Unmarried Partner Visa UK

The rules for each visa category are designed by the Home Office’s immigration department, UKVI. In order for you and your unmarried partner to live together in the UK, you must meet each requirement to the satisfaction of UKVI.

The key requirements to consider are as follows:

• You must be in a committed relationship/civil partnership with someone who is British, Irish, or who has settled in the UK
• Your British/Irish/Settled partner must act as the ‘sponsor’ for your visa
• You must have been together for at least two years
• You must have cohabited together for at least two years
• You must provide evidence that you meet the ‘Genuine Relationship’ test which includes detailing the end of all other previous engagements, marriages and partnerships
• You both must be age 18 and over
• You must have suitable accommodation arrangements set up in the UK where you both intend to live
• You must satisfy the English Language requirement which may include sitting an exam
• Your ‘sponsor’ must meet the Financial Requirement which may mean having a certain amount in savings or earning an annual income

Arguably the hardest requirement to meet when you come to apply for any Married or Unmarried Partner Visa is passing the ‘genuine relationship’ test.

The Home Office combs through each Spouse, Fiance and Unmarried Partner Visa with particularly scrutiny in order to crack down on ‘sham marriages’.

Applicants are considered fraudulent or engaged in a ‘sham’ arrangement if they are to be found deliberately deceiving the Government and are pretending to be in a relationship for the sole purpose of immigration advantages.

As a result, you must provide extensive documentation and evidence that you and your partner are in a genuine, long-lasting and subsisting relationship. You must have met at least once before and have a portfolio that demonstrates you are in a loving relationship.

There is no set checklist of evidence that you can attend to as each relationship is different and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

However, some pieces of evidence you could submit include:

• Photographs of you together
• Emails, text messages, letters and any other ongoing correspondence
• Written accounts by family and friends
• Receipts from gifts you have bought one another
• Tickets from events you have attended together
• Aeroplane tickets from visiting one another
• Birth certificates of any children you may have together
• Tenancy/property arrangements or utility bills with both your names on from previous accommodation that you have lived in together
• Any other forms of proof that demonstrate you are in a relationship that is akin to marriage

Contact us today on 0121 667 6530 to see how we can help you build a portfolio of evidence.

It is important to note that the Unmarried Partner Visa prohibits you from accessing public funds while in the UK. This is because it is a temporary form of Leave to Remain and that you must have settled in the UK permanently in order to access welfare support.

As a result, you must provide evidence that you are able to financially support yourself while you live in the UK.

The rules are as follows:

• Your British/settled partner must earn a minimum of £18,600 per year either through employment or self-employment
• If any children or dependents are joining you in the UK, your sponsor must earn an additional £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 per every child after

In the event that the Minimum Income Requirement is out of reach, it can be met through other means such as having £16,000 in cash savings that have been in your sponsor’s bank account for at least six months.

In addition, you can also satisfy the financial requirement through property and rented income or via maternity, paternity, adoption, pension and sick pay.

The English Language Requirement

In order to apply for the Unmarried Partner Visa, you must prove that you can speak and understand English. This is vital if you are to remain in the UK as you will need to understand the language to a certain degree in order to get by.

This may entail sitting an English Language test in a designated testing centre. You will need to apply to sit the test prior to making your visa application as you will need to submit your certificate for proof.

However, you are exempt from sitting the English language test if you originate from an English speaking country or if you have a degree that was taught in English.

In order to apply for an Unmarried Partner Visa, you must also provide evidence that you and your partner have cohabitated together prior and that you intend to live together in the UK with suitable accommodation arrangements.

The cohabitation rule stipulates that you must have lived together for 2 years or more. It doesn’t matter if you lived together outside the UK in order to satisfy this requirement.

The accommodation requirement means that both you and your sponsor – your partner with British Citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain – must provide evidence of your property arrangements in the UK. This must already be arranged by the time you come to apply.

Your accommodation in the UK must have adequate room for you and your partner. If you intend on bringing any children to live with you, the accommodation must expand accordingly. For instance, per each child, you will require an additional bedroom in your property arrangement. In addition, the property must meet UK living standards and your sponsor may be required to provide photographic and/or written proof that details the accommodation thoroughly.

Get in touch with our Birmingham immigration lawyers on 0121 667 6530 to see how we can help you meet the stringent accommodation and cohabitation requirements.

Although you must provide a plethora of documents to satisfy the requirements, a general document checklist for the Unmarried Partner Visa looks as follows:

• A copy of your passport
• A copy of your partner’s British passport and/or immigration status that proves he/she has a right to remain in the UK
• A portfolio of evidence proving you meet the Genuine Relationship Test
• Proof that any previous relationships have come to an end
• Details of your accommodation arrangements such as a Housing Report
• Your English Language or degree certificate that was taught in English
• Bank statements/payslips from your sponsor that proves you meet the Minimum Income Requirement

Unmarried Partner Visa Fees

If you are applying from outside the UK, the Unmarried Partner Visa costs £1,523

If you are applying from inside the UK, the fee is £1,033

You must take note that you will need to pay this fee again when you come to seek an Unmarried Partner Visa extension.

This fee does not include the additional costs such as the Immigration Health Surcharge, document translation services, the English language test, lawyer fees and the fee to register your biometric information.