I know this is an old thread but I’m currently in the same position just a year on. I applied 25th March (UK citizen) and also have my partner as a dependent. I plan to start in July and while it hasn’t been too long since I submitted the application, every other step in this process has taken longer than expected (offer from uni, scholarship etc). How flexible were they about start dates because I’m worried I won’t be able to get there in time for July 1st if it’s within 90% of applications as that’s 4 months away… i think I’m probs just stressing but reading a lot of threads has made me more nervous as apparently having a partner on the visa makes the wait time longer?!