Our Unmarried Partner visa solicitors have successfully assisted 100s of clients with their unmarried partner visa applications and are experts in preparing unmarried partner visa applications. We have successfully handled from standard to highly complex unmarried partner visa applications and can leverage our expertise to help you join or remain with your unmarried partner 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.
If you wish to discuss your UK Unmarried Partner Visa application with one of our expert immigration lawyers, call us on 0203 5761893 or complete our enquiry form.
Contact our experts today for a free consultation.
To qualify for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, you must meet the following requirements as determined by UK Visas and Immigration:
Your partner is British or Irish, is settled in the UK, has been granted pre-settled status, holds 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 and your partner have met in person.
You and your partner have cohabited in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for a minimum of 2 years.
Your relationship is genuine and ongoing.
You and your partner intend to reside together permanently in the UK.
Any prior relationship has ended permanently.
You meet the financial requirement.
Adequate accommodation is available for you and any dependents.
You possess the necessary English language skills and understanding at the required level.
The specific criteria you need to satisfy to be eligible for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa can vary depending on your specific circumstances. You may wish to speak to an immigration lawyer for specific advice and guidance on your Unmarried Partner Visa application.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
If you are in a long-term relationship with a British or Irish citizen, an individual settled in the UK, someone with pre-settled status, a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa holder, or a person with refugee status or humanitarian protection, the Unmarried Partner Visa may be a suitable option for you. This visa allows you to join or remain with your partner in the UK, even if they are currently abroad but plan to return with you.
The UK Unmarried Partner Visa provides a pathway towards obtaining indefinite leave to remain or permanent settlement in the UK after a five-year period. As you explore this visa option, professional legal advice can help you and your partner navigate the process and work towards building a secure future together in the UK.
To be eligible for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, your partner must fulfil one of the following criteria:
Be a British or Irish citizen residing in the UK, or
Hold indefinite leave to remain, settled status, or permanent residence in the UK, or
Possess pre-settled status under Appendix EU, or
Have limited leave to remain as a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker under Appendix ECAA, or
Hold refugee leave or humanitarian protection status in the UK.
Please note that a British Citizen in the UK also includes a British Citizen who intends to return to the UK with you as your partner. Additionally, a person with indefinite leave to remain in the UK encompasses an individual who is being admitted for settlement at the same time as you.
To meet the relationship requirement for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, applicants must fulfil the following conditions:
You and your partner have met in person.
You and your partner have cohabited in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years.
Your relationship is genuine and ongoing.
You and your partner intend to reside together permanently in the UK.
Any prior relationship has ended permanently.
One of the key requirements of the UK Unmarried Partner Visa is that you and your partner must have met in person. The term “met” implies that you both have had a face-to-face encounter, resulting in mutual acquaintance. A mere face-to-face encounter followed by phone or written communication will not suffice for the visa requirements.
To qualify for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, you must provide the Home Office with evidence that your relationship with your partner is genuine and ongoing.
The Home Office evaluates each case individually, considering all available evidence and unique circumstances when determining if a relationship is genuine and ongoing.
To be eligible for an Unmarried Partner Visa, you and your partner must have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for a minimum of two years before the visa application date.
The Home Office requires documentation proving that you and your partner have resided together at the same address for at least two years.
The two-year period does not necessarily have to be completed immediately prior to your application date. If you are not currently cohabiting, you may still qualify for the visa if you have lived together for at least two years at some point in the past. However, you must convince the Home Office that your relationship is genuine and ongoing at the time of your application.
If you have cohabited with your partner for less than two years, you may still be eligible to join or accompany your partner based on exceptional circumstances. Our London-based immigration lawyers can provide advice on the likelihood of a successful application.
The Home Office may take into account the following factors when assessing the genuineness and ongoing nature of your relationship:
The presence of a current, long-term relationship between you and your unmarried partner.
Whether you and your unmarried partner have cohabited in the past or are currently living together.
Whether you and your unmarried partner have children together (biological, adopted, or step-children) and share responsibility for their upbringing.
