UK Spouse / Partner Visa Application
Visa for Spouse / Partner in the UK
How do I apply for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa?
- You and your companion must be at least 18 years old.
- Your buddy must do one of the following:
- Be a British citizen who has settled in the UK – for example, they have ILR, settled status, or proof of permanent residence either from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status –
- They must have begun living in the UK before January 1, 2021, have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa have refugee status, or have humanitarian protection in the UK.
- You are in a legally recognized civil partnership or marriage in the UK, or you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply, or you are a fiancé, fiancée, or prospective civil partner who will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arrival.
- If you are a fiancé (e) or intended civil partner, you must be seeking entrance to the United Kingdom for your marriage or civil partnership to take place there.
- Your relationship with your sponsor must be real and ongoing.
- You aim to reside permanently in the UK with your sponsor and have suitable housing without relying on public assistance.
- The financial obligation is met by your sponsor. This would generally imply a yearly salary of at least £18,600 (this increases if you have children) and/or adequate savings.
- You have fulfilled the English language requirement.
- The initial entry clearance visa is granted for 33 months (30 months if the application is made from within the UK; if you apply as a fiancé (e) or proposed civil partner, you will be given a 6-month visa to allow you to enter the UK to allow your marriage or civil partnership to take place here), after which you may apply for a 30-month Spouse Visa Extension. You may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years.
What documents will I need to obtain a spouse or partner visa?
- Your current passport, as well as any additional travel papers
- Your certificate of marriage or civil partnership
- If relevant, a divorce certificate from any prior marriages.
- Details about any criminal convictions, if any
- If you have one, your National Insurance number
- Details about your accommodation in the United Kingdom
- Account statements
- Evidence of earnings from the job, if appropriate
- The British passport or Indefinite Leave to Remain document of your sponsor
- Details of any children who will also be visiting the UK
Do partner visas take a long time to process?
To attend a physical (biometric) appointment, you must first submit an online application, whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK. An application submitted from outside the UK may take up to three months to be processed. Priority services for accelerated processing are provided in various countries. Following clearance, your passport would be endorsed with a “vignette” allowing you to travel to the United Kingdom. When you arrive in the UK, you must pick up your biometric residence permit from a pre-selected Post Office.
The typical service standard from within the UK is 8 weeks [SH2]. Although the decision would ordinarily be provided within 8 weeks of your biometric appointment, your biometric residence permit will typically take an additional 7 working days to be issued from the date of your biometric appointment.
What is the cost of applying as a partner or spouse?
A spouse/partner visa issued within the United Kingdom costs £1033. As part of the application, the applicant must additionally pay a £19.20 biometric enrollment charge. The spouse visa (designated as a “settlement visa” for entrance clearance) costs £1523 from outside the UK. If available in the country of application, the settlement priority service would cost an extra £573.
In addition, the applicant must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £624 per year (£312 every six months). Because the spouse visa is valid for 30 months (2.5 years) inside the UK, the total fee for leave to stay would be £1560. The visa is issued for 33 months from outside the UK, therefore. In addition, the applicant must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £624 per year (£312 every six months). Because the spouse visa is valid for 30 months (2.5 years) inside the UK, the total fee for leave to stay would be £1560. Because the visa is valid for 33 months from outside the UK, the total fee would be £1,872.
How long will you be able to stay?
If you apply as a fiancé (e) or prospective civil partner, you will be granted a 6-month visa to visit the UK to allow your marriage or civil partnership to take place here; otherwise, you will be granted a 33-month visa (Entry Clearance) or 30 months if you apply from inside the UK. You can extend your visa, and you should be able to file for settlement no more than 28 days before your spouse visa expires after 60 months. If you successfully seek to settle in the UK, you will be free of immigration limitations, which means you, will have no temporal limit on your permit to dwell in the UK.
Partner must be proficient in English
Applicants must demonstrate that they fulfill the English language standards for Speaking and Listening. For your initial application, you must pass an authorized English language exam with a minimum CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening (beginner’s level). After 2.5 years, you must demonstrate that you passed an official English language exam with at least a CEFR level A2 l, which is considered an elementary level and is somewhat more challenging than A1. You must demonstrate that you can speak English at the B1 level, which is intermediate.
What are the requirements for the Spouse / Partner Visa accommodation program?
Normally, you must demonstrate that you have appropriate housing for yourself and your spouse (as well as anyone else who is a member of your family unit). This means that the place you inhabit must not be congested and must be reasonably priced for you. You have the option of owning or renting the property. You may even be staying somewhere for free, such as with family members. In every scenario, you will need to provide documentation that your house has enough room for you and your spouse. If you do not have a house in the UK and want to buy one later (for example, if you are migrating back to the UK from abroad), you must still demonstrate that you have a realistic probability of moving into appropriate housing by the time you go to the UK.
Is there a financial requirement for the spouse visa?
