Family Reunion Visa UK for Spouse

What is the UK Family Reunion Visa for Spouse

The Family Reunion Visa for spouses is a visa for eligible family members (the partners) of people who have protected status in the UK. A Family Reunion Visa allows individuals with protected status to reunite with their families. It is part of the UK government’s effort to comply with human rights and immigration laws such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, and Human Rights Act 1998. Flight from a country of origin due to persecution and conflict can be traumatising, hence the need to reunite families and reduce the stress refugees face due to separation from their family unit.

To be eligible for this visa, you must prove that you are the partner of a refugee in the UK or have humanitarian protection from the UK government. Partner here means: 

• Civil partner 
• Spouse
• Unmarried partner that you have cohabited with for a minimum of 2 years. 

If you are unmarried, you must provide extra evidence to prove that your relationship with the individual with protected status is genuine and subsisting. 

Suitability Requirements for Family Reunion Visa for Spouse

To apply for the Family Reunion visa, the requirements below must be met:

• Your partner or spouse must have protected status in the UK. You cannot apply for this visa if their request for humanitarian protection has not been approved. 
• Your partner must not be a British citizen. 
• Your application must be submitted through the right channel: via email or letter if you’re in the UK or online if you’re outside the UK.  
• You must prove your identity by submitting your biometric information at a visa application centre.
• You must prove that you and your family member living in the UK were in a relationship before they fled your country. 
• You must not have applied for protected status yourself. 
• Your partner or spouse in the UK must be at least 18. 
• You must prove that you intend to live with your partner when you enter the UK.
• You must show evidence that your relationship with your UK-based partner is genuine and subsisting
• You must not apply for the visa if you are related to the protected person by blood.

You can also apply for a Family Reunion visa if your partner is on any of these schemes below:

• Mandate Refugee Programme
• Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme: Pathway 2 (ACRS)
• Gateway Protection Programme
• UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS)
• Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme
• Community Sponsorship Scheme

If your partner got refugee status through the UK Resettlement Scheme, they must have listed you as their family on their refugee application. Otherwise, you may need to add extra documents to prove the genuineness of the relationship, such as sms or social media texts you exchanged, statements from witnesses that attended your wedding ceremony, proof of joint tenancy or contribution towards the upkeep of a child you two had together.

Required Documents for the Spouse Family Reunion Visa UK

You must include evidence showing a genuine relationship between you and your partner or spouse. The Home Office demands no specific documents for the family reunion process but expect documents that may include:

• Identity documents like the national ID card of your country of origin.
• Travel documents like your international passport. If you are applying to stay with your partner for more than 6 months, this must be valid for at least 1 year. 
• Marriage certificate to show you are wedded to your partner in the UK.
• 2 passport photographs.
• Copy of your partner’s biometric residence permit (BRP) card
• Home Office decision letter on your partner’s refugee application if they are yet to get their BRP.

To prove a genuine and subsisting relationship, you may include:

• Joint bank account balance to prove shared income, if you are unmarried. 
• Proof of address to show that you and your partner in the UK lived at the same address. 
• Pictures of your wedding to the UK-based partner. 
• Evidence that you two shared bills in your apartment before your partner fled the country. 
• Copies of social media messages and SMS you two have shared over the years.
• Proof you both have contributed financially towards the education and upkeep of your child(ren). 

Do not share explicit or intimate pictures of you and your partner. Since the Home Office did not specify the documents you need to apply for a visa, it can be confusing for applicants to know what documents to add to their application. Our expert immigration lawyers can help in this regard. A call to +44 (0)333 414 9244 or a chat with them online is all you need for clarity and visa application support. 

What if I or My Spouse/Partner isn’t Eligible for the Spouse Family Reunion Visa?

If you or your partner is not eligible for a Spouse Family Reunion visa, your application can still be approved on two grounds by the Home Office. See the grounds below: 

Compelling Compassionate Factors 

The Home Office can approve your visa on compassionate grounds if a refusal is considered harsh and unjustifiable. Your visa may also be approved if refusing it will be viewed as a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Exceptional circumstances. 

In exceptional circumstances, the Home Office may approve your application if you can demonstrate that a refusal will severely impact the well-being of your family member who is a refugee. If your partner in the UK has a debilitating medical condition, you must show that they need you to care for them or that your presence will improve their condition.

