Upvote:2
Can my wife apply for a UK tourist visa?
Yes, she can create an account at visa4uk and fill out the application.
and i can apply as a dependent on her behalf?
This introduces an interesting point in an otherwise pedestrian question. Your wife can apply as the primary in a family application and you can apply as a dependent. This is simply a matter of having each of you put the other's GWF number in the remarks section and explaining that your wife is applying as the primary.
Where things go wrong in these situations is when the ECO refuses with one of these formulae...
...I acknowledge your wife proposes to pay for your visit, however, it is the circumstances of the applicant that remain paramount when assessing your application...
which means that you need to qualify in your own right and this entails a lot more than your wife's solvency. Check out Should I submit bank statements when applying for a UK Visa? What do they say about me? with particular focus on the graphics.