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To be eligible for a UK Fiancé Visa, you must demonstrate to UK Visas and Immigration that you satisfy the following criteria:
Your partner is a British or Irish citizen, has settled status in the UK, has received pre-settled status, possesses a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa, or has refugee status or humanitarian protection;
Both you and your partner are at least 18 years old;
You have met each other in person;
Your relationship is genuine and ongoing;
You plan to marry within six months of arriving in the UK;
All previous relationships have come to a permanent end;
You intend to reside together permanently in the UK;
You can be adequately supported in the UK without relying on public funds;
Sufficient accommodation is available for you and any dependents;
You are able to speak and understand English at the required level.
The specific criteria you need to satisfy to be eligible for a UK Fiancé Visa can vary depending on your circumstances. You may wish to speak to an immigration lawyer for specific advice and guidance on your Fiancé Visa application.
The UK Fiancé Visa is designed for engaged partners of British or Irish citizens, individuals who are settled in the UK, those with pre-settled status, those with a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa, and those with refugee status or humanitarian protection. The UK Fiancé Visa route allows engaged partners to enter the UK and marry within six months of their arrival. Applications for a UK Fiancé Visa must be submitted from outside the UK.
The UK Fiancé Visa does not in itself lead to indefinite leave to remain in the UK. However, those granted fiancé visas can switch to the UK Spouse Visa category from within the UK once they have registered their marriage. The UK Spouse Visa can lead to indefinite leave to remain or settlement in the UK after a period of five years.
Our Fiancé visa solicitors have successfully assisted 100s of clients with their fiancé visa applications and are experts in preparing fiancé visa applications. We have successfully handled from standard to highly complex fiancé visa applications and can leverage our expertise to help you join or remain with your fiancé in the UK in an efficient and timely manner. Our team of specialist immigration lawyers will take the time to understand your
objectives, assign the right lawyer or a team of lawyers – where necessary – to your case and agree a strategy to help you achieve your objectives as cost-effectively and as quickly as possible.
To qualify for a UK Fiancé Visa, you must demonstrate to the Home Office that your partner:
has indefinite leave to remain, settled status, or permanent residence in the UK; or
Has been grated pre-settled status under Appendix EU; or
Has been granted limited leave to remain as a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker under Appendix ECAA; or
Has been granted refugee leave or humanitarian protection status in the UK.
For the purposes of a Fiancé Visa application, a British citizen also includes a British citizen partner who is returning to the UK at the same time as you. A person with indefinite leave to remain in the UK includes a partner who is being granted settlement in the UK at the same time as your application for a UK Fiancé Visa.
Both you and your partner must be at least 18 years old when you submit your Fiancé Visa application.
Relationship Requirement for UK Fiancé Visa
To satisfy the relationship requirement of a UK Fiancé Visa application, you must demonstrate that:
You and your partner are not within a prohibited degree of relationship;
You and your partner have met in person;
Your relationship is genuine and subsisting;
You will arrive the UK to marry within six months of your arrival;
Any previous relationship has ended permanently;
You and your partner intend to live together permanently in the UK.
To qualify for a UK Fiancé Visa, you must provide sufficient documentary evidence to the Home Office to prove that your relationship with your fiancé is genuine and subsisting.
The Home Office considers the genuineness and subsistence element of a relationship on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all available evidence and individual circumstances. It is important that you provide the necessary evidence to show how your relationship has developed, the level of your commitment to one another and your future plans together.
Factors the Home Office Considers When Determining a Genuine and Ongoing Relationship
The Home Office may consider the following factors when deciding if your relationship is genuine and subsisting:
The nature of your current relationship;
Your future plans in terms of living together or family planning;
Any period of co-habitation or living together in the past;
Any children that you and your partner have together (biological, adopted, or step-children) and share responsibility for;
The existence or lack of any shared financial responsibility;
Any evidence of you and your partner visiting each other’s countries;
Any plans for living together in the UK in future.
If the Home Office is not satisfied with or has doubts about the nature of your relationship, they may conduct additional checks, interview you and your fiancé, or schedule a home visit.
To qualify for a UK Fiancé Visa, you and your fiancé must not be related in any of the ways listed in the Marriage Act 1949 and the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986:
Adoptive child
Adoptive parent
Child
Former adoptive child
Former adoptive parent
Grandparent
Grandchild
Parent
Parent's sibling
Sibling
Sibling's child
In this list, ‘sibling’ refers to a brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister.
