A Spouse visa permits an adult, non-UK resident, to live with a British partner in the UK for a period of up to 30 months.
The Spouse Visa in the UK can be extended for a further 30 months if you meet certain requirements.
To apply for a Spouse Visa, you must be married to, or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, a UK settled person or a UK refugee. You must be able to provide evidence to support the legitimacy of your relationship, as well as meeting specific financial conditions.
At Farani Taylor Solicitors, we understand the importance of keeping families together and we are committed to using every resource within our power to ensure your family can join you in the UK.
Our expert solicitors can advise you on every step of the application process for obtaining a Spouse Visa, including:
You can apply for a Spouse visa if you are over 18, married or in a civil partnership with someone from the UK. There are other circumstances that allow you to apply, speak to our Immigration team today who will be able to provide you with all the available options for your particular circumstance.
Before you can apply for a Spouse Visa, you need to:
If you hope to remain in the UK, you may also be required to pass a medical test to evidence you don’t have Tuberculosis (TB), this will depend upon the applicant’s country of residence.
This is perhaps one of the most complex aspects of obtaining a UK spouse visa. The law on this subject extends over 30 pages of legal documents and can be frustrating to make sense of without expert advice.
As accredited immigration specialists, we can assist and advise you on all aspects of the application for a UK spouse visa, supporting you and your family from start to finish.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate they meet certain income or savings thresholds to qualify for the visa. The Home office guidance says that annual income thresholds (Minimum income requirements) from 11th April 2024 is £29,000, however if you were her on a spouse visa or applied for a spouse visa before that date then the following threshold applies:
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* Applies only to children who are
1. Under 18; or
2. Under the age of 18 when they first apply for the visa under Appendix FM ( Bold this on the website so that it stands out as an important piece of information).
They must be dependants on the application and are not British and settled in the UK The sources of income that you and your partner could use are acceptable are:
The amount of savings must be over £16,000 plus the shortfall between your salary and the amount required, multiplied by 2.5 For example, if you have a partner and your annual income is ££28,000 Your shortfall is £1,000 to meet the minimum requirement of £29,000 And the savings you need to amount to is £18,500 (£1,000*2.5+£16,000)
Savings of the partner and /or the applicant must be held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months prior to the application date.
The applicants will be exempt from meeting the financial requirements if they are in receipt of certain benefits which include :
As part of your spouse visa application, you will be required to provide evidence of accommodation that meets UK living standards.
The adequate accommodation requirement was created to ensure migrants to the UK to not end up living in overpopulated or substandard housing conditions.
You will need to demonstrate that:
If you are an applicant hoping to live in the UK, you will be required to demonstrate the ability to speak and understand the English language. Once you have passed an English language test, you are not required to take one again for two years.
You are expected to take an English speaking and listening exam to obtain the right to remain in the UK with your UK partner at least A1 level for the initial application. The test must be facilitated by an approved Secure English Language Testing (SELT) Provider. For the extension of your application, the English language requirement is A2 and forthe settlement application is B1
For more information on which providers are available, please speak to one of our Immigration specialists, who will be able to give you more details.
By ensuring your UK Spouse Visa application documents are accurate prior to your submission, you provide yourself with a better chance of your application being successful.
At Farani Taylor, our expert team is highly familiar with the application process and can guide you through what documents and evidence you require to help speed up the process. Our team can also complete and submit forms on your behalf, notifying you of any changes or information you require as the process unfolds.
 Farani Taylor spouse visa solicitors are able to provide this service for you should you require it.
The processing time of a Spouse Visa application is usually around 8 to 12 weeks depending where you have applied from. If you apply from outside the UK then it can take 12 weeks to get a decision, however, you might to able to apply for priority service and get the decision within 4 weeks. Moreover, if you apply from inside the UK then you will get your decision usually within 8 weeks, however, you can apply for a super priority and get the decision early.
If you utilise this super priority service a decision is made in either one of the following ways:
On occasion, the application process can take longer, even with a priority fee being taken. This can happen for many reasons including, a previous refusal of a similar application, or if the applicant has more complex personal circumstances.
Our expert spouse visa solicitors in London can help you navigate through the process. You can contact us today to assist, whatever your situation and status. It is always in the best interests of our spouse visa solicitors London to help you as much as we possibly can.
