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The short answer
Whether your partner can work on their dependant visa decides whether you plan on one income or two. In the UK a Skilled Worker's partner can work in almost any job, in Canada spouses of most students and many workers lost open work permits from 21 January 2025, and in the US an H-4 spouse can work only after an employment authorisation document is granted. Budget on one income until the partner's right to work is confirmed in writing.
Why this question shapes everything else
Many Nigerian families move on one main visa with a partner as a dependant. The plan at home is often that both will earn within a few months, so rent, childcare and support for parents in Nigeria are sized for two incomes. If the dependant partner turns out to have no right to work, or has to wait for a permit, the household runs on one salary in the most expensive months of the move. Checking the rule before you sign a lease is the single most useful step.
What the main routes say
United Kingdom
GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page on partners and children (checked October 2026) says they can work "except as a sportsperson or coach", study and travel, but cannot claim most benefits. Home Office guidance lists Skilled Worker, Student and Graduate routes as carrying no recourse to public funds. For students, GOV.UK says dependants are allowed only for government-sponsored students on courses of six months or more, or for postgraduate courses at RQF level 7 or above lasting nine months or more, and for courses starting from 1 January 2024 the postgraduate course must be a PhD, doctorate or research-based higher degree. That page does not set out the dependant's work rights, so check the dependant visa decision letter and the current guidance.
Canada
IRCC's notice of 14 January 2025 says that from 21 January 2025 open work permits for spouses are limited. For students, eligible spouses are those of people in master's programmes of 16 months or longer, doctoral programmes and some professional programmes. For workers, the principal must be in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or certain TEER 2 or 3 occupations in shortage or priority sectors, and must have at least 16 months left on their work permit when the spouse applies. Dependent children of foreign workers are no longer eligible. Permits already approved remain valid until they expire.
United States
Under 8 CFR 274a.12(c), people in the (c) categories may work only after applying for and being granted authorisation. Category (c)(26) covers H-4 spouses who meet the conditions in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(iv). In practice that means an H-4 spouse should not plan on a salary until the employment authorisation document is in hand.
Plan on one income first
Build two budgets: one where only the main visa holder earns, and one where both do. Sign up to costs, such as a lease, a car finance agreement or private school fees, that fit the one-income version. Treat the second income as a bonus until it is confirmed, then decide together how to split it between savings, debts and support at home.
Worked example (illustration only)
Tunde moves to Calgary as a TEER 2 worker whose occupation is not on the eligible list, with his wife Bisi and two children. His take-home pay is CAD 4,600 a month (example).
| Monthly item (example) | One income | If Bisi later qualifies and earns CAD 2,400 |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | CAD 2,100 | CAD 2,100 |
| Food, transport, phones | CAD 1,300 | CAD 1,400 |
| Childcare | CAD 0 (Bisi at home) | CAD 900 |
| Support to parents in Ibadan | CAD 300 | CAD 450 |
| Savings | CAD 900 | CAD 2,150 |
| Total | CAD 4,600 | CAD 7,000 |
In the second column Bisi's CAD 2,400 adds CAD 2,400 to household take-home pay, but CAD 900 goes on childcare, so the real gain is CAD 1,500 a month before any extra commuting costs. Many families find a second income is worth less than its headline once childcare is paid; running the numbers stops that surprise.
Questions to answer before you move
- Does the dependant visa or permit itself state a right to work, or does the partner need a separate application?
- How long does that application usually take, and can the partner work while it is pending?
- Does the right to work end if the main visa holder changes job or route?
- Can the partner be self-employed, or only employed?
Remittances when only one partner earns
- Agree a fixed monthly amount for family at home that fits the one-income budget, rather than an open promise.
- Prioritise commitments with deadlines, such as school fees or a parent's medication, and move one-off requests to a later month.
- Keep a small emergency pot in the new country first; see how big an emergency fund should be.
- If the partner starts work later, review the split together rather than raising support automatically.
For couples who share bills and support two sets of parents, our guide on splitting bills and family support sets out common approaches. If the partner wants to earn through self-employment, check side income and visa rules before starting.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal account, opened from abroad, holds naira alongside pounds, dollars and euros, so one household can see money for life abroad and money for home in one place. Send handles monthly support to Nigeria, and the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve any conversion. The Personal Assistant can prepare reminders for fixed support payments; nothing moves without your approval.
Questions people ask
Can my wife work on a UK Skilled Worker dependant visa?
GOV.UK says partners of Skilled Workers can work except as a sportsperson or coach. They cannot claim most benefits.
Can my spouse get an open work permit in Canada in 2026?
Only in the categories IRCC set from 21 January 2025, such as spouses of certain master's and doctoral students or of workers in TEER 0 or 1 and some TEER 2 or 3 jobs with 16 months left on their permit.
Can an H-4 spouse work in the US?
Only after an employment authorisation document is granted under category (c)(26), for those who meet the H-4 conditions.
Should we send less money home if only one of us can work?
Many families do for a period. Set a fixed amount that fits the one-income budget and review it once the second income is confirmed.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your partner and children · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Student visa, your partner and children · accessed Oct 2026
- Home Office: Public funds caseworker guidance · accessed Oct 2026
- IRCC: Changes to open work permits for family members of temporary residents (14 Jan 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- 8 CFR 274a.12 (Cornell LII) · accessed Oct 2026
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