The United Kingdom has amended its Skilled Worker immigration rules, restricting the ability of holders in three occupations to bring spouses, partners or children as dependents.

The occupations affected are care workers (SOC 2020 code 6135), senior care workers (SOC 2020 code 6136) and prison service officers below principal officer level (SOC 2020 code 3314).

The restrictions apply to workers who obtained entry clearance or permission under the rules that took effect on 22 July 2025.

Workers whose visas were granted before the 22 July 2025 cut‑off may still qualify for dependents if they meet transitional conditions, including continuous Skilled Worker status since the original grant.

Specifically, care and senior care workers originally sponsored under the older SOC 2010 codes 6145 or 6146 before 11 March 2024 can retain dependent eligibility, provided their status remained uninterrupted.

Other Skilled Workers granted permission before 22 July 2025 may also be covered by transitional provisions if their occupation appears in Tables 1a, 2aa, 2a or 3a of the Appendix Skilled Occupations, subject to the same continuity requirements.

Children of Skilled Workers are subject to the same occupation and continuity criteria when applying as dependents, meaning the parent must satisfy the eligibility conditions for the child's application to succeed.

The UK government advises all Skilled Worker visa holders to verify their occupation code, the date of their original permission and whether they fall under the transitional safeguards before submitting a dependent visa application.