UK Spouse Visa Requirements

To get a Spouse Visa in UK, you must be married to a British citizen or a person who hold Indefinite Leave to Remain. Besides, you must meet specific requirements, such as:

• The genuine relationship requirement, meaning that you and your partner must demonstrate that you are in love and you intend to live together permanently.
• The financial requirements, as you will need proof that you can support your family without seeking public funds.
• The accommodation requirement, to offer your family adequate accommodation to live together in the UK
• The English language requirement, meaning that your non-British must be able to speak and understand English.

You will need to prepare a comprehensive bundle of documents to demonstrate your eligibility for all these requirements. Get in touch with IAS’ immigration lawyers to receive professional support with your application.

To make sure that your application is successful, you must prepare a bundle of supporting documents, which must contain the following paperwork:

• Any proof that you and your partner are in love: pictures of you two together, chat and call logs, shared bank accounts, money transfers.
• Proof that you have met each other at least once.
• Proof of the applicant’s English fluency. This may be the results of the IELTS test, an English-taught degree, or a passport from an English-speaking country.
• Proof that you meet the minimum income requirement: bank statements, wage slips, job contracts which include your salary
• Proof that you meet the accommodation requirement, such as a shared tenancy agreement or mortgage.
• Any other documents that can demonstrate that you and your partner are in a genuine relationship.

Based on your circumstances, you may need to provide additional documentation. Speak to one of our experts today to receive professional help.

To get leave to remain in the UK together, you and your British citizen partner must demonstrate that you are genuinely in love and that your relationship is subsisting.

The main criteria for the Home Office to understand if your relationship is genuine are the following:

• You must have physically met your partner at least once during your marriage.
• If you and your partner have been living in a committed relationship for at least two years but you are not married, you can apply for an Unmarried Partner Visa.

You must prove that you have your partner have been spending some time together. To this end, you can submit chat and call logs, photographs of you two together, shared bank accounts.

To meet the Marriage Visa financial requirement and stay in the UK, you and your partner must earn a combined gross annual income of £18,600. This increases by £3,800 for your first dependent child and £2,400 for any additional children.

This can come from any of the following sources, including a combination of them:

• Employment salary (including self-employment)
• Money from stocks and shares
• Pension
• Income from letting (if applicable)
• Savings (up to the value of £16,000)

Your income can only be used towards your application if you are currently residing in the UK and are earning the money in the country.

There may be cases where you are exempt from the financial requirements, this usually applies if you receive any 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

If you are eligible for these benefits, you will have to provide evidence of “adequate maintenance” for your spouse and the dependents. The Home Office is required to consider specified circumstances if the UK sponsor does not meet the minimum financial requirement.

To get a Spouse Visa to stay in the UK, the non-British applicant must prove the Home Office to be able to speak and understand English to a proficient standard.

To demonstrate your proficiency, you must either:

• Have passed an approved English language test to the required level (A1 or higher, depending on your circumstances).
• Hold a degree from a recognised institution, which was taught or researched in English.
• Be from a country where English is the first spoken language.

It is important that you and your partner have adequate accommodation for your family in the UK. This can be:

• A rented property
• A temporary accommodation
• A mortgaged or owned property.

As a general rule, an apartment with one room with a shared bed is sufficient for a couple. Nevertheless, your house must have an additional bedroom for each of your children over the age of one.

If you need support with your spouse visa application, we have offices based in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, as well as in many other locations across the UK.