A proposed marriage between a person and anyone in the following list will not qualify for a fiancé visa until both parties are 21 or older, and provided that the younger party has not been a child of the family concerning the other party before turning 18:
Child of former civil partner;
Child of former spouse;
Former civil partner of grandparent;
Former civil partner of parent;
Former spouse of grandparent;
Former spouse of parent;
Grandchild of former civil partner;
Grandchild of former spouse;
Meeting in Person Requirement.
One of the key requirements of a Fiancé Visa application is that you and your fiancé must have met in person. This means you must demonstrate a face-to-face encounter that resulted in mutual acquaintance. Merely coming face-to-face and then having telephone or written contact would not suffice for a UK Fiancé Visa.
The Home Office typically requires comprehensive evidence of regular communication, signs of affection and companionship, emotional support, and a sustained interest in each other’s well-being and welfare.
The Home Office generally expects to see proof of cohabitation. Ideally, documents should be in both your and your fiancé’s names. Alternatively, you can use documents addressed to both of you individually at the same address. Documents should be up-to-date, covering the last few years, and come from diverse sources. The Home Office prefers to be provided with Official documents, but if only official documents are not obtainable, other documents demonstrating cohabitation may also be presented.
If you and your finance have not lived together or have lived together for only a short time, you can also submit informal evidence of your relationship.
As mentioned previously, the Home Office expects ample evidence of a genuine and continuous relationship. If the Home Office has reservations about the genuineness and subsistence of your relationship with your fiancé, they may carry out further checks, interview you and your fiancé, or arrange a home visit. If they have justifiable reasons to question the genuineness or subsistence of your relationship, your Fiancé Visa application will be refused.
Our immigration lawyers regularly provide guidance to Fiancé Visa applicants regarding the documentary evidence the Home Office needs to be convinced that their relationship is authentic, founded on true affection and shared principles, and that it is continuous at the time of application.
Our expert immigration lawyers can provide you with a customised list of documents to demonstrate that your relationship is genuineness and subsisting based on your individual circumstances.
To be eligible for a UK Fiancé Visa, both you and your fiancé must not be married or in a civil partnership with another individual when submitting your Fiancé Visa application. You must both be free to enter into a marriage.
If either of you have previously been married or in a civil partnership, you have to prove to the Home Office that you have either been divorced, had your civil partnership dissolved, or become a widow/widower.
The Immigration Rules require you to provide very specific documents to show that any previous relationship has ended permanently. For example, a UK divorce should be supported by a Family Court’s decree absolute. An overseas divorce should be verified by an equivalent document to a decree absolute certificate, which is valid under the laws of the respective country in which it was issued.
If either you or your fiancé was previously married and that marriage has not been legally dissolved, you may still qualify for an Unmarried Partner Visa. You will need to provide evidence that your current relationship is genuine and ongoing, and that the previous relationship has ended permanently.
To qualify for a UK Fiancé Visa, the Home Office must be satisfied that both you and your fiancé have plans to live together in the UK on a permanent basis.
During the initial Fiancé Visa application process, this entails a strong commitment from both parties to start living together permanently in the once your Fiancé Visa application has been approved or as soon as possible thereafter.
When you apply for further leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain as a spouse, the Home Office will anticipate that any time spent outside the UK will be brief, justified, and in line with the intention to live together permanently in the UK. Acceptable reasons might include overseas work, holidays, training, or studying.
If either you or your spouse-to-be spends a significant portion of your time outside the UK, the Home Office may have doubts about your intention to live together permanently in the UK. The Home Office will assess the reasons for travel, the length of the absence, and whether both you and your spouse travelled and lived together while spending time outside the UK.
To prove that you can be sufficiently supported in the UK without recourse to public funds, it is necessary to meet the financial requirements of a UK Fiancé Visa application.
The financial requirements of a UK Fiancé Visa application states that, unless an exception applies, you must show that your fiancé has a minimum gross yearly income of:
£18,600; additionally
£3,800 for the first child (who does not possess British citizenship, indefinite leave to remain, pre-settled or settled status, or European Economic Area (EEA) nationality with the right to live in the UK); and,
£2,400 for every subsequent child (who does not possess British citizenship, indefinite leave to remain, pre-settled or settled status, or EEA nationality with the right to live in the UK).
