What is the UK Spouse Visa?
The spouse visa (also referred to as the partner and spouse visa) enables an eligible foreign national to join and live with their partner in the UK if they are a British citizen or settled person (e.g. a person with Indefinite Leave to Remain or EU Settled Status). You won't automatically get the right to live in the UK through the marriage to a British citizen. You must apply for a Spouse Visa to live in the UK with your partner. Eligible applicants include those who are married, in a civil partnership, or unmarried.
Applicants must meet a set of eligibility criteria as outlined in detail below. If granted, a partner and spouse visa is initially granted for up to 2 years and 9 months. It is then possible to extend your stay and later acquire ILR, allowing you to remain permanently in the UK without being subject to immigration rules. After gaining ILR, you might be eligible to apply for British citizenship by marriage.
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Who can apply for a Spouse Visa?
As a foreign national, you can apply for a UK partner and spouse visa as long as your partner based in the UK:
- Is a British or Irish citizen (either by birth or naturalisation)
- Has settled in the UK and has Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), permanent residence, or EU Settled Status
- Has refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK
- Has a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
You must intend to live together in the UK after you move here (if your not here already), and you will also need to provide evidence of your genuine and subsisting relationship.
UK Spouse Visa requirements
To make a successful application for a partner and spouse visa, you will need to meet a set of eligibility requirements, including providing evidence of:
- You are in a genuine and eligible relationship
- You have the ability to financially support yourselves: a minimum gross annual combined income of £18,600 (this is set to increase to £38,700 in Spring 2024)
- You have suitable accommodation in the UK
- You meet the English language requirement: at least level A1 for your first visa application
Spouse Visa extension
After the initial period of 2 years and 9 months, it is possible to further extend a partner and spouse visa for a further 2 years and 6 months. You must be in the same eligible relationship with your UK based partner, and you must apply before your current visa expires.
Spouse Visa to ILR
Once you have resided in the UK for 5 years on your partner and spouse visa, you will be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). This will mean you can remain permanently in the UK and will no longer be subject to immigration control. To gain ILR, you will need to:
- Have lived in the UK for 5 years on a family visa as a partner
- Have lived with your partner since you last renewed your visa
- Be in a genuine and subsisting relationship with your partner
- Intend to continue your relationship after you apply for ILR
- Meet the English language and Life in the UK requirements
- Prove you have suitable accommodation
- Continue to meet the financial requirements
How Can Manzoor Ahmad Law Associates Help You?
- With a powerful team of dedicated professionals and trained counselors, we are capable to meet the benchmarks set by the organizations while ensuring the provision of the best services.
- The highly committed and diligent immigration advisory team efficiently performs the whole corporate drafting and business plan development after having a detailed assessment of client's circumstances.
- We provide complete guidelines regarding the whole documentation requirement in addition to other criteria required for the successful grant of UK citizenship.
- We prepare our client's case in a fully customized manner depending on the individual situation of the client's and truly facilitate our client's by giving the best possible solutions for any sort of problem in the quickest way.
- Our skillful immigration lawyers provide ultimate consultation to our client's from the beginning of application till completion meanwhile keeping them updated with their application processing.
- We duly complete the submission of our client's application and keep communicating with the immigration authorities until the successful results are accomplished.
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