Applying for a Family Reunion Visa for a Spouse or Partner

You can apply for the family reunion visa inside or outside the UK. 

Applying From Outside the UK

If you are outside the UK, you must complete the application form online. After submitting the application form, schedule a biometric appointment with any visa application centre near you. Go to your appointment with your supporting documents so they can be scanned and uploaded to your online application. 

If you lived for 6 months before applying to any country requiring a tuberculosis test result before moving to the UK, ensure you add this to your application. The UK government’s website has a list of such countries. 

Applying From Inside the UK

If you are in the UK, you must submit your application to the Home Office via email or letter. Your email or letter must contain the following: 

• The name, nationality, and birth date of your partner with protected status. 
• The reference number of your family member. 
• The phone number and address of your family member.
• Copy of your supporting documents.
• Copy of your passport’s bio-data page. 
• A written statement from your refugee partner detailing the following: (a)names and birth dates of all their family members, (b)why they left their country and family behind, (c) how they maintained contact with you when they left, (d)how they communicated with you when they arrived the UK (e)the circumstances you are currently living in. 

Send the email to [email protected] or send a letter to:

After you receive confirmation that the Home Office has received your application, schedule a biometric appointment at any Home Office Service and Support Centre (SSC) close to you.

Refusal of the UK Family Reunion Visa for Spouse

Below are some of the grounds on which the Home Office can refuse your visa application to the UK:

• You have been excluded from the UK due to a ban or a direct order from the Secretary of State. 
• You were denied on non-conducive grounds. This means that the Home Office views your presence in the UK as a threat to public good due to your conduct, speech, or association. 
• You were convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or another country within the past 12 months. 
• Your marriage or civil partnership to the UK-based individual was discovered to be a sham. 
• If you submitted forged documents or entered false information knowingly or unknowingly, you may be refused on the grounds of false representation. 
• You did not disclose every vital detail relevant to your application. 
• You have breached immigration rules in the UK before. 
• You did not provide more information as requested by the Home Office. 

How to Avoid Refusal

To avoid a visa refusal, ensure that all information you present to the Home Office is genuine. Your documents must prove that you meet the eligibility criteria for the visa. If you can prove a genuine and subsisting relationship with your UK-based partner, your application will most likely be successful.

Is the Family Reunion Visa for Spouses the Same as the UK Spouse Visa?

The Family Reunion Visa for a spouse is not the same as the UK Spouse visa. The Family Reunion Visa for a spouse is for the partners and spouses of foreigners with protected status in the UK. In contrast, the UK Spouse visa is for the partners and spouses of UK citizens or those with settled status in the UK. It is also a route that requires financial proof and upfront costs, unlike the Family Reunion Visa, which needs no financial proof or upfront costs The Spouse Visa is only available for those with protected status once they have settled status (Indefinite Leave to Remain) in the UK, after the qualifying period of 5 years.

Can I use a Spouse Family Reunion Visa to Join My Partner, Who is on a UK Work or Study Visa?

You cannot use a Spouse Family Reunion visa to join your partner in the UK if they are in the UK with a work or study visa. To join a partner in the UK on a work or study visa, you’ll need to apply for a Dependent Visa. 

You can only apply for a Dependent Visa if your partner is on the following work visas:

• Skilled Worker visa
• Minister of Religion
• Global Talent visa
• Student Visa (Only if you are studying for a PhD or Master of Research)
• Graduate visa (if your partner’s previous student visa allows dependents).
• High Potential Individual (HPI) visa
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa.
• Graduate Trainee visa
• Secondment Worker visa
• Service Supplier visa
• UK Expansion Worker visa
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa
• Innovator Founder visa
• International Sportsperson visa
• Scale-up Worker visa.

How Can IAS Help?

At Immigration Advice Service, we have a team of experienced immigration lawyers who are experts in UK immigration law. They can guide you through the application process to maximise your visa approval chances. 

Knowing what to include as evidence of a genuine relationship can be confusing. Our immigration solicitors can assist you in getting the right documentation. We have succeeded in helping many others get their Spouse Family Reunion Visas, and we can help you, too. 
Our services include document checking, eligibility assessments, and application submissions. We offer support for all your immigration needs. For more information on how we can help you reunite with your partner in the UK, call us at +44 (0)333 414 9244 or message us online.