Spouse Visa UK

The UK Spouse visa, which is also commonly known as UK Marriage Visa, allows non-UK nationals to join their partner in the UK who is either a British citizen or settled in the UK. If you are a spouse of a British Citizen or settled person, you can apply for a spouse visa to join or stay with your British or settled spouse in the UK.

A spouse visa is also known as a settlement visa for UK, and it allows you to live together with your British or settled partner in the UK for up to 30 months. It can be extended for another 30 months if you meet certain eligibility conditions and requirements. Holding a spouse visa is the first step toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and eventually British citizenship.

If you are making an application from outside the UK to enter the UK on a Marriage visa, you must be married to, or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, UK settled person or UK refugee.

The main eligibility criteria include providing proof that you are in a genuine relationship and that you meet specific financial conditions in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. If the application is granted, the initial leave will normally be granted for 2.5 years under the 5-year route to settlement. A vignette sticker will be placed on your passport which will be valid for 30 or 90 days to enable you to travel to the UK. You will normally collect your BRP card after your arrival in the UK from the stated post office branch in your visa application.

Following the initial period of leave, you are required to get an extension for another 2.5 years before you are eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). In order to get an extension, you must apply at least 28 days before the expiry of your current leave to enter/remain and must continue to meet all the requirements of Appendix FM.

What are the requirements for a UK Spouse visa?

To qualify for a UK spouse/marriage visa you must satisfy the following requirements:

• You and your spouse must be 18 years old or over.
• You must have met each other and be legally married - this is to prevent arranged marriages.
• You must intend to live together permanently.
• You must have enough money to support yourselves (and any dependents) without claiming public funds.
• Your sponsoring partner must earn more than £29,000 per year or have enough savings to be able to sponsor you. The minimum financial requirement is higher if they are also sponsoring dependent children.
• You must have suitable accommodation for you, your spouse, and any dependants.
• You must satisfy the English language requirements.