Replies
No one has replied to this post.
I asked the helpdesk for clarity on this last week and received the below response
'The specialist team have provided the following advice: Dependents, including partners, of individuals holding sponsorship, student, or graduate visa status, excluding seasonal workers, are eligible for ASF funding.'
Following the same query from a partner organisation with a different response this was referred back to DfE with the below reply
'Thank you for your query.
We apologise that previous information was incorrectly given in response to a query received from yourselves last week.
Having sought clarification we can confirm that dependents of those individuals who have a student or graduate visa are not eligible for ASF funding.
Only dependents of individuals on sponsorship visas are eligible.
We will look at updating our rules to avoid this confusion in the future.'
Apologies for passing on the incorrect information
Jessica Biggs
Dependents of Student/Graduate Visa Holder 25/26
Edited
Hello,
updated 10/02/2026
I've had written confirmation from the DWP who have taken over responsibility for ASF from the DfE.
They confirm that dependents/partners of those on a Student or Graduate Visa are NOT eligible for ASF funding in 25/26.
This is because "individuals who are living in the UK on a student or graduate visa can only remain
in the UK for 2 or 3 years, and the same applies to their dependents."
Hope this helps others.