Dependent Visa for Student's Spouse — Show Money Requirements for Sri Lankan Applicants

Many Sri Lankan students — especially those pursuing a masters or PhD later in their career — travel abroad with a spouse and sometimes children. Every major destination allows dependents of student visa holders to accompany the primary applicant, but each one attaches additional financial evidence to the dependent visa. The show money requirement for a student visa is just the start; adding a spouse multiplies it, and each child adds another tranche. For Sri Lankan applicants the total can easily double or triple the required amount. This guide covers dependent visa show money requirements by country, how the dependent application runs alongside the main student application, and the documentation embassies expect from Sri Lankan couples and families.

Who Qualifies as a Dependent

Across all major destinations, a dependent is defined as the legal spouse or civil partner of the primary applicant, plus any biological or legally adopted children under 18 (or in some cases 21). Proving the relationship is a first-tier requirement. Sri Lankan applicants must provide a marriage certificate issued by the Registrar General's Department, translated and notarised where the destination requires it. For children, birth certificates with the primary applicant named as parent are essential. Customary or religious marriages registered only in Sri Lankan religious institutions must also be registered with the General Registrar's Department to be recognised — embassies do not accept religious certificates alone.

Show Money by Destination — Dependent Visa Requirements

United Kingdom — Student Dependent Visa

The UK adds £845 per month per dependent for courses in London and £680 per month per dependent for courses outside London, capped at nine months just like the primary applicant's maintenance. That works out to £7,605 per dependent for London courses and £6,120 per dependent outside London. The funds must be held for 28 consecutive days under the same 28-day rule that applies to the primary applicant, and the funds can be held by either the student or the dependent themselves. Dependent applications typically cost £524 each plus IHS at £776 per year of study, and are submitted alongside the primary Student visa application.

Australia — Subclass 500 with Family

Australia adds AUD 10,394 per year for an accompanying spouse and AUD 4,449 per year for each accompanying child on top of the primary applicant's AUD 29,710 living costs. If the accompanying children attend school, you must also show school costs of up to AUD 13,502 per year per child. These amounts are added to the financial capacity evidence at lodgement. The Assessment Level 2 framework applies to the whole family unit, so documentation expectations are the same across applicants.

Canada — Study Permit with Spousal Open Work Permit

For Canada, the primary student's GIC of CAD 20,635 is the baseline. IRCC expects evidence of additional funds to support each accompanying family member. The 2024 updated figures require an additional CAD 4,000 for the first family member and CAD 3,000 for each subsequent family member in the low cost of living provinces, and higher in the Greater Toronto and Vancouver regions. A spouse accompanying a full-time postgraduate student can typically apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP), which does not require additional show money but requires proof of the primary applicant's enrolment at a designated learning institution offering a postgraduate programme.

Ireland — D-Type Dependent Visa

Ireland adds EUR 10,000 per dependent per year on top of the primary applicant's EUR 10,000 baseline. A dependent spouse and one child would therefore require EUR 30,000 total in addition to full tuition paid and return travel costs for all three. Ireland's INIS requires each dependent to have their own D-type visa application filed in parallel with the primary applicant, each with its own fee and documentation package.

Schengen Countries — Varies by Country

Schengen long-stay visas for dependents vary widely. Germany's blocked account requirement for the primary student is EUR 11,904 per year; an accompanying spouse typically requires their own long-stay visa under family reunification rules, with additional financial capacity evidence (often a similar EUR 11,000-12,000 range plus joint housing proof). France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden each have their own thresholds — generally lower than standalone student figures but still substantial. Always check the specific country before submission.

United States — F-2 Dependent Visa

The US F-2 dependent visa is tied to the primary F-1 student's I-20 Form. The total funds shown on the I-20 must cover tuition, the primary applicant's living costs, and each dependent's living costs — the figure is built into the I-20 itself. Typical US dependent additions run USD 8,000-12,000 per year per dependent depending on the institution and city. The consular interview is a single decision — primary applicant and dependents are approved or refused together.

