This visa provides an opportunity for non-British partners to live and work in the UK. You can apply for this family visa if you are the husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner (living together in a relationship for at least 2 years), fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner (will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving) of a specified partner (see definition below) Some of the requirements are terribly restrictive, for example, applicants must meet a significant minimum income/finance threshold, which has been subject to fierce legal battles and criticism from family groups.
Our team provides expert legal advice and representation to those who are applying for a UK family visa as a partner or spouse, and we have a strong track record of successful applications.
To successfully obtain a family visa as a partner or spouse, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) officials will want to see the following documents (It is not an exhaustive list) included with your application:
You need to complete an online application to attend a physical (biometric) appointment whether applying from inside or outside the UK.
An application made from outside the UK could take around 3 months to be processed. Priority services are available in some countries, for expedited processing. On approval, your passport would be endorsed with a “vignette” to allow you to travel to the UK. You would need to collect your biometric residence permit on arrival to the UK from a pre-selected Post Office.
From inside the UK the normal service standard is 8 weeks [SH2]
Although the decision would normally be issued within 8 weeks of your biometric appointment your biometric residence permit will usually take a further 7 working days to be issued from the date of the decision
The cost of a spouse/partner visa made inside the UK is £1033. The applicant will also need to pay £19.20 biometric enrolment fee as part of the application.
From outside the UK the spouse visa (classified as a “settlement visa” for the purpose of entry clearance) the visa cost is £1523. The settlement priority service, if available in the country of application would be an additional £573.
The applicant must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £624 per year (£312 for every 6 month period). The spouse visa is granted for a 30 months (2.5 years) inside the UK, therefore the total surcharge would be £1560 for leave to remain. From outside the UK, the visa is granted for 33 months, therefore the total surcharge would be £1,872.
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