Bringing your family
Visas
To find out if your family needs permission to come to the UK, visit UK Border Agency Visa Services and select 'Do I need a visa?', then select the section 'How to apply'.
Even if your family is coming for a short visit and there is no requirement to have a visa, it is advisable for them to obtain entry clearance before travelling.
Letter of invitation
Information on how to write a letter of invitation to accompany your family’s visa application is in the 'Inviting family to the UK' guide in 'Immigration issues' on the International Office website.
Regulations and entitlements for families
Important information about immigration, work, education and healthcare can be found at The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
Healthcare
If you are entitled to free NHS healthcare, your wife/husband and children aged up to 16 (19, if in full-time education) will also be entitled to this if:
- they have a passport stamp which confirms they are in the UK as the dependant of a student
- they also came to the UK with you, or soon after.
However, if your family travel in and out of the UK during your stay, the NHS may say they are just visiting and therefore not entitled to free healthcare, regardless of what their passport stamp says.
It is essential to take out medical insurance to cover any healthcare your family cannot get from the NHS. Your dependants should also register with the Leeds Student Medical Practice or another local doctor as soon as they arrive in the UK.
You can find out more about your entitlements to healthcare in the UKCISA leaflet 'Keeping Healthy' and at the Leeds Student Medical Practice website.
Bringing children
If you wish to bring dependents with you when you study at Leeds, you need to consult the International Office for advice.
If you are on your own with your children, or if your partner is working or studying, you will need to pay for childcare for children under school age and also for older children needing supervision before and after school hours and in holiday periods. Many schools have economically-priced breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. Pre-school childcare is often expensive and your child may have to go on a waiting list for a place.
Children between the ages of 5 and 16, who are in the UK for more than six months, must attend school in the UK during their time here by law. The International Office will help you apply for a school place.
If your child is between 16 and 19, they can attend a local adult education centre or college but they may have to pay.
The International Office publishes a guide that will give you more information about schools and childcare.
- Guide to Living in Leeds for families with children [PDF: 125KB]
Accommodation
It is not a good idea to bring your family to Leeds until you have
found permanent accommodation for them. Temporary accommodation is
expensive and it can take several weeks to find permanent
accommodation. The University has no temporary
accommodation suitable for families.
House-hunting for family accommodation
If you have come to Leeds on your own to look for family accommodation, you should live in single temporary accommodation while you house-hunt for your family home.
For advice about contracts and legally responsibilities, visit the Student Advice Centre in the Student Union.
Location
International students with families live in different places across
the city. Some live in areas that are popular with single students;
others live where there are lots of other families. Leeds has a good
public transport system so many families do not necessarily live close
to campus. When you are looking for family accommodation, it is also
important to consider
factors like the availability of useful
services and facilities (such as shops, schools, and parks) and whether
the property has a garden.
University family accommodation
The University has some family accommodation available, but there is a waiting list for the properties and the accommodation office is unable to guarantee family accommodation.
Private-sector family accommodation
As there is a waiting list for University accommodation, many
families find a home in the private sector. The Unipol Student Homes
website has information for families and an email list that notifies
you when family accommodation becomes
available.
Great city for a child
Leeds. More public green space per child than any other city in the UK.
The Children's Society 2008
Leeds. The UK's most female friendly city.
Future Laboratories 'Tigra Town' Research 2006