Family: partner or spouse

Eligibility

Partner must be British/Irish, settled (ILR) or have certain status; genuine relationship (married/civil partners, or living together 2+ years); English requirement; financial requirement. Note: being the partner of a Skilled Worker or Graduate is a different (dependant) route.

Key facts (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Full eligibility criteria (official)

Apply as a partner or spouse

To apply as a partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.

Your partner must also either:

• be a British or Irish citizen
• have settled in the UK - for example, they have indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence
• be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status - they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021
• have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
• have protection status (leave to remain as a refugee, permission to stay as a refugee or a person with humanitarian protection)
• have got permission to stay as a stateless person before you became their partner

You and your partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK after you apply.

If your partner has settled or pre-settled status you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.

What you’ll need to prove

You must be able to prove one of the following:

• you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
• you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you are a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner and will marry or enter into a civil partnership in the UK within 6 months of arriving
• you’ve been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but you cannot live together, for example because you’re working or studying in different places, or it’s not accepted in your culture

You also need to prove you:

• have a good knowledge of English
• meet the financial requirements

If you cannot provide this proof you may still be able to apply for a visa or extend your permission to stay if:

• you have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
• it would breach your human rights to stop you coming to the UK or make you leave

If you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

You must prove that:

• you plan to marry or become civil partners within 6 months of arriving in the UK
• any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended

You cannot work or study in the UK during your engagement. After you marry or become civil partners, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay in the UK. If your application is approved, you’ll have the right to work or study.

How to prove your relationship

Send evidence that:

• comes from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider, or a medical professional
• confirms your relationship with your partner - for example, that you live together, share expenses or are married or in a civil partnership
• is less than 4 years old

You can use things like:

• a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate
• a tenancy agreement, utility bills or Council Tax bills confirming that you live at the same address or pay bills together
• a bank statement from a joint bank account, or confirming that you live at the same address
• a letter from your doctor or dentist confirming that you live at the same address

If you do not have any evidence that meets these criteria, there is other evidence you can provide instead, including:

• a one-off bill like vet’s fees or home repair costs
• letters confirming you and your partner are on the voting register for the same address
• student finance paperwork confirming that you live at the same address

If you do not live together

If you cannot live together because of work or study, or for cultural reasons, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other. You can do this by providing evidence that you:

• communicate regularly with each other
• support each other financially
• care for any children you have together
• spend time together as a couple, for example on holiday or at events

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for up to 2 years and 9 months. After this, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.

If you’re applying as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

You can stay in the UK for 6 months. After you marry or become civil partners, you’ll need to apply to extend your stay.

If your partner with protection status claimed asylum after 2 March 2026

If your partner’s permission to stay ends in less than 2 years and 9 months, your permission to stay will end at the same time as theirs.

Extend or switch to this visa

If you extend your family visa or switch to this visa you can stay in the UK for up to a further 2 years and 6 months.

You can extend your visa more than once.

If you become engaged before extending your visa

If you’re in the UK as an unmarried partner and you become engaged, do not apply to extend your visa as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner. Apply to extend with the same visa status you have now.

If your partner with protection status claimed asylum after 2 March 2026

If your partner’s permission to stay ends in less than 2 years and 6 months, your permission to stay will end at the same time as theirs.

How to apply

You’ll need to prepare information and evidence to provide with your application.

How you apply depends on whether you’re in the UK or not.

Outside the UK

You must apply online from outside the UK.

In the UK

You must apply online in the UK.

Source: GOV.UK – Apply as a partner or spouse (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Financial requirements if you’re applying as a partner or spouse

If you apply for a family visa as a partner, you and your partner usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year.

This is called a ‘minimum income requirement’.

The financial requirements are different if either:

• your partner is getting certain disability or carer’s benefits
• you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa - this includes if you first applied as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

How you prove your income depends on how you got it. You may be able to use your savings instead of income to show you meet the requirement.

Check the information and evidence you’ll need to prove your income.

