Marriage & Relationship Visas
Immigration
Marriage/Civil Partnership and Relationship Visas
There are a number of scenarios that frequently occur based on relationships, requiring our expertise. Here, we deal with the most frequent applications we deal with on a daily basis.
Are you looking for help to apply for you or your partner to enter the UK as either a fiancé, spouse or partner of someone settled in the UK? If yes, we are the team to support you!
Over the years, this area of law has continued to change and has become increasingly complex with a number of requirements to be met to make a successful application with various nuances which we have mastered as the rules have continued to evolve.
Worry not, as the team at Bushra Ali Solicitors make these applications regularly, are very experienced and are here to support you.
Broadly speaking, we would need to evidence:
- You and your partner are of legal age to marry (the legal minimum age to marry or enter a civil partnership in England and Wales is now 18)
- You and your partner are legally free to marry
- There is a genuine intention to enter into marriage or you have entered a legally recognised marriage
- The relationship is a genuine and subsisting one with an intention to live together permanently (for unmarried partners, you must show a relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years; however, strict cohabitation for the entire period is no longer required if you have a valid reason and proof of a durable relationship)
- That the financial requirement is met (the minimum income requirement for new applicants is now £29,000, and there is no longer a separate, higher income requirement for dependent children)
- That there is sufficient accommodation to accommodate your non-UK partner without causing overcrowding under the Housing Act
- That the English requirement (A1) is met (if from a majority English speaking country you may be exempt)
- That you are free from unspent criminal convictions
- That you have a UKVI approved clinic certificate evidencing you have not contracted TB (if required based on your country of nationality)
Unfortunately, applications continue to be refused where evidence is lacking or where certain requirements have not been met, or perhaps misunderstood.
Our guarantee
Here at Bushra Ali Solicitors we are so confident about the quality of our service, that if you instruct us on our premium rate package, and in the rare event your application was to be refused, we would give you’re your money back!
Ms Bushra Ali is one of the most experienced lawyers you will find in this field.
Our Service
We offer a comprehensive end to end service, removing all the stress from the process for you, and minimising the risk of your application being refused.
Call us to discuss your matter and learn more about how we can help you.
We appreciate you may already be inside the UK under a different category, for example as a student and wish to switch to the partner category.
All of the above requirements apply.
Our Service
We offer a comprehensive end to end service, removing all the stress from the process for you, and minimising the risk of your application being refused.
Call us to discuss your matter and learn more about how we can help you.
If you are applying for a Partner Visa Extension (your second 2.5-year grant under the 5-year route), although the above requirements apply (note that if you applied for your first partner visa before April 11, 2024, you may be subject to transitional arrangements requiring you to meet the older financial threshold of £18,600, plus child increments if applicable, rather than the new £29,000 threshold), please ensure you have sat and passed a UKVI approved English language test at level A2 of the Common European Framework.
In the event you are coming up to completing 5 years under the 5-year partner route, we can help you make an application seeking settlement.
We can take you through the requirements to ensure they are all met.
For your application seeking settlement you will need to ensure on this occasion that the knowledge of language and life requirements are met.
In the event you are aged under 65 and do not belong to a majority English speaking country, you will need to ensure you have:
- Passed the life in the UK test; and
- Passed UKVI approved B1 speaking and listening test, (this must be from a provider on the Home Office’s “Safe English Language Test” (SELT) list) or have a qualifying degree taught in the English language
We will need to work with you to evidence the ongoing genuine and subsisting relationship and the ongoing intention to live together permanently in the UK. While there is no strict “180-day absence rule” for partners under Appendix FM, significant absences can lead to a challenge of this requirement, so it is crucial to prove you have lived together consistently.
Our Service
We offer a comprehensive end to end service, removing all the stress from the process for you, and minimising the risk of your application being refused.
Call us to discuss your matter and learn more about how we can help you.
Bushra Ali Solicitors has two convenient offices. Our Leicester head office and a private meeting facility in Wrexham North Wales.
We also offer full online support for all your immigration matters right across the UK. You can instruct us remotely with complete confidence.