Apply For Spouse Visa to UK

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The pandemic has forced everyone inside their homes. But with the opening of the international borders and flights, there seems some hope for a steady traveling season ahead.

Being away from your loved ones (partner/spouse) in such trying times can be ever more disturbing and challenging in 2020. So, if your partner got stranded away from you in the UK or if they are wanting to fly to the UK, then this is the right place for you. Leading UK immigration law firm, The SmartMove2UK will take you through the process and the document checklist for applying for a spouse visa to the UK.

A UK spouse visa or marriage visa comes under the Family Visa category which is granted to partners of permanent UK citizens to immigrate to the UK. The visa is granted if you are married to someone who-

1. Is a British Citizen, or
2. Is “settled” in the UK, without any immigration restrictions concerning the period of their stay in the country, or
3. Has humanitarian protection or is a refugee in the UK.

For the Spouse visa to the UK, the first and foremost requirement is a valid passport. Besides, the couple must be aged 18 years or above.

According to the official UK government Visas and Immigration website, the minimum requirements are:

There must be evidence of a genuine and subsisting relationship of the pair; to exclude the provision of an arranged or forced marriage.

A legal marriage or civil partnership certificate is mandatory. Moreover, you will be asked to provide couple pictures, travel documents to show meeting proofs, communication proof between the couple.

To support yourself, you must have enough finances and funds. A joint income of a minimum of £18,600 per annum is obligatory. The income requirement tends to increase if there are dependent children with £3,800 for the first dependent child. It rises by £2,400 for every subsequent dependent child.

Bank statements of the past 6 months and letters from employers can work as proof. It is important to prove that you and your partner have enough funds to adequately accommodate and support yourselves in the UK, without relying upon public funds. In absence of evidence to support your financial stability, your visa application can be rejected.

Under normal circumstances, the applicant must pass an approved English language test to meet the basic language requirement; unless otherwise exempted or specified by the Home Office.

Under the CEFR or Common European Framework of Reference for Languages standards, the lowest admissible merit is A1 level English for listening and speaking.

Proof of suitable accommodation in an “exclusively owned or occupied” property is necessary. Besides, the lodging, according to the Housing Act 1985, must not be “overcrowded.” A medical test to screen for Tuberculosis (Tb) is also compulsory for certain regions.

NOTE: In special circumstances such as the COVID-19 period, you will have to make provisions for “quarantining” yourself upon arrival in the UK. Documents for the same have to be submitted with the other paperwork.

Biometrics (fingerprints and photographs) are also key to the application process.

When applying for a spouse visa from outside of the United Kingdom, you need to apply online. You have to fill out the Form VAF4A- Appendix1 (November 2018). The form is quite an elaborate one with four parts. You must prepare all the information and documents beforehand to suitably fill in all the particulars and then an appointment can be made.

The current application fee for a UK spouse visa is £1,523. The spouse visa allows the applicant to effectively live in the United Kingdom for more than six months. The duration of the visa may be for 30 to 33 months depending upon your current place of residence.

Also, the visa application can be rejected by the Home Office on several grounds; incomplete or insufficient documentation being the most common reason. Multiple failed attempts are more likely to be rejected by the authorities and re-appealing is usually overwhelming and overlong. This makes it even more crucial to get it right in the very first attempt. But collecting and filling all these documents and proofs can be a daunting task for an ordinary person.

The visa application process is also a time-consuming and money-involving job. The average processing time of a spouse visa application is somewhere between 2 to 12 weeks from the date of submission to the UK Visas and Immigration.

So, for the peace of your mind and guidance throughout the procedure, you must consult professional service providers. SmartMove2UK’s experienced and professional UK Immigration experts offer you reliable and authentic immigration services in budget-friendly packages.

A lot of formalities and documentation are necessary to apply for a UK spouse visa which makes it complicated for a layman to complete sans professional help. From settlement permissions to citizenship concerns, contact SmartMove2Uk to put an end to all your visa application and immigration woes.

You must hire UK visa experts to take you through the entire application process as it is crucial to get it right the very first time. You will end up saving not only your valuable time but also a considerable amount of money that might otherwise be lost during the visa application process.