The short answer
Whether your postgraduate course counts as a “research-based higher degree” depends on the specific nature and structure of your course, not simply its title or level. Since 1 January 2024, the rules for bringing dependants (a partner and children) on the Student route were significantly tightened. For most students, the ability to bring dependants now hinges on either being government-sponsored or being on a research-based programme at postgraduate level.
The current rule for dependants
Under the Immigration Rules for the Student route, you can only bring a dependent partner or child if you are one of the following:
1. A government-sponsored student (with a scholarship or sponsorship from a national government) on a full-time course lasting 6 months or longer; or
2. A full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) lasting 9 months or longer, where, if the course starts on or after 1 January 2024, it is either a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree.
If your course started before 1 January 2024, the older and broader rule applies, and any postgraduate course of 9 months or longer at an eligible institution could allow dependants. The new restriction only bites where the course start date is on or after 1 January 2024.
What “research-based higher degree” means
This is the key issue for your question. The phrase is intended to capture programmes that are predominantly research rather than predominantly taught. In practice this includes:
A PhD or other doctorate, which is expressly covered anyway as an RQF level 8 qualification.
A postgraduate research degree such as an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) or a Master by Research (MRes or MA/MSc by Research), where the qualification is obtained mainly through supervised independent research rather than taught modules and examinations.
By contrast, a standard taught master’s degree, such as a typical one-year taught MA, MSc, MBA or LLM made up mainly of taught modules with a dissertation component, is not a research-based higher degree. Students on those taught postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024 cannot bring dependants under the Student route, unless they are government-sponsored.
The critical distinction is therefore between a research degree and a taught degree. A dissertation attached to an otherwise taught master’s does not turn it into a research-based higher degree. The programme as a whole must be a research qualification.
How to check your own course
Because the answer turns entirely on the character of your specific programme, you should confirm the position directly rather than assume it from the course name. The practical steps are:
1. Check the exact qualification your course leads to and how it is classified. Look at whether it is described as a research degree (MPhil, MRes, PhD) or a taught degree (MA, MSc, LLM, MBA).
2. Ask your university’s international student support team or your sponsoring institution’s compliance team whether your specific course is treated as a research-based higher degree for the purposes of the Student route dependant rules. Your institution is the sponsor that issues your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) and is responsible for confirming eligibility, so it is the most reliable and authoritative source for your particular course.
3. Check what your CAS states, and whether the sponsor has confirmed the course meets the dependant eligibility requirement, as the Immigration Rules require the provider to confirm this for courses starting on or after 1 January 2024.
Points that could change the answer
Several facts would materially affect your position, and it would help to be clear on each:
The exact start date of your course. If it began before 1 January 2024, the research requirement does not apply and a taught postgraduate course of 9 months or longer could still qualify.
Whether you are government-sponsored. If you hold a scholarship or sponsorship from a national government, you can bring dependants on a course of 6 months or longer regardless of whether it is research-based.
The precise classification of the programme by your university. A course that mixes taught and research elements needs to be assessed as a whole, and only your sponsoring institution can confirm definitively how it is classified for these purposes.
Whether any dependant is already in the UK with permission, as transitional and continuation provisions can differ for dependants already granted permission under earlier rules.
Practical next steps
Before making or relying on any dependant application, get written confirmation from your university’s visa compliance or international office that your specific course counts as a PhD, other doctorate, or research-based higher degree for the Student route. That confirmation, ideally reflected on your CAS, is what UK Visas and Immigration will look to. If your course is a taught master’s and you are not government-sponsored, the dependant route will not be available, and it would be worth exploring whether an alternative programme or route better fits your circumstances.
If you tell me the exact name and type of your course, its start date, and whether you have any government scholarship, I can give you a more definite view on whether it is likely to fall within the research-based category.
This answer draws on broad legal knowledge and checks current law, guidance and procedure against relevant sources.
Student visa : Your partner and childrengov.ukImmigration Rules - Immigration Rules: Appendix Student - Guidance - GOV.UKgov.ukStudent route: caseworker guidance - GOV.UKgov.ukTough government action on student visas comes into effect - GOV.UKgov.ukKNOW WHERE YOU STAND
Ready to stop guessing?
The above is just an example answer. Sign up now to get personalised guidance and ask follow-up questions based on your own situation. Bring your legal issue, your contract, or your question. Lawyer Destroyer gives you clear, practical guidance so you can move forward with confidence.