If your fiancé receives specific state benefits or entitlements, alternative considerations will apply. In these cases, the financial criterion for a UK Fiancé Visa requires the sponsor to “adequately maintain and accommodate” the family member seeking entry or residence in the UK.
The financial requirement of a UK Fiancé visa must be met at the initial application for entry to the UK as a fiancé, upon applying for an extension as a spouse, and when applying for indefinite leave to remain as a spouse.
The immigration rules concerning the Fiancé Visa financial requirements are complex to understand and difficult to navigate if you don’t have any prior knowledge of UK Immigrating Rules. Therefore, to succeed in your application for a UK Fiancé visa, you must prove that you meet the financial requirements. Insufficient evidence of meeting the financial requirements of a UK Fiancé Visa application is among the most common reasons for Fiancé Visa application refusals. Seeking the assistance of an experienced immigration lawyer will significantly improve your chances of submitting a successful visa application.
There are several ways you could satisfy the UK Fiancé Visa financial requirements, such as relying on:
Earnings from salaried or non-salaried work by your fiancé;
Non-employment income, like property rental or share dividends;
Cash savings exceeding £16,000, held by your fiancé and/or yourself for a minimum of six months and under their/your control;
State (UK or foreign), occupational, or private pension of your fiancé and/or yourself
Self-employment income or earnings as a director or employee of a specified UK limited company, from your fiancé (and/or yourself if permitted to work in the UK).
In some cases, a combination of the aforementioned income sources can be used to satisfy the financial criterion.
As previously stated, alternative considerations apply if your fiancé receives certain state benefits or entitlements.
Fiancé Visa applicants relying on cash savings to fulfil the financial requirements of a UK Fiancé Visa application should be aware that the required amount of savings differs between entry clearance and extension applications, as well as when applying for indefinite leave to remain as a spouse.
In exceptional cases where refusal of the Fiancé Visa application would breach ECHR Article 8, other legitimate and dependable income sources, financial support, or funds available to the couple may be considered.
Our immigration lawyers have over 10 years of experience in handling UK Fiancé Visa applications and regularly assist Fiancé Visa applicants in navigating the complicated evidential requirements.
If you wish to discuss your UK Fiancé Visa application with one of our expert immigration lawyers, call us on 0203 5761893 or complete the enquiry form.
When applying for entry clearance as a fiancé, you must present evidence of suitable accommodation for you and your partner in the UK without relying on public funds. The property where you propose to live with your partner in the UK must be owned or occupied by your or your partner.
You must provide proof of property ownership or occupancy, your legal and exclusive right to occupy the property, and ensure the property will not be overcrowded or violate public health regulations.
As a Fiancé Visa applicant from a non-English-speaking country, you must fulfil an English language requirement unless exempt (more below).
You must show that your English proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking is at least A1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
To demonstrate your English language proficiency, you must pass a SELT test at an approved English language test centre at a minimum A1 level.
You must submit your English language test certificate in your evidence portfolio submitted to the Home Office.
You may also be eligible for exemptions from the English language requirement if you:
Possess a degree or higher qualification taught in English from an educational institution recognized by NAIRC;
Are over 65 years old;
Are a recognized refugee;
Are living in the UK as an orphan or widow;
Are a victim of domestic abuse;
Have a mental or physical condition preventing you from taking the exam.
The Home Office service standard for deciding a Fiancé Visa applications submitted outside the UK is 12 weeks (3 months). With reduced backlogs for Ukraine Visa Scheme applications, standard marriage and family visa applications, including Fiancé Visa applications, are processed within 60 working days.
The Fiancé Visa route allows for a seamless transition to the highly sought-after Spouse Visa category. You must go through the standard Spouse Visa application process but need not leave the UK to apply (provided you apply before your Fiancé Visa expires).
The UK Spouse Visa category will allow you to stay in the UK for a period of 30-month. Upon the expiry of your initial Spouse Visa, you can apply for an extension of your spouse visa and if your application is successful, you will be grated an additional 30 months of leave as a spouse.
As a Spouse Visa holder, you can work and study in the UK, and the time spent in the UK under this visa counts towards minimum residency requirements for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and British citizenship.
