If your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen or a UK settled person, you can apply for UK Spouse Visa and move to live with them. However, you should meet all the eligibility criteria to be able to make this move. So what is the Spouse Visa and what are the main requirements? Find out in this guide.
What is the UK Spouse Visa?
The UK Spouse Visa is designed to allow your partner to live in the UK for up to 30 monthsif you are a British citizen or a UK settled person. Your partner can also work on this visa. However, they may not be able to claim many benefits that are available to British citizens.
So Who should apply for a spouse visa or a civil partnership visa in the uk? You can apply for this visa, if you meet the following requirements:
Proven Relationship
You and your partner must be 18 years or older. It is important that you must have a genuine relationship with your UK partner. You must submit convincing evidence that proves this genuineness. Examples of such evidence include the following:
- Proof of long-term communication between the two of you
- Travel documents proving your meetings
- Pictures from different stages of your relationship, along with summaries
- Certificate of marriage/civil partnership
Financial Resources
The applicant must prove enough financial resources to support themselves during their stay in the UK. If you don’t fall under specific exempt conditions, you must meet the following conditions:
- If you don’t have any dependent children, both you and your partner must have a joint income of £18,600 or more per year
- If you have children, the income should increase by £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for every other child
English Language Abilities
You must also meet the minimum English language abilities to apply for a UK Spouse Visa. This minimum requirement is A1 level English in both speaking and listening, supported by a English Language Certificated from a validated centre. There are, however, certain exceptions to this requirement:
- Country of origin exempted by the Home Office
- Aged above 65
- Having certain disability that interferes with taking the test
- Special compassionate circumstances
Whether you are the applicant or the spouse living in the UK, you must know that completing the application for spouse visa is a complexprocess. Recently, the UK Government has made the measureseven stricter to ascertain genuine relationships.So it is best to get the help of an immigration law solicitor to make your application process simpler.