (RQF 7+, 9+ months) or government-sponsored courses | Yes, most Skilled Worker visas | Yes — dependants can generally work |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Only if studying a master’s (16+ months), doctorate, or listed professional program | Yes, most work permit holders | Spouse: yes, via open work permit, if eligible |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Yes, on subclass 500, with hour caps | Yes, most skilled/employer-sponsored visas | Yes, with conditions (hours vary) |
The details below explain why this table looks so uneven — the US and Canada have both narrowed who counts as a “dependant” in the last two years, while the UK and Australia remain comparatively open.
United States — F-2, H-4 and L-2: work rights are the real dividing line
An F-1 student’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 are eligible for F-2 dependant status, but F-2 dependants are not authorized to work under any circumstances — not full-time, part-time, or freelance. An F-2 child may study at K-12 level; an F-2 spouse may study only part-time and cannot enrol in a full academic program without changing status. The one narrow exception is unpaid volunteering that doesn’t meet the legal definition of employment.
Work-visa dependants fare better, but it depends entirely on the visa category:
- H-4 (dependant of H-1B holders): work authorization is possible but limited to spouses whose H-1B holder is on an approved path to a green card (e.g., has an approved I-140 or is in H-1B status past the 6-year cap under AC21) — not automatic for every H-4 holder.
- L-2 (dependant of L-1 intracompany transferees): L-2 spouses are generally authorized to work incident to status, without filing a separate application, following a 2022 policy change.
Because US dependant work rights hinge on the specific visa category and, for H-4, the primary holder’s green-card stage, always verify current eligibility on the USCIS Policy Manual before assuming a spouse can work. See our US student visa (F-1) guide for the primary F-1 route.
United Kingdom — the most dependant-friendly of the four, but student eligibility narrowed
The UK is the most permissive destination once a dependant visa is granted: partners and children of Skilled Worker visa holders can work almost any job (aside from as a sportsperson or coach), study, and travel freely. But getting onto a student dependant visa is now much harder than it used to be.
Student route: since January 2024, you can only bring dependants if you are a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months, or a full-time postgraduate student on a research-based course at RQF level 7 or above lasting 9 months or more (in practice, PhDs and research master’s — most taught master’s no longer qualify). Financial evidence required is £845/month for a London course, £680/month outside London, per dependant, held for 28 consecutive days.
Skilled Worker route: dependants must show £285 in available funds (partner) plus £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child — unless the dependant has already been in the UK for 12+ months, when the financial requirement is usually waived. Each dependant pays a separate visa fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Family/partner route (settling permanently with a British citizen or settled person): this is a different route entirely, with its own minimum income requirement of £29,000 for new applicants since 11 April 2024 (transitional cases from before that date may still be assessed against the older £18,600 threshold).
See the UK Student Visa Guide and UK Skilled Worker visa cost breakdown for the primary applicant’s requirements. Sources: GOV.UK — Student visa: your partner and children and GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children.
Canada — spousal open work permits just got much harder to qualify for
Canada’s spousal open work permit (SOWP) used to be one of the easiest ways for a partner to work freely while their spouse studied or worked in Canada. That changed on 21 January 2025: spouses or common-law partners of international students now qualify for an open work permit only if the student is enrolled in a master’s program of at least 16 months, a doctoral program, or one of a short list of IRCC-recognised professional degree programs. College diplomas, general bachelor’s degrees, and shorter master’s programs no longer qualify a spouse for an open work permit — a major tightening from the pre-2025 rules, where almost any study permit holder’s spouse could apply.
A further update effective 4 March 2026 means spouses of international students in their final academic term will be refused, even on renewal applications — plan any spousal work permit renewal well before your final term begins, not during it.
Spouses of most work permit holders (as opposed to students) remain eligible for an open work permit under separate, generally less restrictive rules, though recent policy has also narrowed eligibility there for lower-skill (TEER 4/5) work permit holders. Always check current eligibility on IRCC’s open work permit eligibility tool before assuming a spouse qualifies — the rules have changed twice in under 18 months.
Australia — generous inclusion, but hour caps for student dependants
Australia lets you include your partner and dependent children (under 18, or over 18 if a full-time student or living with a disability) on the same student visa application rather than requiring a separate visa process, which simplifies the paperwork considerably.
The trade-off is work rights: dependent family members on a student visa (subclass 500) can only start work after the primary student has begun their course, and are generally capped at 48 hours per fortnight — the same limit that applies to the student themselves — unless the primary applicant is doing a master’s by research or a doctorate, in which case the family member can work unlimited hours. Financial evidence typically expected is roughly AUD 10,394 for a partner and AUD 4,449 per dependent child, on top of the primary applicant’s own funds requirement, though your visa grant letter is the authoritative source for your specific conditions.
Partner visas (permanent-track) and the Dependent Child visa (subclass 445, used to bring a child to join a parent already on a partner visa pathway) are separate long-term routes with their own sponsorship and health/character requirements — distinct from the temporary dependant attachments described above. Always check your visa grant letter or VEVO for your dependant’s exact work conditions. Source: Study Australia — Bringing your family.
Four questions to answer before you apply for a dependant
Does my course or job level even qualify dependants? In the UK and Canada, this is now the single biggest filter — a taught master’s that would have brought a spouse to Canada in 2024 may not in 2026, and most UK taught master’s degrees no longer qualify a partner either. Check the primary visa’s dependant eligibility before your partner counts on joining you.
Can my dependant actually work — or just accompany me? F-2 status in the US bars work outright; UK Skilled Worker dependants can work almost any job. Don’t assume work rights transfer with the visa; check the specific category.
Do I have separate funds for each dependant, held for the right length of time? The UK and Australia both require dependant-specific financial evidence, usually held for a fixed period (28 days in the UK) before you apply — see our proof of funds guide for how these evidence windows work generally.
Has the rule changed recently? Canada and the UK have both materially tightened dependant eligibility within the last two years. A blog post, forum answer, or agent’s advice from 2023 or earlier may already be wrong — always check the current official page.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child go to school if they join me as a dependant? Generally yes — most countries allow dependant children to enrol in local schooling regardless of work rights restrictions on the adult dependant. Confirm enrolment requirements with the local school district or education authority, as these sit outside immigration rules.
Does having a dependant increase my chances of visa refusal? Not directly, but it raises the financial bar you must clear (extra funds per dependant) and adds documents that must all be consistent — inconsistent relationship or financial evidence across a family’s applications is a common refusal trigger.
Can I add a dependant after my own visa is already granted? Often yes, through a separate “dependant join” or “family reunion” application, but eligibility rules (course type, visa category, timing) still apply as if you were applying together — check the same eligibility criteria described above.
What if my partner and I aren’t married? Most of these countries recognise common-law or de facto partners under specific evidentiary requirements (cohabitation history, joint finances) — the bar for proving the relationship is usually higher than for a married couple, so gather evidence early.
Plan the whole family’s move, not just yours
Dependant rules are where visa applications go wrong in ways that are hard to undo — a spouse who can’t work for two years, or a master’s program that turns out not to qualify a partner, are the kind of mistakes that only surface after you’ve committed. VisaMet is building tools to check eligibility for your whole family, screen documents, and flag exactly this kind of category mismatch before you apply. Join the VisaMet waitlist for early access.
This guide is preparation guidance, not legal advice. Dependant eligibility, work rights and financial requirements change frequently and are set by each government — always confirm your specific case against the official immigration source for your destination before applying.