Spouse Visa Solicitors

For your partner to be eligible for a spouse visa, you will need to prove that: 

• You are allowed to live in the UK permanently – this involves proving you are a British citizen, have Indefinite Leave to Remain, or refugee status. 
• You earn at least £18,600 a year – you can do this by using payslips or any savings you have. 
• Your partner can speak English – they can prove this by doing an English language test accepted by the Home Office, if they have a university degree taught in English, or they’re a citizen of a country where English is the main language. 
• You are married or in a civil partnership – you can also prove you have lived together for at least two years as unmarried partners. 
• You are in a genuine relationship – you will need to give evidence to support that your relationship is genuine. 
• You have somewhere to live – if you are renting a property, you will need to get written permission from your landlord that you can both live in the property. 

It may be that a spouse visa isn’t the best option for you and that you or your partner qualify for a different kind of visa, such as: 

• Fiancé visa  
• Ancestry visa  
• Work visa 
• Student visa 

We can help you understand which visa you are eligible for and how to apply.  

We’ll start by advising you and your partner on how to gather all the required documents. We’ll then put your documents into the correct format for the UK Home Office. 

If you are applying for the first time and your partner is outside the UK, they’ll need to complete the online application from the country they’re living in. Applications normally take up to 12 weeks and some countries have a fast-track option at an extra cost. This will give you a decision within five working days. 

If your application is successful, your partner’s visa will be valid for 33 months. Before the 33 months is over, you will need to apply to extend their visa. They can do this in the UK and remain here while they wait for a decision. 

After five years of living in the UK continuously, your partner can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. This will allow them to stay in the UK permanently and apply for British citizenship straightaway.