Things you must know about Spouse visa to UK

If you don’t know how to get around the UK government’s immigration laws, taking your spouse to the UK can be a nightmare. Here is a quick guide to help your get your spouse to the UK with minimum fuss.

UK spouse VISA

Firstly, your significant other must have a UK spouse VISA, or UK marriage visa to live with you in the UK. If one of you has a UK citizenship, you spouse will be granted the visa. A resident of UK has no immigration restrictions on the duration of stay in the UK and also has a permit which allows him/ her to work in the country. A spouse visa enables your spouse to live and work in the UK.

Requirements for UK spouse VISA

The UK government revised the requirements for spouse visa a couple of years ago. The new requirements have made the process a bit difficult to get a UK spouse VISA. Here is a checklist which covers all the necessary requirements for the visa application process:

Age limit: Both of you must me more than 18 years of
Legally married: You must be legally married to your partner. This requirement was put in place to prevent fake marriages.
You must show the resolution to stay married permanently.
The British partner must be financially strong to support his/ her partner. The British government considers a person to be financially sound only if he/ she earn more than £18, 600 in a year. You need to show earnings more than £22,400 in a year if you have one child as well.
The partner who wants the visa must have sufficient command over the English language.
The resident partner must have suitable lodging for both partners.

The list seems simple enough; nevertheless, there are many who failed the UK spouse VISA application because they overlooked one or more of these steps.

Citizenship

After the visa is granted, your partner can reside in the country for another 2 years and 9 months. When this period is terminated, your spouse needs to apply for a visa extension that will give you extra 30 months. Once that is approved, your spouse can apply for British citizenship. You need to apply an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for this.