The basic requirements will be the same for any settlement visa, proving the relationship between sponsor and applicant and showing proof of being able to support financially.

The additional requirements may depend on what visa the parents currently hold and who has parental responsibility for the child.



The difference with the child dependent is that their visa follows the visa of the sponsor. If you applied at the same time, their visa will have the same expiry date and when applying for the next stage, ie ILR, you would apply at the same time.

My understanding is that even if the child dependant visa was applied for after the sponsor's visa, the expiry date would be the same as the sponsor.

This is why sars has suggested you wait till after you have ILR as this will save you having to apply for a settlement visa now, then ILR for both of you when you apply for your ILR.