UK Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa

UK Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa is for partners of British citizens, people present and settled in the UK or in the UK with a refugee/ humanitarian protection leave to remain who are non-EEA nationals and want to come to the country to get married or become civil partners.

You will be granted Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa if you meet the following requirements:

1. You are outside the UK.
2. You applied for the entry clearance for the purpose of getting married or entering civil partnership with your partner who is present and settled in the UK.
3. You qualify for entry under the suitability requirements.
4. You meet all of the eligibility requirements.

Suitability requirements

You will be considered to be suitable for grant of this visa if:

1. Your exclusion from the UK is not considered to be in favour of public good due to your criminality, character, conduct, associations or other similar reasons.
2. There is no a deportation order made against you.
3. You have not failed to provide any information, undergo a required medical examination or attend an interview without a reasonable explanation upon the Secretary of State’s request.
4. You are not excluded from the UK for medical reasons.
5. There has not been any failure to disclose material information or to provide false documentation or information in support of your application.
6. You do not have an outstanding debt owed to NHS of £500 or more.
7. There has not been a failure by you to provide an undertaking on maintenance and accommodation.

If you think that you might be deemed to be unsuitable for a grant of this visa for any of the above reasons, please contact us for a consultation. We will advise you whether there are any exceptional circumstances surrounding your situation that may outweigh public interest to refuse your application on the suitability basis.

Are you eligible to apply for UK Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa?

There are three sets of eligibility requirements for you to meet in order to qualify for a grant of this visa to enter the UK:

• Relationship requirements
• Financial requirements
• English language requirement

Relationship requirements:

1. The decision maker has to be satisfied that your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner is either a British citizen or present and settled in the UK or in the UK with a refugee or humanitarian protection leave to remain.
2. Minimum age requirement means you and your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner must be at least 18 years old or over.
3. You must not be within the prohibited degree of relationship.
4. You must have met face to face and your relationship must be considered to be genuine and subsisting.
5. Your intention must be to marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK once granted the visa.
6. If you or your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner has been married or in a relationship before, the decision maker must be satisfied that these relationships have ended permanently.
7. There must be a clear commitment from both of you to live permanently together in the UK immediately following the outcome of your application.

Financial requirements:

1. Your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner and you must show that you meet a minimum income threshold requirement by: (a) having a gross annual income of at least £18,600; (b) having certain amount of savings; (c) having a certain amount of combined your and/ or your fiancé(e)’s income and savings. There are exemptions from the financial requirement if your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner is on disability benefits or is in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, however you would still need to meet the usual maintenance requirement, i.e. to provide evidence that you will be adequately maintained without any recourse to public funds once in the UK.
2. You must also show that there is an adequate accommodation in the UK available exclusively to you, your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner and any other family members residing in the same household without a recourse to public funds.

English language requirement:

There are three ways of meeting the English language requirement:

• English language test taken with a provider approved by the Home Office at a minimum level of A1 of the CEFR. Important! The test must be taken with one of the Home Office’s approved providers.
• You are a national of one of the following majority English speaking countries: Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; the Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; or the United States of America.
• You have a degree which you obtained in the UK or an academic qualification taught in English outside the UK and that is recognised by the UK NARIC as equivalent to a Bachelor’s, Master’s degree or PhD in the UK.

You do not need to meet the English language requirement if:

• you are 65 years old or over, or
• you have a disability, or
• there are exceptional circumstances preventing you from meeting the requirement.

Can you extend my Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa in the UK?

Your visa can be extended for further 6 months if your marriage or civil partnership did not take place during the first 6 months you were granted and you have a good explanation for that as well as evidence that your marriage or civil partnership will take place in the next 6 months if you are granted an extension of your visa. Extension of your stay in the UK as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner will be granted subject to a condition of no recourse to public funds and to a prohibition on employment.

For how long this visa is issued?

If the Secretary of State is satisfied that you meet the requirements for a UK Fiancé(e)/ Proposed Civil Partner Visa, you will be granted leave for up to 6 months subject to a condition of no recourse of public funds. You will not be allowed to work whilst in the UK on this visa. Please note, that time spent in the UK on this visa does not count towards the continuous period of leave required to qualify for settlement as a spouse / partner of a British citizen, a person present and settled in the UK, or a person with a refugee or humanitarian protection leave in the UK.