Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa
The Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa category is for engaged partners of British citizens or persons with indefinite leave to remain who wish to marry or enter into a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving in the UK. A fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa is valid for 6 months during which time you should travel to the UK, marry your partner and apply to change your visa to either the spouse or civil partner category.
An application as a fiance(e) can be made to the British Embassy/High Commission/Consulate for entry clearance as a fiance(e) in order to join a person present and settled in the UK and get married in the UK after arriving in the UK as a fiance(e).
You can leave and re-enter the UK on a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa but you cannot study, take employment or engage in business.
Eligibility:
In order to qualify for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:
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Your partner is British or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK;
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You are both over the age of 18;
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You have met in person;
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You are both free to marry or enter into a civil partnership;
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Your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together permanently in the UK;
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You intend to marry or enter into a civil partnership within six months of your arrival in the UK;
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Any previous relationships have broken down permanently;
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You will be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds;
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There is adequate accommodation for you and any dependents;
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You speak and understand English to the required level.
In order to demonstrate that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, you will need to satisfy a financial requirement.
Financial Requirements:
You will need to demonstrate that your partner has a gross annual income of at least:
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£18,600; in addition
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£3,800 for a first child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national); plus
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£2,400 for each additional child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national).
You can meet this requirement through salaried and non-salaried income, self-employed income, salary and/or dividends from a company of which you are a Director, property rental income, dividends and income from investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds, pension income, insurance payments, maintenance payments and cash savings above £16,000 that have been held for at least six months, unless you can demonstrate that they have come from the sale of property or investments within the last 6 months.
Different considerations will apply if your partner is in receipt of certain benefits.
English Language Requirements:
To qualify for an Unmarried Partner visa, the applicant must demonstrate that they can speak and understand the English language to a minimum level.
You may be able to meet this test simply by virtue of your nationality, if you come from a predominantly English-speaking country or if you qualified for a degree that was taught in English. In both of these cases you will have demonstrated a sufficient knolwedge of the English language to qualify for a Partner Visa.
If the above does not apply to you then you will have to pass an English Language Test carried out by an approved test centre. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information about the English Language Test.
Duration of Visa:
Applications for Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visas can only be made from outside the UK.
If your application for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner 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 or civil partnership ceremony has taken place, you will then be eligible to apply to switch into the Spouse or Civil Partner category without having to leave the UK.
If your marriage or civil partnership does not take place before your Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa expires, you can apply to extend your stay for a further 6 months in order to allow the ceremony to take place, provided that there is a good reason why it has not done so to date and there is evidence that a ceremony will take place within the next 6 months.
Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa holders are not permitted to work in the UK.
If you wish to obtain advice or legal assistance in respect of your immigration matter, we offer an affordable and confidential consultation at a fixed fee with and experienced immigration lawyer where we can answer your questions and explain the processes that will apply. Your consultation fees will be set off against your instructions to the firm if you go on to instruct us.
For more information or to book an initial consultation, please contact us.