The UK Spouse Visa fee is around £1,846 if you are applying outside of the UK and around £1,258 if you are applying from inside the UK. There are other costs involved with the process, which can be quite considerable if you submit incorrect information or require further evidence to legitimise your circumstances. Our immigration team can create a bespoke strategy for your circumstances, creating cost-effective solutions to help you successfully submit your application in the first instance. Contact us today and allow us to provide you with all the available options.
It is disappointing when you receive a Spouse Visa application refusal and on occasion, despite individuals believing they meet every requirement for acceptance, an application can still be declined.
Receiving a rejection is upsetting and we fully empathise with the frustration you are feeling at the prospect of not being able to join your partner in the UK. At Farani Taylor we help you understand the decisions made that have led to your refusal and are fully committed to supporting you in an appeal application should you want to challenge the decision. We have overturned many refusal decisions and meticulously examine all your evidence and documents to ensure your application is successful.
Applying for a Spouse Visa extension is very much like the initial application process. You need to provide evidence of accommodation, financial independence, legitimacy of your relationship and a further English language test achievement (this time at an A2 level).
An extension application doesn’t require you to be solely financially dependent on your sponsor. In this application, the applicant’s income can be taken into account alongside the sponsors, providing you with more evidence of financial stability to support your extension being granted.
If your circumstances have changed or the marriage has broken down, you must be proactive and seek legal advice as soon as possible to determine your next steps.
If you have had a spouse / civil partner visa in the UK for a consecutive period of 5 years, you might be eligible to apply for a spouse visa ILR. The leave as a spouse must have been held for a period of 5 years before you can apply for indefinite leave to remain. During this 5-year period, applicants must have been a spouse of a British national or settled person, on a 5 year route to settlement.
There are two different settlement options available for spouses and partners of British or settled nationals in the UK. A 5 year route and a 10 year route. If you are unsure which route you are on, you can check with any Home Office correspondence you have received.
Applicants on a 5-year route to settlement are usually expected to meet requirements such as, financial, accommodation, English language and relationship.
Initial and extension applications on a 5-year route are made using an FLR (M) form and on a 10-year route, applicants will require a LR (FP) form. If you are unsure which route applies to you and what actions you need to take, please contact our Immigration team who will be happy to provide you with further details.
Working with a spouse visa
Once you have obtained your Spouse Visa in UK, you are permitted to reside and work in the UK for initially two and a half years. During this period, you are allowed to exit and re-enter the UK many times without difficulty. Upon completion of your two and a half years, you have the option to extend your stay for a further two and a half years should you wish to.
A covering letter, or sponsor letter, is required to be included in support of your Spouse Visa application. Many people find the necessity of this covering letter frustrating, particularly when all details have to be included within your application, however, it is a necessity.
Whether you are struggling to find the correct words or are unsure of what you need to include, our solicitors can help! We have written many sponsor letters on behalf of our clients, professionally detailing their objectives, circumstances and needs, all whilst working in accordance with expected guidelines. For more information, please contact our spouse visa solicitors here.
A spouse visa under these route issued from outside the UK is valid for a period of 33 months. However, after 30 months, you can apply to extend your leave to remain in the UK for a further period of two and a half years.
After a period of five continuous years of residing in the UK as a Spouse or Civil Partner, you can apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain in the UK). A year after the grant of your settlement, you can opt to apply for British Citizenship and subsequently apply for a British Passport.
If you are married to or in a civil partnership with a UK citizen, you can apply for British Citizenship. For more information about options for your circumstances, get in touch with our Immigration specialists who can help you find the right solutions for your needs.
If you have acquired a visa to live in the UK based upon a relationship, you must report any changes to the Home Office immediately if the relationship has broken down or resulted in divorce. If you are included on a Family visa, you must also report any changes.
If you have acquired a visa to live in the UK based upon a relationship, you must report any changes to the Home Office immediately if the relationship has broken down or resulted in divorce. If you are included on a Family visa, you must also report any changes.
If you have been granted a spouse visa, you are allowed to leave the UK but cannot remain outside the UK for more than 90 days in any 12 month period.
If you are looking for help and guidance or have a question relating to Sole Representative Visa (Closed), please contact us today on +44 (0)20 7242 1666.
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