COVID-19 and Fiancé Visas
How Does COVID-19 Impact My Fiancé Visa?
When a person is granted a fiancé visa, they have 6 months leave in the UK during which they need to marry their partner. Following their marriage, they can then apply for leave to remain under the spouse route. The main benefit of this route is that individuals do not need to leave the UK in between these applications.
We have received a number of enquiries from clients who are now unable to get married in the UK during their 6 month fiancé visa, through no fault of their own. Many register offices are now cancelling all wedding ceremonies. For example, Salford Council is cancelling ceremonies up to the 14th April 2020 and is no longer taking new bookings. Clients still due to marry are understandably very stressed, but we can help.
The good news is that the government has now released guidance on visa extensions for individuals who are in the UK. The key points include:
- Those whose visas expired after the 24th January who could not leave the UK due to travel restrictions of self-isolation are granted an extension until 31st May.
- You must contact the Home Office via the email address CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk to tell them the visa has expired or is due to expire, so that they can issue an extension.
Therefore, if you are in the UK on a fiancé visa that is due to expire and you have not been able to get married, you can contact the Home Office to request an extension. We expect that the government will review this guidance should it seem likely that travel and other restrictions will not be resolved before the 31st May.
We still recommend that you do seek specialist legal representation so that we can help you take the necessary steps to ensure you are not breaching the conditions of your leave. Our Birmingham immigration solicitors are available for urgent consultations by Skype and telephone.
Get in touch today for our help and guidance in this difficult time.
Legal Disclaimer.
All advice is correct at time of publication.
