What is the requirement for a UK Spouse visa? If you are married to a British or Irish citizen, you can apply for a spouse visa to live with them in the UK. The visa lasts for up to two years and six months and it is also possible to extend the visa if you wish.
You will need to satisfy a range of requirements and provide sufficient evidence with your visa application to prove that you are eligible. At Halliday Reeves, our immigration experts regularly secure UK spouse visas for our clients. We can put together the strongest possible application on your behalf and check that all the necessary documents that UK Visas and Immigration will need are included.
To speak to one of our expert immigration lawyers about obtaining a spouse visa, ring us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form.
What is the requirement for spouse visa at UK?
The first requirements apply to your spouse, who should be:
- British or Irish or have indefinite leave to remain, refugee status or humanitarian protection or be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and hold pre-settled status, meaning they were living in the UK prior to 1 January 2021
- Aged 18 or over
- In a legal marriage with you that is recognised under UK law
The requirements that you will need to satisfy are that you have:
- An acceptable standard of English
- You can support yourself and your dependants financially
If you do not satisfy these two criteria, then you may still be eligible for a spouse visa if:
- You have a child who is British or Irish or who has lived in the UK for seven years or more and it would not be reasonable to require them to leave the UK
- Your human rights would be breached if you were not granted a visa
Proving you meet the requirements for a spouse visa
UK spouse visa requirements mean that you must provide evidence with your application showing that you satisfy all of the necessary criteria.
UK spouse visa language requirement
You will usually have to prove that your knowledge of the English language meets a certain standard, except in some situations such as if you are over 65 or if you are from certain English-speaking countries or you hold a degree that was taught in English.
Proof is generally provided by taking and passing an approved English language test.
UK spouse visa financial requirement
You and your spouse must have a combined income of £18,600 or more per year.
If you have children who are not British or Irish citizens or do not have pre-settled status or who are not permanently settled in the UK you will also have to show that you have additional income to support them. This is an extra £3,800 for your first child and £2,400 for the next and any subsequent children.
You may be able to use savings if you hold more than £16,000. You can also use income from self-employment or from a company directorship, money from your pension and income from other sources such as share dividends or rental property.
You will need to provide evidence such as payslips, bank statements and a letter from your employer confirming full details of your job, to include your income, job title, contract type and how long you have earned your current salary.
UK spouse visa requirements – fees
You are required to pay a spouse visa application fee. This is £1,523 if you are applying from outside of the UK and £1,052 if you are applying from within the UK.
In addition, you are required to pay the healthcare surcharge. This is generally £624 for each year that your visa lasts.
Other UK spouse visa requirements
You are also required to provide full information in support of your application, including your passport or other valid travel identity document, a copy of your biometric residence permit if you hold one, tuberculosis test results if you are from an affected country and a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.
Contact our expert spouse visa lawyers
At Halliday Reeves we specialise solely in immigration, meaning we have an exceptional depth of understanding and expertise in this complex area of law.
We offer a free 15-minute enquiry service to discuss the requirement for a UK spouse visa with you and ensure that this is the best immigration option for your circumstances.
We have offices in Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Wakefield and Nottingham. To speak to one of our expert immigration lawyers about obtaining a spouse visa, ring us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form.
Leave a Reply