Civil Partner Visa UK

In order to be eligible for a Spouse or Civil Partner Visa, you must satisfy the following requirements:

• you and your partner must be over the age of 18;
  
• you must have met each other in person and be legally married;
• you must intend to live together;
• you must have enough money to support yourselves and any dependants without recourse to public funds;
• the sponsoring party must earn more than £18,600 per year, 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
• you must satisfy the English language requirements.

If you’ve been living with your spouse in another European country, you may also be eligible through the ‘Surinder Singh’ route.

Discover more information on Spouse and Civil Partner Visa requirements.

To apply for a spouse visa, call us on  (+44) 20 7887 1916 or contact us here to get your application started today.

You may be eligible to switch to a Spouse or an Unmarried Partner Visa if you have already joined your spouse or partner in the UK. If you are in the UK as a visitor with permission to stay for less than six months or if you are in breach of the Immigration Rules (excluding a period of less than 28 days overstaying which will not be taken into consideration), you will not be allowed to switch categories unless the leave was granted as a fiance or proposed civil partner.

Spouse and unmarried partner Visa applications can be complex and using the services of an immigration expert is highly recommended. You will need to ensure that you meet all of the requirements for this type of visa.

Alexandra & Spencer has an excellent track record with Spouse Visa cases and our solicitors are highly experienced in this field. To apply for a UK spouse visa get in touch with A&S today for friendly, no obligation advice from the professionals. If you are unsure of the right visa for you, you can check using our Visa Wizard which gives answers based on your situation.

Applications made from outside the UK cost £1,523, whereas applications made from within the UK cost £1,033 or £1,643 for the premium service.

This charge will increase if you are applying with dependents and will increase incrementally for each dependent.

If your Spouse Visa was refused

If you receive a letter saying your Spouse Visa was refused, you will need to act quickly in order to appeal the decision or apply for another visa. Overstaying on an expired visa can be very problematic and should be avoided.

You will need to inform the Home Office of your separation or divorce so they can issue a Spouse Visa curtailment. You can get in touch with them via the GOV.UK site. There are options available for the dependent spouse after a divorce, but it is important to act quickly.

Spouse and unmarried partner Visa applications can be complex and using the services of an immigration expert is highly recommended. You will need to ensure that you meet all of the requirements for this type of visa.

The minimum income required in order to sponsor your spouse or partner to come to the UK was set in July 2012 by the Home Office at £18,600. However, this caused a stir throughout the country, resulting in the UK High Court ruling that the minimum income requirement was ‘unjustified and disproportionate’ if the sponsor was either a refugee or a British Citizen. This judgement came in July 2013 and since then, all decisions in relation to sponsors that do not meet the criteria have been placed on hold until further notice.

The monetary amount is higher if the sponsor is also sponsoring dependent children, with the amount increasing for each dependent child. However, this does not apply to any children who are British.

There are particular occasions where you may be exempt from the financial requirements for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa, for example, if you have a disability or you are a carer. However, we recommend you speak to an immigration expert as there are only a few instances where exemption applies and you would still need to prove that you can adequately maintain your spouse, partner and any dependents.

If your spouse/partner is already residing in the UK and has the necessary permission to work in the UK, the Financial Requirement can be based on household income. In all other circumstances your spouse/partner’s income cannot be included.

We would recommend you contact an immigration expert for an update on any changes to law if you are not able to meet the minimum financial requirement as decisions for Spouse Visa applications must now take into consideration other methods of financing such as self-employment, consistent financial support from a relative or and self-sustainability.