To be accepted as a partner or spouse, the pair must produce specific documentation demonstrating that they have adequate income or means to sustain them in the UK. If the partner is joining the UK sponsor from abroad, if the pair is already living together in the UK, or if the couple is returning to the UK from abroad, this condition applies. The evidence necessary depends on the couple’s unique circumstances, but the financial criterion for a partner visa is normally £18,600. So for example, if the sponsor has been in a permanent paid job for more than 6 months and has a fixed salary of more than £18,600 per year, the couple might fulfill the financial criteria by providing documentation of the sponsor’s income.
Savings evidence can also be used or combined with proof of job income to fulfill the financial criteria. For self-employed persons who rely on their self-employment income to achieve the financial criterion, extensive extra documentation would be necessary. If the couple has children who will be sponsored as the primary applicant partner’s dependents, the financial requirement is raised for each kid included in the application. In particular, in addition to the £18,600 criteria for the spouse, the first child requires an extra £3,800 and each further child requires an additional £2,400.
Are there any advantages to having a spouse visa under this category?
Separating from your partner or spouse may be devastating for you and your children. If you have fallen in love with and married a British citizen, acquiring a family visa will allow you to travel to the UK and live with your partner or spouse. Our experts can provide you with the legal advice and counsel you need so that you and your spouse/partner may live, work, and establish a future together in the United Kingdom.
Can I appeal the rejection of my application?
If an application falls under this category, it may be denied if it is not thoroughly prepared. The British government intends to reduce net migration. To meet these objectives, immigration officers are likely to deny family visas for the flimsiest of reasons, so there is no space for error. To make matters worse, when a family visa is denied, there is not always the option of filing an appeal or requesting an administrative review. When faced with a denial, your sole choice may be to file a completely new application or to seek judicial review.
We understand the emotional rollercoaster that couples might experience when compelled to deal with government officials. Our attorneys give sensitive and empathetic assistance to our clients and have the skills and experience required to quickly appeal a negative judgment by the Home Office and obtain a favorable result.
What are the advantages of choosing us to assist you in applying for a UK spouse or partner visa?
Our immigration attorneys will work with you to ensure that your application is filled out correctly and that all necessary evidence is delivered. This prevents immigration officials from rejecting your application due to an error. Working with us ensures that your best interests are safeguarded and that the visa application process goes smoothly. We work hard and strive for the finest outcomes possible.
Is it possible to extend my spouse's visa?
Yes, if you match the conditions, you should be able to renew your visa for up to 30 months (2.5 years). To fulfill your 60-month (5-year) qualifying term for settlement as a partner or spouse, you must renew your visa at least once. You may also need to extend if you do not completely fulfill the conditions for settlement after 5 years, such as if you do not yet speak English to the requisite level for settlement or fail the Life in the UK examination.
If my application for a UK Spouse/Partner Visa is accepted, what should I do next?
If your application is approved, you will be granted a biometric residence permit for 33 months (entry clearance) or 30 months (leave to remain) (If you apply as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, you will be given a 6-month visa to allow you to enter the UK to marry or civil partner here). When applying from outside the country, your passport will be granted with a 30-day “vignette” allowing you to travel to the United Kingdom. You must obtain your biometric residence permit at a Post Office that you choose throughout the application procedure within 10 days of your arrival in the UK.
You will be permitted to live and work in the United Kingdom for the duration of your visa. While on a spouse visa, you will not be allowed to use public money, but you will have access to the NHS since you will have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your visa application. Although you can go abroad, you must continue to stay in the UK with your spouse to qualify for an extension of leave/ILR after 60 months. From the moment your visa is issued, you should retain documentation of living together, such as bills, bank statements, and other official documents and communication addressed to you and your spouse at your joint residence.
How will I be notified of the rejection of my Spouse/Partner Visa application?
Could I switch to a Spouse/Partner visa?
Switching into the spouse visa category is allowed if you do not have leave as a tourist or leave issued for 6 months or less (except for fiancée visas, which are granted for 6 months but allow you to move into the spouse route).
What is the procedure for renewing my visa?
How will a spouse visa interview be conducted?
- How did you and your husband meet?
- What does your spouse make?
- Have you met any of their friends or family?
Will my family's contribution to help us reach the minimum financial threshold be considered?
Following a high-profile Supreme Court ruling in 2017, the Home Office revised immigration regulations to allow caseworkers to consider any third-party financing when determining whether the minimum income criterion has been satisfied in certain instances.
Which requirement is the most difficult to meet when applying for a spouse visa?
When the applicant’s partner is the director of a UK firm, supplying the relevant documentation is the most onerous condition for a spouse visa, since considerable evidence is required.
Is original documentation required?
The applicant must present the original passport, and the rest supporting evidence can be either copies or originals.
What is the process for submitting supporting documentation?
Following the submission of the online application, the applicant will be able to upload scanned copies of the supporting documents to an online portal managed by the Home Office’s commercial partner (Sopra Steria for applications submitted in the UK or VFS Global/TLS Contact for applications submitted overseas). The applicant may also bring their documents to their appointment, which will be scanned and submitted to the web portal (extra costs may apply).