Sometimes, but the arrangement needs deliberate design rather than improvisation. Derivative family members may accompany the investor or follow later, subject to their own eligibility and processing. Decide who travels when, what status each person would hold apart, and how schooling, housing and healthcare work in the interim before anyone gives notice or books a move.
Test a split household against the child rules
A staggered move can be sensible when one career has a fixed end date, but it stretches the case across more time, and time is exactly what matters for a child approaching 21. Age protection is fact-specific, so ask counsel how a delayed arrival would be assessed for each child before choosing the sequence. Also record each family member's country of birth: chargeability usually follows birthplace, not current residence or passport, and that can affect waiting.
Set out the split arrangement as a written plan with dates rather than as a general intention. Name who is where in each quarter, what status each person holds during it, where the children are enrolled, and how healthcare is covered on both sides. Two questions deserve specific advice: how a delayed arrival would be assessed for a child approaching twenty-one, and whether any period apart affects the route the household has chosen.
Record each family member's country of birth as well, since chargeability generally follows birthplace rather than residence or passport and can change the waiting picture materially.