Spouse and partner visas

Family

We prepare Appendix FM applications for husbands, wives, civil partners, and unmarried partners of British or settled sponsors.

This page is general information about UK immigration routes. It is not advice on your case. Rules and fees change. Confirm the current position before you pay a Home Office fee.

Who this is for

• You are married or in a civil partnership with a British citizen or a person with settled status.
• You have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years.
• You are applying from outside the UK, or switching from inside the UK where the rules allow it.

What this route is

A spouse visa is permission to live in the UK with your partner. The usual path is about 30 months, then a further 30 months, then indefinite leave after five years.

The Home Office decides on the bundle you submit. It does not usually ask you to repair a weak payslip, an expired bank statement, or an employer letter on plain paper. If the case is refused after a decision, the application fee is generally not refunded.

Requirements we check

• The relationship is genuine and subsisting.
• The sponsor meets the financial requirement. The figure widely used from April 2026 is £29,000 a year, unless a different rule such as adequate maintenance applies.
• Cash savings can make up a shortfall. Large savings need to meet the holding period in the rules. Six months is the period most applicants have to prove.
• English language at the level required for a first application, often A1, unless an exemption applies.
• Suitable accommodation that will not be overcrowded.

Evidence that usually matters

• Marriage or civil partnership certificate, or two years of cohabitation evidence for unmarried partners.
• Payslips, bank statements, and employer letters that match each other.
• Tenancy or ownership evidence and a description of who lives in the home.
• Proof of contact if you have lived apart.

How we work

1. Read the position. We read how you meet, how you live, and how the sponsor is paid.
2. List the gaps. We mark documents that are missing, out of date, or inconsistent before any Home Office fee is paid.
3. Prepare the application. We prepare the online form and the supporting bundle.
4. Check before filing. We check names, dates, and totals against the form, then upload.

Where applications go wrong

• Income evidence that does not meet the specified format.
• Cohabitation documents clustered in one month.
• A relationship that is genuine but not proved on paper.