Book a free consultation about the UK Spouse Visa with our family immigration Solicitors at Connaught Law on phone at 0203 909 8399 or contact us online.
A UK Spouse visa also known as a marriage visa is an application for married partners of British nationals to join their spouses in the UK. It allows an individual to join their married partner and settle permanently if they meet the necessary requirements.
Suppose the applicant and the sponsor are not married but are in a genuine relationship as partners. In that case, they are able to apply for an Unmarried partner visa if they can provide evidence that they have been living together in a relationship akin to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years prior to the date of application.
The UK family visa is granted to foreign nationals to live with their British spouses for up to 30 months. It can be extended for further 30 months given the applicant meets certain eligibility requirements. Holding a Partner Visa is the first step toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and, eventually, British Citizenship.
If you are a married partner of an EEA national please see our EEA Married Partners page.
Who can apply for a UK Spouse visa?
You can apply for a UK Spouse Visa if you are:
- Aged 18 years or over
- Married or in a civil partnership that is recognised by the UK
- Married to a British citizen or UK-settled person
- You have been living together in a relationship for the past 2 years and you can prove it
- You are engaged, or you hold a Fiance Visa UK and will get married within 6 months of being in the UK
General requirements
In order to make a successful spouse visa application you need to meet the following requirements:
- Meet the financial requirement of Appendix FM
- Provide evidence of a genuine and subsisting relationship
- Evidence of adequate accommodation
- Pass the English language test at CEFR level A1
- Provide a TB Test screening report (if you are a national of a country listed in Appendix T)
The requirements are constantly changing so it is important that you meet the requirements when you make the application which our expert lawyers will of course ensue.
Financial requirement for UK Spouse visa
The minimum income requirement for a spouse visa (income threshold for spouse visa) is £18,600, plus any additional amount if you have children (as explained above).
When applying for a spouse visa, you and your partner can include any of the following types and proof of income to meet the financial requirement:
Acceptable forms of income
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Acceptable proof of income
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| Income from employment |
- Payslips covering the last 6 months (if employed for at least 6 months) or
- Payslip covering at least 12 months (if employed for less than 6 months with your current employer), and
- P60
- A letter from your employer confirming your employment, annual gross salary, and other key details
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| Income from self-employment |
For the last financial year:
- An annual self-assessment tax return sent to HMRC
- Statement of Account (SA300 or SA302).
- Proof of registration with HMRC as self-employed
- Unique Tax Reference Number (UTR).
- Personal bank statements for the 12-month period showing that the income from self-employment has been paid into your account
- Audited accounts – if required to produce audited accounts
- Unaudited accounts – if not required to produce audited accounts
- VAT certificate if your business turns over is in excess of £90,000
- Planning permission/local planning authority consent
- Franchise agreement
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| Income received as the director of a limited company in the UK |
For the last full financial year:
- Company Tax Return CT600 and evidence of filing with HMRC
- Evidence of registration with the Registrar of Companies at Companies House
- Annual accounts for the last full financial year
- Corporate/business bank statements covering the 12-month period as the Company Tax Return CT600
- A current Appointment Report from Companies House
- A certificate of VAT registration and VAT return for the last full financial if applicable
- Proof of ownership or lease of business premises
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| Cash savings in excess of £16,000 |
- Personal bank statements showing cash savings in your name and of your partner, held for the last 6 months, and
- a declaration by the account holder of the source of the savings
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| Money received from a pension |
Official documentation from:
- The Department for Work and Pensions, overseas pension authority, or pension company
- At least one personal bank statement in the 12-month period prior to the date of application showing payment of the pension into your account
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| Non-employment income (e.g. property rental or dividend income) |
Rental income:
- A copy of the title deeds of the property
- Personal bank statements showing the rental income for 12 months prior to the application
Dividend income:
- Certificate showing proof of ownership and the amounts of any investments
- Portfolio report or a dividend voucher
- Personal bank statements for 12 months prior to application
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Cash savings for Spouse visa
You can use cash savings as a way of meeting the spouse visa financial requirement, as long as:
- The money is held in a bank/savings account in a current, deposit, or investment account
- The money has been held for at least 6 months prior to applying, as evidenced by your bank statements
- The account is with a properly regulated financial institution
- Regular bank statements are provided
- The savings are held in cash and can be immediately withdrawn (with or without penalty)
- The savings are under your control and/or of your partner and have been for 6 months
- The source of the funds is legal
- The source of the funds has been declared
Savings held in a term deposit or ISA can be used as long as you can access them immediately.
One of the benefits of using savings to meet the financial requirement for a spouse visa is that if you have enough funds, you will not need to show evidence of ongoing income. If you are relying solely on savings to meet the spouse visa financial requirements, you will need at least £88,500 in cash savings. To calculate the effect of your savings on meeting the financial requirement, you will need to:
- Minus £16,000 from the amount of savings you hold
- Divide the remaining sum by 2.5 (2.5 is the number of years that your initial spouse visa will be granted for)
We have compiled a Free Calculator for those who want a shortcut to knowing how much they need in savings if they are working but not yet meeting the income threshold: Here is the link to use our – Savings Calculator
Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules imposes a financial requirement that states that the self-employed sponsor must show a net annual income of at least £18,600.
Exemptions of financial requirements
You do not need to meet the financial requirement if you have refugee status or humanitarian protection. You also won’t need to meet the financial requirement if you have one or more of the following benefits:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
- bereavement benefits
You’ll just need to show that you receive enough money to look after your dependent through adequate maintenance. How much this will depend on your individual circumstances.
Spouse visa English language requirements
The applicant is not required to meet the English language requirement if the applicant is from a majority English-speaking country or has completed a degree which was taught in English or is over age 65 or has a physical or mental condition which prevents you from meeting this requirement or there are exceptional circumstances which would prevent you from meeting it.
For all other applicants, valid evidence of his/her proficiency in the English language at the A1 level is required.
There are other additional requirements such as Suitability requirements specifying additional criteria to be met concerning, for example:
- Previous immigration history and other procedural issues
- Other procedural issues overstaying and other complex cases
- Overstaying and other complex cases
Spouse Visa document checklist
You must complete the online application form and pay a spouse visa fee of £1,846. You will pay an immigration health surcharge of £1035 per year. The documents you need may include:
- Valid passport
- Previous passports (if any)
- Evidence of your genuine and subsisting relationship (e.g. shared bills, photographs, correspondence, messages).
- Proof you meet the English language requirements (A1 skilled for life test).
- Proof you meet the financial requirements (e.g. employment evidence, bank statements or savings statements)
- Details of any previous immigration applications, if any
- Details of any criminal convictions
- Proof of accommodation in the UK
- Biometric information (fingerprints and a digital photograph).
- Tuberculosis test results if from a country where you have to take the test
Spouse Visa Priority Service
You may be able to get a faster decision on your spouse’s visa application by using the optional priority visa service. The fee for spouse visa priority service is £500.
Keep my passport service
if you require your passport for travel or other purposes, you can keep your passport while your visa application is processed. You can submit it once a decision has been made by the UK visas and immigration. The spouse visa applicant who opts for this service will have their passports handed back to them once the application is submitted and biometrics enrolled. This service is not available for priority visa applicants.
