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    Spouse Visa Requirements

    The Spouse Visa requires you to fulfill certain requirements which is rather challenging. You need to prove that you are eligible for the visa. For this you and your partner needs to provide substantial documents in your favor. Evidence that shows your relationship is genuine should be provided. Your partner will be your sponsor and he or she needs to earn over £18,600 a year. Accommodation requirements of having adequate housing provision will be required as well. 

    There are other different visas which depend on your personal circumstances. A Spouse Visa is recommended for those who plan on moving to the UK to be with your partner. For this your partner must be a British citizen by birth or a naturalised British citizen. There are other visas such as the Fiancee or Unmarried Partner, although for these too your partner should be a British citizen or must have a settled status. 

    A Fiancee Visa of six months long will be issued if you meet the UK’s Spouse Visa requirements and within this time period you are to get married to your partner. An Unmarried Partner or Spouse Visa is valid for 30 months and an extension can be applied after it expires which too is of 30 months. This will result in you having stayed in the UK for a total of 5 years after which you will be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and in due time for Citizenship in the UK.

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    The UK Spouse Visa Requirements

    The UK Spouse Visa requires you to be married to a British citizen or a person who holds Indefinite Leave to Remain. Apart from it other requirements should be met too, which are:

    • Genuine relationship requirement: Proof that you and your partner are in a genuine relationship and intend to live together in the UK permanently. 
    • Financial requirement: Proof that your partner who is your sponsor can support the family without seeking public funds.
    • Accommodation requirement: Proof of having a fair accommodation for the whole family with adequate rooms.
    • English Language requirement: Proof that despite being a non-British you have no problem in understanding and communicating in English.

    All of the documents that support your eligibility for the application of the visa as you fulfill these requirements must be submitted which should be complete, correct and authentic. For professional assistance with your visa requirements you can reach to our immigration lawyers.

    Partner Visa required application documents

    To maximise the success of your application, a complete set of authentic documents for your case must be prepared, that contain the following evidence:

    • Proof that you and your partner are in love: This may include pictures of you two together, call and chat logs, social media posts, money transfers, anything that you two own together like a shared bank account. 
    • Proof that you two have met each other at least once before applying for the visa.
    • Proof that the applicant is knowledgeable and has good command in English. It may include results of the IELTS test, passport from an English-speaking country or English-taught degree.
    • Proof of meeting the financial requirements: For this, bank statements, payslip, job contract that include your salary are accepted. 
    • Proof of meeting the accommodation requirement: This includes shared tenancy agreement or mortgage
    • Any other documents that support your relationship with your partner to be a genuine one.

    Additional documents might be required which entirely depends upon your personal circumstances. For guidance and help you can speak to our experts.

    Get in touch with our expert immigration lawyers to learn how to apply for a Spouse Visa.

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      The genuine relationship requirement

      You and your British citizen partner need to exemplify the genuinity of your relation that you are truly in love, to get leave to remain in the UK together. 

      The Home Office will require you to provide the following to better understand your relationship:

      • You and your partner must have met at least once physically before getting married.
      • If you are not married to your partner, but have been in a committed relationship of at least two years then you can apply for an Unmarried Partner Visa. 

      To support your genuine relationship you must provide evidence of spending time together such as chat and call logs, photographs of you two together, shared bank accounts and more.

      UK Spouse Visa financial requirement

      The financial requirement to be met for your UK Spouse Visa requires you and your partner to earn a combined gross annual income of £18,600. 

      The following sources are valid for the income: 

      • Employment earnings in the UK
      • Self-employment earnings
      • Income from letting (if applicable)
      • Savings upto £16,000 in cash
      • Pension or other allowances

      UK Spouse Visa English Language requirement

      The UK Spouse Visa requires the applicant who is a non-British to have fair command and understanding in English. The proficiency of the individual could be exemplified by:

      • Passing a certified English language test as per required.
      • Holding a degree from an authentic establishment which was taught or researched in English.
      • Being a citizen of a english speaking country.

      The Partner Visa accommodation requirement

      Your partner should be able to provide sufficient accommodation for you and the family in the UK. To prove this the following can be used:

      • A rental property 
      • A temporary accommodation 
      • A mortgaged or owned property 

      An apartment with one room with a shared bed is sufficient for a couple. However, if you have children there should be an additional bedroom for each of your children who are more than 1 years old.

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      Frequently Asked Questions

      Following criteria’s need to be full filled to qualify for a spouse Visa

      • You and your partner must be over the age of 18
      • You must have met each other and be legally married;
      • You must intend to live together;
      • You must have enough money to support yourselves and any dependents without claiming public funds;
      • The sponsoring party must meet the Spouse Visa financial requirements, or have enough savings to support yourselves. This number increases if you have dependent children;
      • You must have suitable accommodation for you, your partner and any dependent children; and

      Your partner must satisfy the English language requirements.

      • You will need your passport(with a blank page)
      • Evidence showing that you meet minimum income requirement
      • Proof of your relationship/marriage with your partner
      • English language qualification certificate
      • Your current right to be in the country you are applying from
      • Your tuberculosis test result if you are from a country which requires this

      The documents mentioned above are very important without them you cannot lodge the visa application .If you find struggling collecting these documents you can seek one of our immigration lawyers who will help you figure out the right solution for you.

      Duration of visa processing will vary according to your case as well as chosen method of Spouse Visa application. The application could take anywhere from two weeks to 12 weeks depending upon the place you submit your visa from. Using the Premium Service Centre might reduce your processing time by as little as two weeks.

      Depending upon the type of visa you are already holding, you may or may not be allowed to apply for the Spouse visa from within the country. You may still be able to use the premium service from within your own country, but even so it will take longer than two weeks as that’ll just slightly push your application to the front of the queue. The longest time of 12 weeks will be for those type of applications which need extra checks because it isn’t immediately apparent that the candidate meets all the visa requirements. Also your country of application can play a part in variable processing time.

      If you are applying from within the UK, it’ll cost you 1,033. And if you are applying form outside the UK the cost incurred will be 1,523 to submit a Spouse Visa application.

      Along this fee several other fees are to be paid by the applicant as part of visa submission:

      • The Immigration Health Surcharge
      • English language test
      • Housing report
      • Document translations for all your paperwork which are not written in English or Welsh

      A fiancé Visa lasts for six months period where you are expected to get married and change to a Spouse visa if you want to remain for longer than that in the UK.

      In case of applications made from outside the UK, your first Spouse Visa will be issued for 33 months. After which you will be required to apply for a spouse visa extension, which will be valid for a further 30 months. After this, if you maintain your good records you may be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you have applied from within the UK, the first Spouse Visa will be issued for 30 months followed by an extension visa for 30 months.

      Yes, you are allowed to work on a Spouse Visa in UK, but you cannot work on a fiancé visa. After you are married and have attained a spouse visa you can work legally.

      If you wish to work in the UK you can apply for a different permit, such as the tier 2 visa for skilled employees.