After spending five years in the UK under a Spouse Visa, you can apply for ILR, a form of permanent residence allowing you to remain in the UK without restrictions.
If your Fiancé Visa application is approved, you can stay in the UK for up to six months. You must marry within the Fiancé Visa’s 6-month period and comply with the conditions of your immigration permission.
When arriving from outside the UK, report to border control and bring photocopies of crucial documents and information from your application.
A Fiancé Visa expects you to make the UK your new home and switch to a different long-term immigration route when your visa expires. UK fiancé visa holders typically switch to the Spouse Visa category provide they have registered their marriage within 6 months of their entry into the UK.
Fiancé Visa extensions are typically not available. However, if exceptional circumstances prevented you from marrying within the initial 6-month period, the Home Office may grant an extension at their discretion.
You must meet the same requirements for the extension, and your circumstances must remain largely unchanged.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
If your Fiancé Visa application is refused, you will likely be grated a right tio appeal the refusal to the Tribunal (IAC). To initiate a Fiancé Visa appeal, it is advisable to adhere to the following steps:
Thoroughly review your refusal letter to understand the specific reasons for refusal of your application.
Check carefully to make sure you have been given the right to appeal against the refusal decision (this information will be explicitly stated in your letter).
Submit your appeal within the timeframe specified in your reasons for refusal letter (this is usually within 28 days for appeals against refusal of an application made from outside the UK).
Develop your case to illustrate why the decision should be overturned.
Provide the evidence you wish to rely on at your appeal hearing
Make sure that your Sponsor attends the hearing to give evidence.
Visa appeal processing times can vary greatly. Some may be resolved within a few months, while others may take over 12 months.
Approximately 50% of immigration decisions are reversed on appeal, and recent data indicates that the Home Office loses 75% of immigration appeals.
This suggests that there is a high probability of success if you present a robust appeal against your initial decision.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
Our team of specialist immigration lawyers can assist you in relation to your fiancé visa application through expert legal advice, guidance, and representation on a fixed fee basis. Our fixed fee covers all the work in relation to your fiancé visa application from initial instructions until a decision is reached on your application by the Home Office. If instructed, your case will be handled by a specialist immigration lawyer whose work will entail the following:
Taking detailed instructions to find out all relevant facts;
Advising you on the eligibility requirements of your application;
Advising you on the suitability requirements of your application;
Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your case in light of your personal circumstances;
Where necessary, advising you on the weakness if your case and the steps you may be able to take to mitigate those weaknesses;
Presenting you with a comprehensive list of documents to provide in support of your application;
Reviewing your documents to ensure they are in line with the requirements of the immigration rules in relation to your application and they are in the right format;
Advising you on further documents to be provided where necessary following review of collated documents;
Drafting your application form and presenting you with draft application for your consideration;
Advising on the application form details and making amendments where necessary or requested by you;
Drafting detailed letter of representations, demonstrating that all legal requirements relating to your application have been satisfied;
Drafting witness statements for you and other relevant witnesses where necessary;
Where possible, taking necessary steps to submit your application via Priority service to ensure faster processing time;
Uploading all the necessary documents in support of your application onto the Home Office application portal;
Arranging an appointment for you to enrol your biometrics as part of your application process;
Liaising with the Home Office, where there has been a request for further information or documents;
Our expert immigration lawyers have a wealth of experience in handling all types of immigration applications and have successfully assisted many applicants with their fiancé visa applications. Below is a summary of reasons why we are different and are the right fit for you:
Our team of specialist immigration lawyers handle each case with great care and attention to detail from outset to its conclusion. Our expert immigration lawyers will ensure that your case if progressed in a timely manner and that you receive the highest quality legal advice and representation throughout the life of your retainer. The quality of service provided by our team of specialist immigration lawyers are self-evident from our Google review.
Our team of specialist immigration lawyers can provide you with excellent advice, guidance and legal representations remotely using modern means of communication. Whilst our expert immigration lawyer can meet you face to face in our offices at the heart of London, where a face to face meeting is not possible or convenient, our lawyers can represent you remotely without the need for you to attend our offices. Our expert immigration lawyers have successfully represented clients remotely from all four continents without their needing to attend our offices for a face to face meeting and can also represent you remotely if necessary.
