Spouse Visa UK

What is the UK Spouse Visa?

The Spouse Visa is part of the UK Family Visa route and it enables an individual to join and/or remain with their spouse in the United Kingdom.

This visa allows individuals to live and work in the UK for up to 33 months (2 years and 9 months). If the eligibility requirements are still met then there is the potential to extend the visa by an additional 30 months. By extending the Spouse Visa, individuals may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK, following the completion of five years of continuous residence in the United Kingdom.

The UK Spouse Visa UK is just one of the UK Family Visas, for information on other Family Visas, head over to our dedicated page, which breaks down the eligibility criteria for each visa.

UK Spouse Visa Eligibility Requirements 2024

To be eligible for a UK Spouse Visa, you will need to meet the following requirements:

• You and your partner are both at least 18 years old;
• You and your partner are either married or in a civil partnership. This marriage or civil partnership must be legally recognised in the UK;
• Your partner must either:
  • Be a British citizen;
  • Have settled in the UK (i.e. they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status, or proof of permanent residence in the UK);
  • Be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status (they must have been living in the UK before the 1st January 2021);
  • Have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker Visa;
  • Have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
  • In the UK with permission as a Stateless person.
• You and your partner have met in person;
• You and your partner intend to live together permanently in the UK;
• There is adequate accommodation for you and any dependents. This means that the accommodation you will stay in is not overcrowded and does not breach public health regulations;
• You and your partner are in a genuine and subsisting relationship;
• Any previous relationships have broken down permanently; 
• You satisfy the English language requirement;
• Your partner has a gross annual income of at least £29,000.

The Genuine and Subsisting Relationship Requirement

To be eligible for a UK Spouse Visa, you will need to satisfy immigration officials that you and your partner are in a ‘genuine and subsisting relationship’. The uniqueness of relationships means that decisions on the genuine and subsisting nature of relationships are made on a case-by-case basis using the evidence presented. 

To prove that you and your partner are in a genuine and subsisting relationship, the Home Office guidance states that the following can be used as evidence of this:

• A valid Marriage or Civil Partnership certificate (if applicable).

• Documents to show that you are living together.

• Documents which show you share financial responsibility.

• Evidence to show that the relationship continues even when you are apart.

UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement

When applying for a UK Spouse Visa, you will be required to prove that you and your partner will not need to rely on public funds to support your stay.

To satisfy immigration officials that your do not need to claim public funds, you will be required to have an annual income of at least £29,000.

Meeting the UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement

A variety of sources of income can be used to satisfy the financial requirement, such as:

• Income from salaried or non-salaried employment.

• Income from self-employment, or income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK.

• Non-employment income. For example: property rentals, child maintenance, or dividends/income from investments, stocks and shares.

• Money from a state (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension in your name or that of your partner.

• Maternity allowances or bereavement benefits received in the UK. Income-related benefits will not be counted towards the financial requirement.

If your spouse is the recipient of one of the following benefits or allowances in the UK, then you will only need to show evidence of ‘adequate maintenance’:

• Carer’s Allowance.

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

• Severe Disablement Allowance.

• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

• Attendance Independence Payment.

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme.

• Policy Injury Pension.

Self-employment and the UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirement

You can still apply for a UK Spouse Visa if your spouse is self-employed. As per the Immigration Rules, a gross annual income of at least £29,000 will apply.

There are two ways in which the financial requirements can be satisfied through self-employment:

• Category F: Income from the last full financial year.
• Category G: Average income from the last 2 full financial years.