In order to be granted entry clearance as a partner, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
The applicant and their partner must be 18 years old or over.
The applicant and their partner must have met each other and be legally married.
The applicant and their partner must intend to live together permanently.
The applicant’s sponsoring partner must earn more than £18,600 per year or have enough savings to be able to support the applicant. The minimum financial requirement is higher if they are also sponsoring dependant children.
Applicants must have suitable accommodation for themselves, their partner, and any dependants.
The applicant must satisfy the English language requirements.
When applying for entry clearance as a partner applicants are required to demonstrate that the relationship they have with their sponsor is genuine and subsisting. The genuine relationship requirement can be demonstrated through the following:
Information provided by the applicant on the application form;
The signed declaration from the partner that accompanies the application;
Evidence provided in support of the application;
Where available (in the UK), direct checks with third parties.
Below is a list of suitable evidence which can be provided to demonstrate that the relationship is genuine and subsisting (please note this is not an exhaustive list):
Evidence of holidays taken together;
Evidence that the couple have kept in touch whilst apart;
Photographs of the couple;
Letters of support from friends and family;
Evidence of any joint financial commitments.
Unless exempt, an applicant will need to demonstrate a specified threshold of minimum income.
For an applicant applying for entry clearance as a partner with no dependent children, the threshold is a gross annual income of at least £18,600. If an applicant is applying with a dependent child, you will need to prove an additional £3,800 for the first child, together with an increase of £2,400 for each additional child after.
There are several ways an applicant can meet the financial requirement for an entry clearance partner visa:
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, from 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.
You can also rely on cash savings over £16,000 if held by you or your partner for at least 6 months. This can be combined with some of the other sources of income to meet the minimum income threshold.
If an applicant’s partner is in receipt of certain benefits or allowances in the UK, then an applicant may be exempt from meeting the financial requirement for the spouse visa by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance”. These certain benefits include:
Carer’s Allowance
Disability Living Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Attendance Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
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
Police Injury Pension