If your partner is living outside of the UK and you do not want to live in the UK but do wish to marry here, your partner can apply for a UK marriage visitor visa. This type of visa will allow your partner to visit the UK so that you can have your legal wedding ceremony or form a civil partnership here within the UK.
In order to apply for a marriage visitor visa, your partner would need to meet the requirements for a standard visitor visa by showing that:
They will leave the UK at the end of their visit
They will be able to support themselves during their visit (or have funding from someone to support you)
They will be able to pay for their return or onward journey (or have funding from someone to pay for the journey)
They will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home
In addition, your partner must meet the following additional requirements:
They are over the age of 18 at the date of application
They intend to give notice of marriage or civil partnership in the UK
They intend to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK that is not a sham
The marriage visitor visa will only allow your partner to visit the UK to marry or form a civil partnership for up to 6 months and they must leave the UK prior to the expiry of their visa. This type of visa will not allow your partner to settle and live in the UK and they will not be able to apply for another type of permission to remain in the UK whilst in the UK under this type of visa.
The current application fee for a marriage visitor fee is £115.
If you and your partner are already married or are in a long-term relationship and wish to live in the UK, your partner can apply for a partner visa. This type of visa must be made when your partner is outside of the UK and if successful, this visa will allow your partner to enter and reside in the UK for 33 months. This can later be extended and is a route to settlement, meaning that once they have spent a specified period of time in the UK (60 or 120 months depending on whether they can continue to meet all of the requirements for this visa once in the UK), they would be eligible to apply for settlement which can then be used to apply for British citizenship if desired.
In order to apply for a partner visa, the partner in the UK must be one of the following:
A British citizen
Someone with indefinite leave to remain or settled status
Someone with refugee status
Someone with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
Someone with leave to remain as a worker of businessperson under the European Communities Association Agreement
To meet the definition of a ‘partner’ you and your partner must be able to show that:
You are married or in a civil partnership;
OR
You have been in a relationship together similar to marriage or a civil partnership for at least 2 years as unmarried partners before applying
In addition to the above, you and your partner must be able to show that:
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 (meaning 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;
Your partner satisfies the English language requirement;
You are able to meet the financial requirements
The current application fee for a partner visa is £1,846. Your partner would also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge fee.
Please see the following link for more details on the requirements for this visa: https://www.paragonlaw.co.uk/personal-immigration/individuals-and-families/spouse-and-partner-visa