Our team of specialist immigration solicitors and lawyers can provide you one-off advice completely free of charge via our online enquiry form.
If instructed, your matter will be assigned to a lawyer with specialist knowledge of immigration law who will handle your matter from initial instructions to its conclusion, and where necessary – such as in complex matters – your immigration lawyer will be assisted by other immigration lawyers to ensure the best possible legal advice and representation.
Fast Track Visa Processing Service
The Home Office (UKVI) provide a faster processing of application via its Priority Service application which enables you to get a decision on your (in-country) application within 24 hours of enrolling your fingerprints or within 5 days of enrolling your biometrics for out of country applications. Our specialist immigration lawyers can take all steps to submit your application via Priority service so that you can get a decision on your application in the shortest time possible.
To help you with certainty regarding the costs of your legal representation, we provide services for a reasonable and affordable fixed fee. To further help our clients manage the costs associated with their application, we can offer an instalment plan so that you can pay your fixed fees in instalments. Please do note, however, that all instalments must be completed before you enrol your biometrics.
Although our offices are officially open Monday – Friday, if you wish to have your case progressed outside of our normal office hours, we can arrange for one of our immigration lawyers to handle your case on an urgent basis for an additional fee.
Its fast, easy to use and simple to understand – and it removes the risk of committing to a legal course of action .
We key in on small details that make a big difference. Our lawyers extensively assess each case to determine clients’ eligibility for their desired outcome and to discover the strengths and weaknesses of cases.
We treat each case as being unique in its nature and circumstances. Our lawyers design legal advice, strategy and tactics that are uniquely tailored to your specific needs and to help you achieve your objectives.
We combine proven legal expertise with creative thinking. We see legal representation as a creative process where problem solving married imagination and critical thinking to deliver truly out of the box solutions
We believe in being humans first and lawyers second. Being human helps us understand what makes our clients tick, and that makes us better lawyers and inventors.
There are two primary immigration routes for those wishing to travel to the UK for marriage purposes: the Marriage Visit Visa and the Fiancé Visa.
The Marriage Visit Visa is intended for individuals who plan to visit the UK to register their marriage. The Marriage Visit Visa category does not permit submission of spouse visa applications once marriage has been registered. You would need to leave the UK and apply from outside the UK.
The Fiancé Visa category is designed for engaged partners of British citizens, those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK, refugee leave or humanitarian protection, or limited leave to remain under Appendix EU or Appendix ECAA. It allows them to enter the UK and marry within six months of arrival. Once the marriage is registered, a Fiancé visa holder can apply for a Spouse Visa from within the UK.
A UK Fiancé Visa application must be submitted from outside the UK, typically in the applicant’s country of residence. It is not necessary to have citizenship of the country from which you are applying. However, if you are applying from a country which is not your own, then you will need to be legally staying in that country in order to submit a UK Fiancé Visa application from that country.
Fiancé Visa applications are made by completing an online form. There are various application forms available online for different family visa applications and it is very important that you choose the right application form to avoid your application being rejected. Given the nature of the UK Fiancé Visa application and the specified documents that you are required to produce in support of the application, it is advisable to gather the necessary documents prior to submitting your application. This will avoid the need to gather mandatory documents within a specified time frame which could be very stressful.
It is also important to upload all the necessary documents well in advance of your appointment to enrol your biometrics as you will not be able to submit any documents after you have enrolled your biometrics.
If you do not marry before your Fiancé Visa expires, you can apply for a six-month extension, provided there is a valid reason and evidence that the ceremony will occur within the extended period.
In the event of a Fiancé Visa application refusal, you should have the right to appeal to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, as fiancé applications are considered human rights claims. The appeal is heard at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in the UK.
If you are in the UK, both you and your fiancé can attend and provide evidence before the Tribunal judge. If you are outside the UK, your fiancé can attend, but you can submit a statement and evidence for the Tribunal’s consideration.
Appeals to the Immigration Tribunal can take several months to be heard and can also be costly. It is very important to speak to an immigration lawyer prior to any decision to appeal to the Tribunal.
If you cannot satisfy the UK Fiancé Visa requirements, you may still enter or remain in the UK on human rights grounds. There are a range of circumstances that may allow you to apply for permission to enter the UK on family life grounds such as:
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