This visa provides an opportunity for non-British partners to live and work in the UK. You can apply for this family visa if you are the civil partner or proposed civil partner, husband, wife, fiancé, fiancée, unmarried partner (in a relationship for 2 years).
What are the Requirements for a UK Spouse Visa or Partner Visa?
- Both parties aged 18 years of age or over when the application is made
- Your relationship is ‘genuine and subsisting’ and you intend to live permanently in the UK with your partner
- Your marriage or civil partnership is recognised by UK law
- You will need to meet a salary and/or earnings requirement, currently £18,600 without dependents
- You can support yourselves and any dependents you may have without claiming government benefits
- You meet the English language requirement
- The initial entry clearance visa is granted for 33 months (30 months if the application is made from inside the UK; if you apply as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, you will be given a 6-month visa to enable you to entre the UK to enable your marriage or civil partnership to take place here), after which you may apply for a Spouse Visa Extension of 30 months. After five years, you may be able to apply for indefinite Leave to Remain.
How do u apply for a UK Spouse Visa or Partner Visa?
You can apply online. You would also need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre to enrol biometric data (photograph and fingerprints) as part of the process.
Not only will you need to fill in the application form correctly, but you will also need to upload copies of the required supporting documents, which can be extensive. If the case worker examining your application has doubts about the genuineness of your relationship, you may be asked to attend a Spouse Visa Interview where you will be asked questions about your relationship to see if your marriage is authentic and not a sham.
What Supporting documents will I need for a Souse Visa or Partner Visa?
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) officials will want to see the following documents included with your application:
- Current passport or other travel documents
- Marriage or Civil partnership certificate
- Divorce certificate for any previous marriages
- Bank statements
- Evidence of employment income
- Details of any criminal convictions
- National insurance number
- Details of your accommodation in the UK
- Your sponsors British passport or Indefinite Leave to remain documents
- Details of any children who are also coming to the UK
What are the spouse visa financial requirements?
In order to make a successful application as a spouse or partner, the couple must provide evidence to show they have sufficient income to support themselves in the UK. The financial requirement for a partner visa is £18,600.
Evidence of savings can also be used or combined with employment income evidence to meet the financial requirement. Extensive additional evidence will be required for self-employed individuals.
If the couple have children who would be sponsored as dependants of the main applicant partner, the financial threshold is increased for each child included ion the application. Specifically, in addition to the £18,600 threshold for the partner, an additional £3800 is required for the first and a further £2400 for each additional child.
How much does it cost to apply as a partner or spouse?
The cost of a spouse/partner visa made inside the UK is £1033. The applicant will also need to pay £19.20 biometric enrolment fee as part of the application
Form outside the UK the spouse visa cost is £1523.00, the settlement priority service, if available in the country of application would be an additional £573.
The applicant must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £624 per year. The spouse visa is grated for 30 months (2.5 years), therefore the total surcharge would be £1560, from outside the UK, the visa is granted for 33 months. Therefore, the total surcharge would be £1872