Partner and spouse visa
For couples where one partner lives in the UK and the other wants to join them, or to stay.
Last reviewed:
From £1,500 legal fee
Fixed legal fee for an application made from outside the UK (no VAT). From inside the UK: £1,800 including VAT. Home Office fees are extra.
The main requirements at a glance
Your relationship
Married, in a civil partnership, or together for at least two years, and the relationship is genuine.
Your partner's status
Your partner is British or Irish, settled in the UK, or has another status the partner route accepts.
Money
You meet the financial requirement, or a different rule applies to you, for example because of certain benefits.
English
You show your knowledge of English at the level required, unless an exemption applies.
Who this may be for
- Spouses and civil partners, where the marriage or civil partnership is recognised in the UK.
- Unmarried partners who have lived together in a relationship for at least two years when they apply.
- Partners who have been together for at least two years but cannot live together, for example because of work, study or culture.
- Couples where the UK-based partner is a British or Irish citizen, is settled, or holds one of the other statuses GOV.UK lists.
Both partners need to be 18 or over. If your partner is in the UK on a work or student visa, the dependant route for their visa usually applies instead.
The financial requirement
£29,000 a year
The combined income most couples applying as partners usually need to show, according to GOV.UK.
Figure checked on GOV.UK:
Financial requirements for partners · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
When different rules apply
- Your partner gets certain disability or carer's benefits. There is no set income figure; instead you show you can support and house yourselves without relying on additional public funds.
- You first applied as a partner (or fiancé(e)) before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner. An older figure applies, with extra amounts for some children.
- You cannot meet the requirement, but you have a child in the UK in certain circumstances, or refusing you would breach your human rights. The route to settlement is then usually longer.
What can count
Employment
Salary earned in the UK before tax, shown with payslips, bank statements and a letter from the employer.
Self-employment or a company
Income from self-employment or as a director of a UK limited company, based on tax returns and other records.
Savings
Cash savings above £16,000 can count towards the requirement, instead of or alongside income.
Pension
Money from a state, occupational or private pension.
Other income
Non-work income, for example from renting out property or from dividends.
What is usually looked at
- Your partner's status
- Whether your partner's citizenship or permission in the UK is one the partner route accepts.
- Your relationship
- Whether it is genuine and fits one of the recognised bases, and what evidence shows it, such as documents showing you live together or share costs.
- The financial requirement
- Income, savings and other sources, how they are evidenced, and the different rules that apply in some situations, for example certain disability or carer's benefits.
- English language
- How you can show your knowledge of English, and whether an exemption applies.
- Your history
- Previous applications, previous relationships and any convictions, which every application asks about.
- Children
- Whether children can be included as dependants, and how that affects the application.
What the application usually asks for
A general list from GOV.UK, not a checklist for your case. Bright & Day can review your documents and tell you what your application needs.
You and your history
- Current passport, and the photo page and stamps of previous passports
- Details of previous immigration applications and any criminal convictions
- Tuberculosis test results, if you live in a country where the test is required
Your relationship
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate, where you have one
- How you met and how often you see each other
- Proof of living together, such as council tax bills, and of things you pay for together
- Evidence that any previous marriage or civil partnership has ended
Money
- Payslips and bank statements covering the period the rules require
- A dated letter from the employer on headed paper confirming the job and salary
- Different documents for self-employment, savings, pensions or other income
English, family and translations
- An English test result or other accepted evidence, or proof of an exemption
- Details of your children and your partner's children, even if they are not applying
- Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh
The application, in general terms
This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.
Check the route
Confirm that the partner route fits, and not a fiancé(e), dependant or EU Settlement Scheme application.
Gather evidence
Collect relationship, financial and English evidence, with certified translations where needed.
Apply online
Complete the online application, from outside or inside the UK, and pay the fees and any healthcare surcharge.
Give biometrics
Attend an appointment for fingerprints and a photo, often at a visa application centre abroad.
Decision
Wait for the Home Office decision. If approved, you get an eVisa and later apply to extend.
How Bright & Day can help
Tell Bright & Day's team a little about your situation. The first form only asks for the basics.
Discuss your case- Look at your circumstances and advise which application, if any, fits best, including other routes worth considering.
- Explain the requirements of the Immigration Rules that apply to you, and where your case may need more support.
- Review the evidence you have, give feedback on your documents and help you identify what else may be needed.
- Prepare and submit the application with its documents, if you instruct the firm to do so.
- Advise you if the Home Office asks for an interview.
- Explain the possible outcomes and the steps that may follow.
Official GOV.UK guidance
- Apply as a partner or spouse · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Financial requirements for partners · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Knowledge of English · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Information and evidence you must provide · GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed:
This information is general and is not legal advice. Whether a route is open to you depends on your personal circumstances and the rules at the time you apply.