Dependent Child Student Visa Costs and Eligibility

New Zealand Dependent Child Student Visa fee: NZD $750 ·
New Zealand processing time (80% of applications): 8 weeks ·
UK Student Visa dependent child application: required for travel with the child ·
Ireland Child Dependent Visa eligibility: parent must hold a valid visa

Ten facts, one useful pattern: New Zealand and the UK publish fees, maintenance rules, and processing targets, while Ireland’s route turns on the parent’s existing visa and leaves costs to official confirmation.

Who is considered a dependent child in Ireland?

Ireland’s definition of a dependent child centers on financial reliance, not just age. The core test is whether the child depends on a parent who already holds a valid Irish visa.

• Children under 18 are generally treated as dependent.
• Financially reliant older children can be considered case by case.
• Independent adults fall outside the definition.

That gray zone for older children is where most families get confused, so it is worth unpacking.

Can a dependent child be over 18?

• An over-18 child may qualify if they are in full-time education.
• A child with a disability may also be treated as dependent.
• Working full time, being married, or living separately generally points away from dependency.

The UK contrast sharpens the test: a child dependant applying for the first time generally must be under 18, and must not be living an independent life — no spouse or partner, and normally living with parents, subject to education-related exceptions (UKCISA (the UK’s student visa advisory body)).

Who qualifies as an adult dependent relative?

• Adult dependent relatives are assessed under separate family immigration rules, not the student dependant route.
• They typically need to demonstrate care or financial dependence that goes beyond the child dependant test.
• Age alone does not shift a child onto the adult dependent relative route.

The implication: for a child aged 18 or over, the right visa category depends on education, care needs, and independence — and those facts decide which application you file.

How do I apply for a child dependant visa?

The application looks different in each country, but the sequence is similar: secure the parent’s visa first, then attach the child’s application to it.

Application process in New Zealand

1. Confirm the child will attend primary or secondary school in New Zealand.
2. Prepare the online application through Immigration New Zealand’s portal.
3. Pay the NZD $750 fee for the Dependent Child Student Visa.
4. Allow up to 8 weeks for processing — Immigration New Zealand targets 80% of decisions within that window.

New Zealand’s route is the most transparent of the three: the visa name, fee, and processing target are published on one official page. The catch is that the visa is tied to school attendance — it exists so a dependent child can study, not just accompany a parent.

Application process in the UK

UKCISA (the UK’s student visa advisory body) sets out the first two steps clearly: the parent’s course must qualify for the dependant route, and each child’s application needs the Student’s course details and Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number.

1. Confirm the parent’s course qualifies: doctoral or research-based higher degrees, or government-sponsored courses of at least six months where conditions are met.
2. Prepare the child’s separate application with course details, CAS number, identity documentation, and biometrics when requested.
3. Pay the £558 visa fee per child plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
4. Allow for the standard decision, usually around 3 weeks for applications from outside the UK.

Each child’s application is separate — the UK process is per-dependant, not per-family, and the financial evidence burden multiplies with each child.

Application process in Ireland

1. Confirm the parent already holds a valid visa in Ireland.
2. Prepare the child dependent visa application as part of the join family visa process.
3. Gather evidence that the child is financially dependent and typically under 18.
4. Check the current fee and processing time with official Irish sources — neither number is published in the sources reviewed for this guide.

The pattern across all three countries: the parent’s permission is the foundation, and the child’s application is judged against it.

The pattern: every child route is derivative — the parent’s permission is the load-bearing layer in all three countries.

Which countries allow dependents on a student visa?

All three countries allow children to join a student parent, but they draw the eligibility line in different places.

New Zealand

• Visa route: Dependent Child Student Visa.
• Eligible children: dependents of Student visa holders who will attend primary or secondary school.
• Fee and pace: NZD $750, with 80% processed within 8 weeks.

New Zealand frames the visa around study: the child is coming to the country as a student in their own right, with the parent’s visa as the anchor.

United Kingdom

• Visa route: Student Dependant Visa.
• Eligible parents: students on doctoral or research-based higher degrees and certain government-sponsored courses; ordinary taught postgraduates generally cannot bring dependants for courses starting on or after 1 January 2024.
• Per-child process: each dependant needs a separate application and separate fee.

That 2024 line is the single biggest restriction change in this comparison — it removed the dependant route for most taught master’s students at a stroke.

Ireland

• Visa route: Child Dependent Visa.
• Eligible parents: visa holders with valid permission in the State.
• Dependent test: child typically under 18, financially reliant, with older children considered case by case.

The trade-off: Ireland’s route is the broadest on paper, because it is tied to the parent’s valid visa rather than a specific course level — but the missing fee and processing numbers make it the hardest to plan around.

How much does a dependent visa cost?

Cost is where the three routes diverge most. New Zealand publishes a fixed fee, the UK publishes a fee plus a mandatory health surcharge, and Ireland’s official fee was not among the details reviewed for this guide.

New Zealand fee

• Visa fee: NZD $750 per child for the Dependent Child Student Visa.
• Covers: study at a primary or secondary school in New Zealand.
• No health surcharge is mentioned in the sources reviewed for this route.

