Make a successful UK Spouse Visa application with the right steps!

• At The SmartMove2UK our UK Visa Experts have been assisting and advising clients for UK Spouse Visa since 2009.
• A common observation in numerous instances is that there is often a lack of understanding about the requirements to apply for a UK Spouse Visa 2025.
• As a result, the visa application gets refused, and in some extreme cases, they receive a 10-year country ban.
• This blog is a useful guide for anyone looking to join their spouse in the UK and wants to know more about the UK Spouse Visa 2025.

First off, let’s get familiar with the UK Spouse Visa!

This visa category allows you to enter the UK and live there permanently with your spouse. After 5 years, the UK Spouse Visa allows settlement in the UK.

Everyone cannot apply for this visa. You are eligible to apply for the UK Spouse Visa ONLY IF you are married to:

• A British national, OR
• An Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status holder in the UK, OR
• A holder of refugee status, OR
• A person under humanitarian protection by the UK government, OR
• A person who has a Settled status/Proof of Permanent Residence in the UK, OR
• A person from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and he/she has a Pre-settled status and started living in the UK before 1st January 2021, OR
• A person who has a Turkish Businessperson Visa or a Turkish Worker Visa

If you are able to demonstrate the following UK Spouse Visa requirements, then you may be eligible to apply for a UK Spouse Visa.

• You and your partner are at least 18 years old
• Your relationship must be genuine and ongoing
• You must intend to live together, and permanently in the UK
• You must have proof of accommodation in the UK
  Financial requirements must be met
• You are able to communicate and understand English at the required level

• The financial requirement ensures that you and your partner can support yourselves without needing public funds. The requirement is set at a minimum income of £29,000 p.a. (for entry clearance applications after April 2024).

There are several sources that can be combined to meet the financial requirement

• Sponsor’s employment salary (sponsor’ is the partner who is in the UK)
• Sponsor’s income earned from self-employment
• Either of the partners’ income earned in the form of – pensions OR dividends received on investments, OR rentals received on commercial/residential properties
• Alternatively, you can also demonstrate cash savings of £88,000 in lieu of income

Typically, this is a UK Spouse Visa document checklist you are required to provide:

• A valid passport with two blank pages
• Proof of your genuine and ongoing relationship (marriage certificate, photographs, joint bank accounts, civil partnership certificate (for same-sex couples), call logs, messages exchanged, and so on).
• Proof of income demonstrating sufficient funds/savings (bank statements)
• British passport OR ILR status proof OR any other UK government document of your spouse which confirms their status in the UK
• Information of children coming to the UK (if any)
• Divorce certificate from a previous marriage (if applicable)
• Accommodation proof once you arrive in the UK (exclusively owned or rented property)
• Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS test certificate or certificate of equivalency from UK ENIC)
• Tuberculosis test certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic (only applicable for certain countries, check here if you require)

Please note this is not an exhaustive checklist, and depending on your specific past/present circumstances, you may be required to submit additional documents.

Your initial UK Spouse Visa “Entry Clearance” is granted for 2 years and 9 months.

• YES, you can apply for a UK Spouse Visa Extension
• The extension granted is called a “Leave to Remain”, which is valid for another 30 months, i.e. 2 years and 5 months
• You must apply for Leave to Remain before your Entry Clearance validity expires

To submit a UK Spouse Visa application, you must apply online on the gov.uk website (official website of the UK government). You are required to submit all the relevant, valid, and accurate documents and pay the visa application fees online, on the same portal.

The UK Spouse Visa application costs are mentioned below:

• Applying from outside the UK (Entry Clearance):

• Applying from inside the UK (Entry Clearance):

You can opt for ‘Super Priority Service” (optional) for an additional £1000 to get a decision on your application by the end of the next working day

Depending on the caseload of the UK Visas and Immigration department, the processing times for a UK Spouse Visa application usually takes 4 – 6 months.