How the Dependent Visa Application Runs Alongside the Primary Application

Most destinations process the primary student and dependent applications together when submitted in parallel. The UK, Ireland, and Australia take this approach — a combined decision usually issued at the same time. Canada issues separate decisions but in the same processing batch. The US requires the F-2 applications to be scheduled alongside the F-1 consular interview. The practical implication is that the financial evidence has to be assembled for all applicants before any of them submit. A staggered submission — student in July, spouse in September — adds months and costs more.

Documentation Shared Across Primary and Dependent Applications

Several documents are used by both applications and only need to be prepared once. The primary applicant's offer letter or CoE covers the academic justification. Certified bank statements showing the combined maintenance amount can be used for both, provided the applicant holding the funds is clearly identified. A single source of funds letter can reference the combined requirement. Marriage certificate and children's birth certificates cover the relationship for all dependents. The dependent-specific documents are: each dependent's passport, each dependent's photo, each dependent's application form, each dependent's fee payment, and each dependent's relationship proof.

Spouse Work Rights on a Dependent Visa

An important factor for couples considering a dependent visa is whether the accompanying spouse can work. The UK's dependent visa allows the spouse to work full-time during the student's course. Canada's Spousal Open Work Permit allows full-time work for spouses of postgraduate students. Australia's dependent visa allows the spouse to work 48 hours per fortnight (with uncapped hours if the student is doing a masters or PhD). Ireland's dependent visa allows the spouse up to 20 hours per week during term time. Germany's family reunification visa allows full access to the labour market. These work rights often change the financial calculation — a two-income household during the course reduces pressure on the show money and on post-arrival budgeting.

Documents Checklist for Dependent Visa Applications

• Primary applicant's offer letter, CoE, or CAS showing acceptance at a designated institution
• Marriage certificate from the Registrar General's Department, translated and notarised if required
• Children's birth certificates naming the primary applicant as parent
• Certified bank statement showing the combined maintenance amount (primary + each dependent)
• Bank balance confirmation letter on official letterhead dated within 30 days of submission
• Source of funds letter covering the combined requirement
• Sponsor declaration and sponsor's bank evidence if a third party (typically a parent) is funding the family
• Each dependent's passport, photo, application form, and fee payment
• Proof of tuition paid for the primary applicant, and evidence of planned accommodation for the family
• Health insurance or OSHC confirmation where required for dependents

Common Mistakes

1. Underestimating the combined maintenance amount — a two-dependent family can require more than double the primary applicant's show money.
2. Submitting dependent applications after the primary is approved rather than in parallel — this stretches processing timelines and can separate the family at arrival.
3. Using a religious or customary marriage certificate alone without Registrar General's Department registration — embassies do not accept non-civil certificates.
4. Omitting the primary applicant's CoE, CAS, or I-20 from the dependent file — dependent applications need the primary's academic documents.
5. Not budgeting for the additional application fees and IHS or insurance costs per dependent — these add up quickly.
6. Assuming the spouse's existing bank balance counts automatically — either the funds are in the primary applicant's account with the spouse as a dependent beneficiary, or the spouse's account needs to be clearly tied into the financial evidence.
7. Ignoring dependent work rights when calculating total required funds — a working spouse reduces financial pressure but is still subject to the show money requirement at submission.

How ShowMoneyLK Supports Dependent Visa Applications

• Combined maintenance calculation — we confirm the total amount needed for you plus each dependent for your chosen destination
• Family show money placement — we deposit the full combined amount with the required banking history under a single coherent source-of-funds story
• Certified statements from embassy-accepted Sri Lankan banks — BOC, Sampath, Commercial, HNB, and NDB produce documents that support multi-applicant submissions
• Relationship documentation guidance — we help you ensure marriage and birth certificates meet embassy standards before submission
• Coordinated submission timing — we sequence your deposits, holding period, and certified statement to match the primary applicant's submission window
• Full support during processing — if any family member's application receives a further-evidence request, we guide the collective response