Whether you and your unmarried partner share financial responsibilities.
Whether you and your unmarried partner have made definitive plans regarding the practical aspects of living together in the UK.
If the Home Office has doubts about the genuine and ongoing nature of your relationship, they may conduct additional checks, interview you and your partner, or schedule a home visit.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
The Home Office will require substantial evidence of consistent contact, indications of affection and companionship, emotional support, and a persistent interest in each other’s welfare and well-being.
Evidence of cohabitation is expected by the Home Office. Ideally, documents should be in both your and your unmarried partner’s names. Alternatively, you can rely on documents addressed individually to you and your partner at the same address. Documents should be recent (within the last few years) and come from a variety of sources. Official documents are preferred; however, if it is not possible to provide only official documents, other forms of evidence demonstrating cohabitation may be submitted.
For partners who have not lived together for an extended period, unofficial evidence of a relationship can also be provided.
As previously mentioned, the Home Office will require significant evidence of a genuine and ongoing relationship. If they have doubts about the authenticity and continuity of your relationship, they may conduct further checks, interview you and your partner, or schedule a home visit. If they have reasonable grounds to question the genuineness or ongoing nature of your relationship, your Unmarried Partner Visa application may be denied.
Our expert immigration lawyers routinely advise Unmarried Partner Visa applicants on the supporting documents the Home Office expects to see in order to be convinced that their relationship is authentic, based on genuine affection and shared values, and ongoing at the time of application. We do not rely on generic lists of documents and always advise our clients on the necessary documentation to prove a genuine and ongoing relationship based on their specific circumstances.
To qualify for an Unmarried Partner Visa, UK Visas & Immigration will require assurance that you and your unmarried partner intend to live together permanently in the UK.
At the initial Unmarried Partner Visa application stage, this necessitates a clear commitment from both parties to reside together permanently in the UK immediately following the visa application’s outcome or as soon as circumstances permit thereafter.
When applying for further leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain as an unmarried partner, the Home Office expects any time spent outside the UK to be limited, justified, and in line with the intention to live together permanently in the UK. Valid reasons may include overseas work, vacations, training, or study.
If you or your unmarried partner spend most of your time abroad, the Home Office may question your intention to reside together permanently in the UK. They will examine the reasons for travel, duration of absence, and whether you and your unmarried partner travelled and lived together while outside the UK.
The Home Office will require you to demonstrate that any previous relationship of yourself or your partner must have broken down permanently.
If you or your unmarried partner have been previously married or in a civil partnership, you will generally need to provide specified evidence that the prior marriage or civil partnership has ended.
If you or your unmarried partner have been previously married or in a civil partnership, and the relationship has not been legally dissolved, you may still qualify for an Unmarried Partner Visa. In this case, you must provide evidence that the new relationship is genuine and subsisting and that the previous relationship has ended permanently.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
To show that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, you must meet the Unmarried Partner Visa financial requirement.
The financial requirement for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa application specifies that, unless exempt, you need to demonstrate that your unmarried partner (or both of you jointly if you have valid leave to remain in the UK) has a gross annual income of at least:
£18,600; plus
£3,800 for a first child (who is not British, holds indefinite leave to remain in the UK, has pre-settled status or settled status, or is an EEA national with a right to reside in the UK); plus
£2,400 for each additional child (who is not British, holds indefinite leave to remain in the UK, has pre-settled status or settled status, or is an EEA national with a right to reside in the UK).
Different considerations apply if your unmarried partner receives certain state benefits or entitlements. In such cases, the financial requirement for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa is that the sponsor can ‘adequately maintain and accommodate’ the family member being sponsored to enter or remain in the UK.
You must meet the financial requirement when initially applying to enter the UK as an unmarried partner, when extending your stay as an unmarried partner, and when applying for indefinite leave to remain as an unmarried partner.
The Immigration Rules concerning the Unmarried Partner Visa financial requirement can be very complex to understand and include mandatory documentary evidence requirements. Applicants bear the responsibility of proving that the financial requirement is met. One of the most common reasons for an Unmarried Partner Visa application refusal is the failure to provide mandatory financial evidence.
