Applying for a UK fiancé visa?
Have you recently got engaged to a British citizen? Are you looking to travel to the UK for your wedding and then live in the UK with your husband or wife permanently? If so, then you may wish to consider applying for a UK fiancé(e) visa.
General Requirements
In order to qualify for entry clearance as a fiancé(e), you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:
- Your partner is British or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain;
- You are both over the age of 18;
- You are not in the UK illegally;
- You have met in person;
- You are both free to marry or enter into a civil partnership;
- Your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together permanently;
- You intend to marry or enter into a civil partnership within six months of your arrival in the UK;
- Any previous relationships have broken down permanently;
- You speak and understand English to the required level;
- There is adequate accommodation for you and any dependents.
If you have any convictions or a poor immigration history, this may affect your suitability for leave in the fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner category.
Financial Requirement
In order to demonstrate that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, you will also need to satisfy a financial requirement.
You will need to demonstrate that your UK fiancé(e) has a gross annual income of at least:
- £18,600; plus
- £3,800 for a first child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national); plus
- £2,400 for each additional child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national).
You can meet this requirement through a variety of sources, including salaried and non-salaried income, self-employed income, property rental income, dividend income, pension income and cash savings above £16,000. Ordinarily, cash savings must have been held for at least six months, but there are exceptions.
In some circumstances, it is possible to rely on a combination of the above sources of income to satisfy the financial requirement.
The financial requirement rules are complex and include mandatory requirements in terms of the documentary evidence that must be provided to UK Visas & Immigration in order to demonstrate access to the relevant funds. Our immigration barristers specialise in assisting applicants with complicated financial circumstances to secure successful outcomes in their fiancé(e) visa applications.
Grant of Leave
If your application for a fiancé(e) visa is successful, you will be granted permission to enter and remain in the United Kingdom for a period of 6 months. After your wedding ceremony has taken place, you will then be eligible to apply to switch into the spouse category without having to leave the UK.
Contact Us
At Richmond Chambers LLP, our immigration barristers regularly assist non-EEA national fiancé(e)s to relocate to, and settle in, the UK with their British citizen and settled partners.
For expert advice and assistance with a fiancé(e) visa application or appeal, you can get in touch via our online contact form, call our immigration barristers & immigration lawyers in London on 0203 617 9173 or e-mail info@richmondchambers.com.
