Guidance on Visa Extensions for My Wife and Child

[Raghu432]

Hi All,

I hope you are well. I would like your guidance regarding my wife and child’s UK visa extensions, and future ILR applications. Please find the details below:

Background:
I was granted a Skilled Worker visa: 07 Jan 2021 – 21 Feb 2026
I have recently been granted ILR
My wife’s current visa: 15 Mar 2023 – 21 Feb 2026
My child’s current visa: 30 Mar 2025 – 21 Feb 2026

Questions:
1. Since I now hold ILR, should my wife and child apply for extension under:
Skilled Worker dependent, or
SET(M) – partner / child of a settled person?
Which route is safest and fully compliant with Home Office rules?

2. Length of extension
I am considering applying for 2.5 years (30 months) for both my wife and child.
If granted, the new expiry date would be approximately 21 Aug 2028, covering my wife’s 5-year residency requirement for ILR, and she would still have 5 extra months remaining on her visa.

Will this be sufficient for ILR eligibility for both my wife and child?

Thanks In Advance
Raghu

[CR001]

1. Set M is for ILR after 5 years on the family settlement visa route. Your wife and child are NOT on this visa route.

2. You extend their visas as skilled worker dependent visas. It is a 3 year extension.

[Raghu432]

Thanks CR001 for your reply

I am filling out my wife’s Skilled Worker Dependent application form, and it is asking for my COS number as well as my work start and end dates. I received my first COS in January 2021 and my second COS in February 2023. When I applied for my wife’s first dependent visa, I provided the details for my second COS. I entered my start and end dates from the second COS as 7th February 2023 to 6th February 2026 and my wife got visa until 21 feb 2026.

Now, when I try to extend the dependent visa, the system is asking me to provide the COS, start, and end dates. I feel the system is calculating the NHS (IHS) fee for only a 6-month extension because it is using the period from December 2025 to February 2026, instead of the full 3 years.

Additionally, the system is asking me to provide a UAN. Should I enter the UAN from my previous Skilled Worker application or the current ILR UAN?

Now that I have my ILR, do I need to update my work end date to something like 6th February 2028 so that my wife also receives a 3-year extension?

Thanks in advance
Raghu