There are various ways to satisfy the UK Unmarried Partner Visa financial requirement, including relying on:
Income from your unmarried partner's (and/or your) salaried or non-salaried employment, if you have permission to work in the UK;
Non-employment income, such as property rental income or share dividends;
Cash savings held by your unmarried partner and/or yourself, exceeding £16,000, controlled and maintained for at least six months;
State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pensions of your unmarried partner and/or yourself;
Income from self-employment, or income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, earned by your unmarried partner (and/or you if you have permission to work).
In some cases, it may be possible to combine different sources of income to meet the financial requirement.
As previously mentioned, different considerations apply if your unmarried partner receives certain state benefits or entitlements.
Unmarried Partner Visa applicants relying on cash savings should be aware that the required amount of savings for entry clearance and extension applications differs from the amount needed for indefinite leave to remain applications as an unmarried partner.
In exceptional circumstances where refusing the Unmarried Partner Visa application might breach ECHR Article 8, other credible and reliable sources of income, financial support, or funds available to the couple may be considered.
Our London based immigration lawyers are expert in Unmarried Partner Visa financial requirement rules and routinely help UK Unmarried Partner Visa applicants with demonstrating that they meet the financial requirements.
When applying for entry clearance or further leave to remain as an unmarried partner, you must present evidence demonstrating that adequate accommodation will be available for both you and your unmarried partner, without depending on public funds, in a property you own or exclusively occupy.
You will be required to provide evidence regarding the property’s ownership or occupancy status, the legal and exclusive right to occupy the property, and that the property will not be overcrowded or in violation of public health regulations.
A common reason for refusal of an Unmarried Partner Visa applications is lack of sufficient documentary evidence provided in support of the application.
The Immigration Rules have strict guidelines regarding the documents that must accompany a UK Unmarried Partner Visa application. Each case is unique, and the necessary supporting documents will vary accordingly.
Using pre-prepared document checklists for Unmarried Partner Visa applications without tailoring it to your circumstances can present a risk to a successful outcome. Seeking advice from an immigration lawyer ensures that the documents listed are suitable for individual circumstances.
If a required document is missing, formatted incorrectly, or lacks essential information, the Unmarried Partner Visa application may be denied. Appeals can take months to resolve and may yield uncertain outcomes. Submitting a new application will result in additional costs and delays.
Our London based immigration lawyers offer expert advice to Unmarried Partner Visa applicants regarding the required documents for a successful application and verify that supporting documents comply with the Immigration Rules.
The current Home Office application fee for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa application submitted outside the UK is £1,523. For switching into the unmarried partner category from within the UK or extending stay as an unmarried partner, the fee is £1,033.
The Home Office’s service standard for deciding on an Unmarried Partner Visa application submitted outside the UK is 12 weeks (3 months). After reducing the backlog of Ukraine Visa Scheme applications, the Home Office has announced that standard family visa applications, including Unmarried Partner Visa applications, are now being processed within 60 working days.
Applications to switch into or extend as an Unmarried Partner submitted from within the UK should be decided within 8 weeks.
The Super Priority Service is not available for new Unmarried Partner visa applications submitted outside the UK. However, as of January 9, 2023, existing applicants with pending Unmarried Partner visa applications are being offered the option to upgrade to a 15 full working days or 3 weeks Priority Service. The Home Office aims to reintroduce the Priority Visa service for Unmarried Partner visa applications submitted outside the UK in early 2023.
Upon a successful UK Unmarried Partner Visa application, your visa will initially be valid for 33 months. If you apply for leave to remain in the UK as an unmarried partner, you will be granted leave for a period of 30 months.
Before the expiration of your initial leave, you’ll need to apply to UK Visas and Immigration for an extension. A successful application for an extension of your leave to remain as an unmarried partner results in an additional 30-month leave.
