UK Spouse Visa – Joining a Spouse or Partner

UK Spouse Visa Applications

If you are married to or in a civil partnership with someone who is a British citizen or settled in the UK, you might be eligible to apply to join them in the UK on the basis of your relationship by applying for a UK spouse visa.

We can help you join your partner or spouse either temporarily or permanently in the UK, and maybe even eventually achieve settled status.

Are you not yet married?

• I want to travel to the UK to get married before settling down
• I intend to live in the UK with my partner without getting married

Our team will make sure that the process goes as smoothly as possible so that you can join your partner and enjoy your life together without any worries. We are here to assist you in getting the result you need and making sure that your human rights are met.

Applying for a Spouse Visa When You are Married or In a Civil Partnership

Who Can Apply

If you are from a country outside of the European Economic Area and you are in a genuine marriage or civil partnership, you might be able to get permission to enter the UK and stay on what is known as a spouse visa, or a UK partner visa. Whilst you may have heard of a UK Marriage Visa, this is not an exact visa category and may refer to either a spouse visa or a marriage visitor visa. There is also not a specific family permit, but there are several different visas that you can apply for to join your family in the UK.

Read more about a Marriage Visitor Visa

Alternatively, if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status.

There are several criteria you will have to meet for your application to be granted, but don’t worry. With our expert immigration team behind you, you’ll be in with the best chance of success when you apply for a partner visa.

Our spouse visa solicitors can help you assess which visa is best for you and help you to apply.

Proof of Your Relationship

For your application to be a success, the Home Office will need to see substantial evidence that you have a genuine relationship. You will have to submit months or even years’ worth of proof alongside your UK visa application.

Examples of evidence you could submit might be:

• Joint bank statements
• Joint tenancy agreements
• A marriage or civil partnership certificate

Although it might be difficult to get this evidence, especially if it’s been lost or thrown away, without it you’ll stand less of a chance of being granted entry clearance on a spouse visa.

The Home Office also have to see proof that your marriage or civil partnership is legally recognised by UK law.

Our team know how tricky gathering everything you need can be, so can help you compile all the evidence you should have to give you the best chance of being granted your spouse visa.

General Requirements Spouse Visa UK

If one of the following applies to your spouse or civil partner, you can apply to join them in the UK on the basis of your relationship:

• They are present and settled in the UK, or
• They have limited leave to remain in the UK – excluding student visa holders and other short-term visa category holders

You and/or your spouse or partner must also meet all of the below requirements:

• Both of you must be over 18 at the time of applying
• Both of you must intend to permanently live together when you get to the UK
• You can provide evidence that you have arranged appropriate accommodation for your arrival in the UK
• Your spouse or partner must be physically present in the UK at the time of your application unless they are accompanying you to the UK. If this is the case, they need to hold either indefinite leave to remain, a permanent right of residence, British citizenship or the right of abode in the UK
• You personally need to meet the English language requirements, which means you will have to take an English Language Test and pass at a certain level

Our team of spouse visa solicitors can help you meet all the necessary requirements, and will make sure to help you provide the evidence you need so that your chances of success are as high as they can be.

Financial Requirements

As well as meeting the above general requirements, to be granted entry clearance to the UK via a spouse visa, there are certain financial requirements you have to meet, such as the minimum income required.

Currently, the minimum income required for UK settlement is £18,600 per year, which means you have to be able to prove that you are earning this or more at the time of your application.

If your spouse or civil partner wants to sponsor you, then you will have to prove that they can meet the above amount instead.

However, if a child is also being sponsored, the minimum earning threshold rises to £22,400, with an additional £2,400 for each further child.

You must meet the financial requirement at the time of the application process.

Documents You Need to Provide

To get permission to stay in the UK on a UK spouse visa, you have to provide evidence to show you can meet the financial requirements. This could be:

• Income evidence from employment or self-employment, such as payslips or tax returns
• Non-employment income, such as from property rentals, investments, and stocks or shares
• Proof of a pension that you or your partner receives. This can be either a state pension – UK or foreign – or a private pension
• Any maternity allowance or bereavement benefits that you or your partner receive in the UK

If your spouse or civil partner receives disability-related benefits or carer’s allowance in the UK, then you may be exempt from meeting the financial requirements.

However, if you are exempt, then you will have to be able to prove to the Home Office that you will be able to maintain and accommodate yourselves with no problem and no need to access public funds whilst in the UK.

How Long You Can Stay

If you apply from outside the UK and the Home Office decides to grant you entry clearance on the basis of your marriage or civil partnership with your partner who is settled in the UK, you will be able to stay in the UK for up to 33 months.

After you have lived in the UK for this initial period, you can apply for a 30-month extension. If you are granted a spouse visa extension after those 30 months, then after that period is over you will be eligible to apply to settle in the UK indefinitely. This is what is called ‘indefinite leave to remain’.

If you apply for your spouse visa from within the UK and you are successful, then you will be granted an initial period of 30 months, after which you can apply for a further 30 months extension.

This will take you up to a minimum of five years which is required to be granted permanent residence, also known as a UK settlement visa.

Other Visa Types

If you want to stay in the UK for only a short period, of 6 months or less, you can simply apply for a visitor visa.

If you want to stay in the UK only to get married to your fiancée or proposed civil partner you can apply for a marriage visitor visa.

If you want to get married in the UK before settling down, you can apply for a fiance visa.

The rules are the same for those who wish to get married and those who wish to enter into a civil partnership.

To be able to apply for the spouse visa, your partner must be a British citizen or a person settled in the UK.

At this moment in time, you won’t need to apply for any of these visas if you’re from the European Economic Area.

In extreme cases, some individuals are granted refugee status and can therefore seek humanitarian protection in the UK.

Our spouse visa solicitors will be able to help you assess which visa is right for you.

Apply for Your UK Spouse Visa with Cartwright King

Your Spouse Visa UK Application

Here at Cartwright King Solicitors, we understand that the idea of applying for a family visa or spouse visa UK to join your civil partner or spouse can be quite daunting, which is why we want to make the spouse visa application process as simple as possible for you.

Our spouse visa solicitors can help you to understand the whole process before we begin your application, and guide you through each step until reaching the result you need. We understand what the Home Office is looking for, so we know how to structure your application for the best chance of a successful outcome.

Furthermore, we can also offer our fast track services. To fast-track your spouse visa UK or to apply, get in touch today.