Immigration can be an unsettling experience for family-related visa routes. With every 1 in 4 family visas being refused, these numbers can cause anxiety for many, especially someone applies for an unmarried partner visa. In many countries, unmarried couples are not legally recognized or have any specific rights, whereas the UK has set up a visa route specifically for unmarried partners to enter or remain in the UK.

Being unmarried definitely doesn’t make it impossible for you to join your partner in the UK. The UK immigration rules for a spouse, unmarried partner, same-sex partner visa routes are almost similar. This little piece of information can be quite reassuring since there is no reason for anxiety emphasizing the ‘unmarried partner’ part – they built the route for it!

An Unmarried Partner visa for the UK, also known as a UK defacto visa, allows unmarried partners of the settled person who is British citizens or someone on ILR, to enter the UK and live with them. To apply successfully, you will need to know the eligibility criteria, the requirements, documentation & the process involved.

Our experts have created this cheat sheet, for you to get an insight into how an Unmarried partner visa to the UK works!

To be eligible to apply for an Unmarried Partner visa – UK, the applicant must be able to meet all the eligibility criteria involved in the visa route.

Some criteria are:

• You must be in a civil partnership or marriage that is recognized in the UK, or
• Are a fiancé or proposed civil partner or will marry within 6 months of entering the UK
• You must meet the English language requirement
• You must have accommodation
• You or your sponsor must be able to meet the minimum income threshold.

Requirements by the sponsor (the person living in the UK or a British citizen returning to the UK who are living and working overseas)

• The sponsor can be a British citizen,
• Or have settled in the UK holding ILR or proof of permanent residency
• The sponsor has refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
• The sponsor must meet a gross annual income of at least £18,600 or evidence of savings of £62,500
• The sponsor must prove that they can provide adequate accommodation complying with the UK housing space standards.

Smart Tip:
The rules of a UK unmarried partner visa suggest that if the applicant is permitted to work in the UK, their income can be considered meeting the requirement as well. Any savings that are held by the applicant will also be considered the same.

• The English language requirement
• A TB test requirement (if applying from a country on the Home Office’s list of prescribed countries)
• Must not have any adverse immigration history (overstaying, illegal entrant, breaching conditions, deception)
• Must not fall under the mandatory grounds for refusal.

• A genuine and subsisting relationship between the applicant and the sponsor
• Have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years while applying (utility bills, correspondence addressed with both the applicant and the sponsor’s name, banking details of a joint account, etc).

You can apply for an unmarried partner visa for the UK by post or online at the UKVI centre based on your circumstances. The tricky part is to fill out an extensive form, correctly. The applications can be pretty confusing, but going with your hunch might not help you here. Filling out details that you’re unsure of can place the odds against you. Hence, our advice is you do it carefully.

You must also provide the required supporting documents involved. Failing to do so, may cause a refusal as well.

If all these cautionary warnings are making you nervous, don’t worry; you have a solution!

TheSmartMove2UK can help you through every step – from filling the form correctly for your visa approval. Our team has successfully helped many clients issue an unmarried partner visa to the UK and join their partners.

The route is perfect for unmarried couples – it suits the requirements and does not limit you to the restrictions – as compared to spouse visas – the features are almost similar. However, you must keep in mind to fill out your application form correctly, since you can’t tell whether a missing or incorrect detail might cause you a lot of time and money. And providing documents to support your application and proving your relationship with the sponsor like utility bills, correspondence addressed with both the applicant and the sponsor’s name can be a key element for visa approval.

The SmartMove2UK has UK immigration lawyers that have been guiding clients into a successful immigration process since 2009. And we have a success rate of 99% – a sign of accomplishment. Our team is based in India – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. We have been consulting clients from all around the world via Zoom & Skype. We also have clients visiting for a consultation in our offices in Mumbai & Delhi.