After a 5-year period in the UK as an unmarried partner, you’ll be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
You can apply for leave to remain as an unmarried partner from within the UK, as long as you are not in the UK as a visitor or, with few exceptions, have valid leave granted for 6 months or less.
If you’re currently in the UK with a visitor visa and wish to apply for Unmarried Partner Visa, you will be required to leave the UK and apply from abroad.
If you have been granted Unmarried Partner Visa, you will have an unrestricted right tio work in the UK.
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
Upon a successful Unmarried Partner Visa application, you’ll initially be granted permission to enter the UK for two and a half years, plus an additional three months if applying for entry clearance. Before your leave expires, you’ll need to apply for an extension. A successful unmarried partner extension application will result in your being granted an additional two and a half years of leave.
After spending five years (60 months) in the UK on the Unmarried Partner Visa route, you may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK subject to meeting the requirements of an application for indefinite leave to remain.
To qualify for indefinite leave to remain as an unmarried partner, you’ll need to demonstrate the following, in addition to the requirements mentioned earlier:
You have lived together with your unmarried partner in the UK since being granted leave to remain in the unmarried partner category, or there is a good reason, consistent with a continuing intention to live together permanently in the UK, for any period when you haven't done so;
You meet the higher CEFR Level B1 English Language requirement that applies to settlement applications;
You have passed the Life in the UK test (unless exempt).
If you apply for indefinite leave to remain as an unmarried partner but don’t satisfy the above requirements, UK Visas and Immigration will consider if you meet the requirements for a further extension of stay as an unmarried partner.
Our team of specialist immigration lawyers can assist you in relation to your unmarried partner 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 unmarried partner 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;
Talk to our experts and get the right advice first time, every time.
Our expert immigration lawyers have a wealth of experience in handling all types of immigration applications and have successfully assisted many applicants with their unmarried partner visa applications. Below is a summary of reasons why we are different and are the right fit for you:
High Quality Advice and Representations
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.
Remote Legal Services
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.
Specialist Advice and Representation
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.
Fixed Fees With Payment Plan
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.
Open 7 Days A Week
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.
Free Immigration Advice Online
Our team of specialist immigration solicitors and lawyers can provide you one-off advice completely free of charge via our online enquiry form.
A UK Unmarried Partner Visa is a type of visa that enables unmarried partners of British citizens or settled individuals to enter the UK to live and work with their partner.
The eligibility criteria for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa include demonstrating a genuine and ongoing relationship, meeting financial requirements, providing proof of cohabitation, and fulfilling the English language requirement.
A UK unmarried partner visa is initially granted for 33 months. After this period, the visa can be extended for a further 30 months, and then the applicant may be eligible for settlement.
A UK Unmarried Partner Visa is initially granted for 33 months. Following this period, the visa can be extended for another 30 months, after which the applicant may be eligible for settlement.
Yes, a UK Unmarried Partner Visa permits the holder to work in the UK without restrictions.
In some cases, the cost of a UK Unmarried Partner Visa can be waived or reduced. Applicants can check the official UK government website or consult with our immigration advisors to determine if they qualify for a fee waiver or reduction.
Yes, you may be able to include your children in your UK Unmarried Partner Visa application as dependents, depending on their age and circumstances.
Yes, it may be possible to switch to a different visa category while on a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, depending on the circumstances. However, it is crucial to seek legal advice before making any changes to your visa status.
The success rate for Unmarried Partner Visas in the UK depends on various factors such as meeting the eligibility criteria, providing the required documentation, and passing the English language test. Generally, the success rate for this visa is high if the applicant fulfils all the requirements
To apply for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, you must complete an online application form, provide necessary documents such as proof of relationship and financial requirements, and pay the application fee. You may also need to pass the English language test if you are a non-native speaker.
The cost of a UK Unmarried Partner Visa varies depending on factors such as whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK and the desired processing time for the application.
Leader in resolving complex UK immigration And nationality law matters.
Leader in resolving complex UK immigration And nationality law matters.
Copyright © 2023 Legafit Solicitors | All Rights Reserved. Proudly Designed and Marketed By Ai Creatives
