UK Spouse Visa 2024

 

A UK spouse visa allows you to join your spouse and to live in the UK for an initial period. The most important criteria is that your spouse must be aged over 18 and a British Citizen who is either settled in the UK through Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), have another settled status or have a permanent residence in the UK.

Whilst eligible to work on this visa, you cannot claim most of the benefits, tax credits, or housing assistance that a UK citizen would be entitled to.  You can however access the NHS by virtue of having paid the NHS surcharge at the time of the application.  

 

 

You and your spouse must be over 18 and your relationship must be genuine. You will be required to provide evidence of your relationship and to demonstrate that you intend to live together as a family in the UK.   

 

The British Citizen spouse (your sponsor) will need to meet the financial requirements to take you to the UK. This means that you need to show that you and your spouse have a joint income of at least £18,600  in order to meet the minimum income requirement.  If considering making an application shortly, you should be aware that the financial requirement is expected to rise in April 2024 to £29,000.  There are several different sources that you can rely on to meet the financial requirement such as; income from employment or self-employment, cash savings, rental income or dividends from investments.  Documentary evidence will be required to verify the source of income.  

 

You will need to show that the family (including any children) will have adequate accommodation in the UK. 

 

Unless you are a national of a Country which is exempt by the UK Home Office as being a majority English-speaking Country, you will have to prove your knowledge of English by way of evidence of an academic qualification, or by taking an IELTS exam in the Country from which you apply.

 

As part of the immigration process, you may need to provide evidence of Tuberculosis (TB) screening if you are a resident of a particular Country.  

 

We can assist with preparing your file and assisting you with the online application.  

 

The key documents to be submitted with the application will depend on individual circumstances but the following is a list of documents which are required :

 Passports copies for you and your spouse.

 Evidence that you and your spouse are married and intend to live together permanently.

 Documents to show that you meet the financial requirements, including, sources of income and savings. 

 Documents to prove the English language and TB testing requirements, if relevant.

 Other documents to support the application.  

 

The UK Immigration fee for a spouse visa is currently £1,846. The Immigration Health Surcharge will be approx. £1,035. The Immigration Health Surcharge is a compulsory fee that provides you with access to the National Health Service (NHS) once you arrive in the UK.

 

Once the application has been submitted and you have completed your biometric testing, a decision will usually be made within 12 weeks if applying from outside the UK. However, you can apply via the Visa premium service centres outside the UK for an expedited service which provides a decision within 6 weeks.  

 

On receipt of your spouse visa, you can stay in the UK for 2 years and 9 months (2 years and 6 months if applying from inside the UK).  Nearing the end of the initial period of stay, an application to extend the stay will need to be made.  

Once you have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously with permission to stay (‘leave to remain’) as a spouse of a British Citizen, an application can be made to settle in the UK (called ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

 

Updated information as to the relevant Laws, Rules, Regulations and requirement should be sought prior to making any UK Immigration application.  If you require any advice or assistance for a UK Spouse Visa, our experienced Immigration Lawyers are available to help.   To seek specific advice, please do contact Dee Popat.