UK fee

• Visa fee: £558 per dependant (UK Government (official student visa family-members page)).
• Health surcharge: the Immigration Health Surcharge is payable in addition to the visa fee, per dependant.
• Maintenance evidence: £845 per month in London or £680 outside London, up to nine months — London School of Economics (university immigration guidance) puts the maximum at £7,605 and £6,120 per dependant respectively, and notes bank funds generally must be held for 28 consecutive days.

Ireland fee

• Official fee: not specified in the sources reviewed for this guide.
• Practical step: confirm the current child dependent visa fee on Ireland’s official immigration pages before budgeting.
• Cost risk: without a published fee, the total cost of the route is effectively unknown until the application stage.

What this means: a family can price the New Zealand and UK routes today, but Ireland’s route still carries an open line item.

How long does a child dependent visa take?

Time is the variable that shapes everything else in a family move — school terms, job notices, lease dates.

New Zealand processing time

• Published target: 80% of Dependent Child Student Visa applications are processed within 8 weeks.
• Individual cases can take longer, depending on documentation and background checks.

UK processing time

• Standard target: usually 3 weeks for applications made from outside the UK.
• Individual cases can take longer than the standard target.

Ireland processing time

• Published target: not specified in the sources reviewed for this guide.
• Practical expectation: check Ireland’s official immigration pages for current processing guidance before filing.

The takeaway: if a hard date matters — a school start, an accommodation contract — New Zealand gives you a number to plan against, the UK gives you a standard, and Ireland gives you neither in the sources reviewed.

The pattern: published processing targets are the only safe basis for planning a family move.

How the three dependent child routes stack up

Three countries, three visa names, one shared goal — and the sharpest pattern is the gap between published numbers and unpublished ones.

The pattern: New Zealand and the UK publish enough to plan a budget, while Ireland’s route stays case-by-case until official figures are confirmed.

Application specifications: documents, finances, and biometrics

Seven details separate a smooth application from a refused one, and the clearest pattern is the UK’s heavier evidence load per child.

The trade-off: the UK asks for more evidence per child, while New Zealand keeps the list short and still publishes the fee and timeline — Ireland, by comparison, publishes neither.

Dependent child student visa timeline

Two of the three routes publish a target, and the gap between them changes how early a family should start.

• Application submitted: the processing clock starts once a complete application is received, according to Immigration New Zealand and the UK Government.
• United Kingdom — usually 3 weeks: the standard decision target for dependant applications made from outside the UK, according to the UK Government’s family-members page.
• New Zealand — 80% within 8 weeks: Immigration New Zealand’s published processing target for Dependent Child Student Visa applications.
• 1 January 2024: the date after which UK taught postgraduate students generally cannot bring dependants unless an exception applies, per LSE guidance.

Why this matters: the UK’s 3-week standard applies to applications made from outside the UK, while New Zealand’s 8-week target is the published benchmark for 80% of cases — and neither number moves the school term for a family that starts late.

Confirmed facts vs what’s unclear

The research behind this guide is uneven: some official numbers are published and stable, while others are missing from the reviewed sources entirely.

What the sources confirm

• New Zealand’s Dependent Child Student Visa costs NZD $750 per child (Immigration New Zealand).
• Immigration New Zealand targets 8 weeks for 80% of those applications.
• The UK’s child dependant visa fee is £558 per person (UK Government).
• The UK’s usual decision standard is 3 weeks for applications from outside the UK.
• UK maintenance evidence runs to £845 per month in London and £680 outside, up to nine months (UK Government).

What the sources don’t say

• Ireland’s child dependent visa fee is not specified in the sources reviewed.
• Ireland’s processing time is not specified in the sources reviewed.
• The exact UK Immigration Health Surcharge amount per dependant is not itemized on the family-members page.
• Ireland’s case-by-case rules for over-18 children are not spelled out in the reviewed material.
• New Zealand maintenance evidence beyond the visa fee is not detailed in the reviewed material.

The balance is worth noting: the confirmed facts are strong for New Zealand and the UK, while Ireland’s route remains the least documented of the three in this comparison.

What the official guidance says

Both governments describe the route in deceptively simple language — the complexity lives in the eligibility rules around it.

Apply for this visa to bring your dependent children to study at primary or secondary school in New Zealand.

— Immigration New Zealand (New Zealand’s government immigration agency)

You must apply for your child’s dependant visa if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them.

— UK Government (official student visa family-members page)

Read together, the two quotes frame the same promise differently: New Zealand centers the child’s study, while the UK centers the parent’s permission — and the child’s visa as a consequence of it. The practical consequence of the UK position: each child needs a separate application, a separate fee, and separate travel permission.

The takeaway

New Zealand and the UK publish the numbers that let a family plan — fees, maintenance evidence, and processing targets — while Ireland’s child dependent route is defined by the parent’s valid permission and little else in the reviewed sources. The 2024 UK rule change has narrowed the dependant route for taught master’s students, which makes course-level eligibility the first question for any family heading to Britain. For a parent planning a UK taught postgraduate course, the choice is clear: confirm your course qualifies to bring dependants before you apply, or budget for the time and cost of a separate arrangement.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Dependent Child Student Visa: Costs, Rules, Processing Times
• Dependent Child Student Visa: Fees, Requirements & Application

These guides cover the same route with a focus on fees, requirements, and application steps.