Is your partner is a British citizen and you wish to move with him to the UK? Then you need to apply for the UK partner visa. This article might help you to understand the UK partner visa application requirements.
As with any other immigration application, there is a number of requirements you need to meet. We summarize them below but you need to bear in mind that each case is different, some cases might require additional evidence.
In order to apply for entry to the UK as a partner, you and your partner both need to be atleast18 years old or over.
Your partner must either:
- be a British or Irish citizen
- have settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
- be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status and they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
The UK partner visa requires you and your partner to have intention to live together permanently in the UK after you apply for the visa.
You must be able to prove one of the following in order to apply for partner visa in UK:
- you are in a civil partnership or marriage that is recognised in the UK
- you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
- you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
You also need to prove you:
- You must have a good knowledge of English
- you meet the financial requirement
- you have suitable accommodation upon arrival to the UK
If you are applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
You must prove that:
- Your any previous marriages or civil partnerships should be ended
- you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK
- You will not be able to work during your engagement.
How to prove financial requirements for UK partner visa?
One of the most important criteria for any partnership visa to the UK is that you and your partner must have a combined income which is at least £18,600 a year. This financial requirement applies if:
- you are applying as a partner
- you want to settle in the UK (get ‘indefinite leave to remain’) within 5 years
You and your partner can use the following to prove the income:
- Your income from employment
- income you earn from self-employment or as a director of a limited company in the UK
- cash savings above £62,500
- money from a pension
- non-work income, for example from property rentals or dividends
If you are using income from self-employment or employment, you will need to prove you or your partner received that income for 6 months or more.
How long is the visa valid for?
The UK partner visa can allows you to stay in the UK for only 2 years and 9 months. If you are applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner, you can stay for only 6 months.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you can extend your partner visa in the UK for further 33 months. Once you have spent living in the UK on the partner visa, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain and UK passport.
If your relationship breaks down, your visa might be cancelled or you might be able to apply for a different visa category to allow you to stay lawfully in the UK.
DO I NEED AN IMMIGRATION SOLICITOR TO HELP WITH UK PARTNER VISA?
There is no requirement you have to have a legal representation when applying for the partner visa. However, we know that the Home Office refuses a high number of applicants.
If you want a peace of mind, you can instruct a visa solicitor in UK to assist you with the partner visa application process.
Taylor Hampton is a one of the leading law firm in London and here our solicitors help our clients with Spouse visa applying for the UK partner visa. We can handle your spouse visa application from start to finish. We will inform you what documents you need in order to prove the relationship if you are not married. We can also can assist you in preparing the documents for meeting the financial and other requirements to make sure your application stands best chances of succeeding. The documents can be confusing to obtain especially if you are a self -employed person. There is a high refusal rate for UK partner visa applications so it is in your best interest to get it correct in the first instance to save time and money.
If you want to appoint one of our an immigration solicitor, please call us at 0207 427 5970 or you can also emails us at [email protected]
