Personal Immigration Service
We offer a range of services suited to your personal immigration situation, including preparing and submitting visa applications, immigration reviews or representing you in your appeal or challenge of a refusal decision.
Who can apply for a UK partner or spouse visa?
This visa covers a broad definition of individuals, including your:
- Partner
- Spouse
- Civil partner
- Fiancé or proposed civil partner (please note that information for a Fiancé visa is separately set out)
- Unmarried partners who have been in a committed relationship as if they were married for at least 2 years.
You can apply to bring a partner or spouse to join you in the UK if you:
- Are a British or Irish citizen;
- Are settled in the UK and have indefinite leave to remain, permanent residence or settled status;
- Are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status;
- Have some form of protection status, as a refugee or humanitarian protection in the UK;
- Have a Turkish businessperson or Turkish worker visa; or
- Have permission to remain as a stateless person.
What are the eligibility requirements for a partner or spouse visa?
To make a successful visa application, you and your partner or spouse will need to meet the eligibility requirements for the visa that you require, which broadly are:
- You both intend to live together in the UK after your partner or spouse joins you.
- There is adequate accommodation in the UK for your partner or spouse to live with you.
- Your relationship is genuine and subsisting, which can be demonstrated by a range of evidence, for example: a marriage or civil partnership certificate, regular contact, shared address, shared financial commitments, or evidence that you have both visited the home country of your partner or spouse together.
- Additionally, for a partner visa, you will need to evidence you have lived together for at least two years at the time of application.
- You will also need to meet the minimum income requirements of a certain level of combined income (this is subject to change depending on Government policy). Income can be from a range of accepted sources.
- Your partner or spouse meets the minimum English language requirement unless exempt.
- A tuberculosis (TB) medical test pass, depending on the country of residence of your partner or spouse.
Can I apply for the partner visa if I have been in the relationship for less than two years?
If you are applying for an unmarried partner visa and you have been in a relationship with your partner for less than 2 years, you may still be able to be able to make a visa application, but you will need to provide evidence that:
- There would be significant difficulties for you and your partner if you had to reside as a couple outside the UK.
- These difficulties cannot be overcome, or it would breach your human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights if you were unable to live in the UK or if you would be required to leave the UK.
What is the duration of a partner or spouse visa?
If successful, a partner or spouse visa will normally have an initial grant of 2 years and 9 months if applying from outside the UK or 2 years and 6 months if applying from within the UK. You must apply for an extension to the visa prior to the visa expiry date and if successful this grant will be for a further period of 2 years and 6 months.
After living in the UK for 5 or 10 years depending on which route the partner or spouse visa is granted (this will depend on whether all the requirements were met), an application can be made for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Can I switch from the 10-year route to the 5-year route for a partner visa?
It is possible to switch from the 10-year route to the 5-year route for indefinite leave to remain in the UK on a partner or spouse visa if circumstances change and all the requirements under the Immigration Rules can now be met. However, the time spent in the UK which counts towards indefinite leave to remain application may be reset.
Remember that immigration laws can change so it is best to seek up to date advice before submitting an application.
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Partner and spouse Visa FAQs
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How much does a UK partner visa cost
The visa fees for a partner visa depend on if you are applying inside or outside of the UK. See the Gov.UK page for current visa fees for family visa applications.
There are other costs when applying for a partner visa. You normally need to pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) before submitting your application. The IHS fee depends on the length of the visa, but is often more expensive than the actual visa application. Check Gov.uk for the current IHS rates.Other additional costs depend on your circumstances such as paying for appointments to scan your passport and biometric details. You may also need to pay for English language tests, medical tests and translations of certain documents. Seek early advice and plan your visa application and fees in advance.
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How long does it take for a UK partner visa or spouse visa to be approved?
A UK partner visa application can take up to 12 weeks for a decision if applying outside the UK or 8 weeks if applying inside the UK. This is subject to meeting all the visa requirements. You may be able to pay an extra fee to get a faster decision. The priority service can reduce the processing time to around 6 weeks for an application outside the UK, and in some cases as short as 1 working day for visa applications inside the UK. These are not guaranteed timelines.
If you are applying for a partner or spouse visa but you do not meet all the requirements for that visa, it can take a lot longer to be decided. There are no set timeframes for a decision.
Current processing times and priority services can be found on Gov.uk.
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How long do you have to be together for a partner or spouse visa in the UK?
If you are married, there is no minimum amount of time you and your partner must have been together to qualify. However, you must still meet the genuine relationship requirement, including that you have met in person.
If you are unmarried partners, you must evidence that you and your partner have been together for at least two years in a relationship similar to a marriage. On 31 January 2024, the Home Office removed the requirement for two years of cohabitation for this route, so you do not need to be living together. However, cohabitation remains a way they verify the genuineness of the relationship and whether it is similar to marriage.
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How much money do you need for a UK spouse visa?
The UK spouse visa has a minimum income requirement of £29,000. How much money you need depends on how you meet this financial requirement. If you do not have an income, or it is below £29,000, you may need to rely on, or combine this, with savings. The financial requirement can be very complex, particularly for self employed individuals or company directors. We suggest you seek legal advice well before applying.
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