If your partner is getting disability or carer’s benefits

You do not need to meet a minimum income requirement if your partner gets one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Attendance Allowance
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Personal Independence Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
• Police Injury Pension
• Child Disability Payment
• Adult Disability Payment

You need to show you and your family have enough money to house and support yourselves without relying on additional public funds. The caseworker considers your income and housing costs.

Check the guidance in Appendix FM and Appendix HM armed forces: minimum income requirement for more information.

If you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa

If you’re extending your stay with the same partner, you and your partner will need to prove that your combined income is at least £18,600 a year.

You must prove you have extra money for any children who:

• you’re applying for a family visa with
• are already in the UK as dependants on your family visa
• are already in the UK as your partner’s dependants

You do not need to prove you have extra money for any children who:

• are British or Irish citizens
• have pre-settled status
• are permanently settled in the UK

You might not need to prove you have extra money if your children are citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and they do not have pre-settled status or are not permanently settled in the UK. Check the guidance in Appendix FM and Appendix HM armed forces: minimum income requirement for more information.

If you need to prove extra money for children, you’ll need to prove an extra:

• £3,800 a year for the first child
• £2,400 a year for each additional child you have after the first child

If the total amount you’d need to earn based on your children would be more than £29,000, you only need to prove you make £29,000 a year.

If you cannot meet the financial requirements

If you cannot meet these financial requirements you may still be able to apply for a visa or extend your stay if:

• you have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
• it would breach your human rights to stop you coming to the UK or make you leave

If you do not meet the financial requirements, the earliest you’ll be able to apply to settle is after 10 years in the UK.

Source: GOV.UK – Financial requirements if you’re applying as a partner or spouse (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Knowledge of English

You may need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.

Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English or take a test if one of the following is true:

• you’re applying as a child
• you’re applying as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative
• you’ve been in the UK on a family visa for 5 years and you’re extending it as a partner or parent
• you’re over 65
• you have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the requirement

You also will not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• the Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• the British overseas territories
• Canada
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Jamaica
• Malta
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• USA

How to prove your knowledge of English

You can prove it in one of the following ways:

• having a degree from a UK institution
• having a degree from an institution that was outside the UK and taught in English
• passing an English test from an approved provider

If you have already proved your knowledge of English in a previous successful visa application, you may not have to prove it again.

If you have a degree from a UK institution

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:

• taught in English
• awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK

If your qualification is from a UK institution, you only need your degree certificate.

If you have a degree from an institution outside the UK

If your degree was taught in English and was not awarded by a UK institution, you’ll need to apply for an assessment from Ecctis.

Ecctis will give you a code to confirm that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.

If you have already been assessed by Ecctis, you do not need to reapply. You can use the certificate from your previous assessment instead.

Passing an English test

If you do not have any qualifications that prove your knowledge of English, you will need to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider.

You must pass at least level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale for your first visa application. You can choose to take a higher level test.

If you pass level B1 or higher, you can use your test result again when you apply for settlement after 5 years. Your test still needs to be on the approved list of qualifications and your test certificate must not have been withdrawn by the test provider.

Applying to extend your visa after 2.5 years

You may have to pass a higher CEFR level if you want to stay in the UK after 2.5 years. What you need to do depends on what CEFR level you passed for your first visa.

If you passed:

• level A1, you’ll need to pass at least level A2 in speaking and listening
• level A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2, you can use the test result again for your application as long as your test certificate has not been withdrawn by the test provider

If you were given an exemption, you’ll need to pass a test at level A1.

Read the English language requirement: family members guidance.

Source: GOV.UK – Knowledge of English (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How to apply, step by step (official)

After you apply

You’ll need to attend an appointment to provide your fingerprints and a photo (biometric information).

You’ll be told how to make an appointment when you apply.

You’ll need to take your passport with you to your appointment. You’ll usually get it back on the same day.

If you applied from outside the UK, allow time to attend your appointment. The visa application centre could be in another country.

Getting your documents back urgently

You can ask for your passport and other documents to be returned if you’ve provided them with your application but need them now.

You might have to cancel your application to get your documents back.

If your application is approved

You’ll get an eVisa (a digital record of your identity and immigration status).

Your decision email or letter will tell you how to access to your eVisa. You’ll need to create a UKVI account, if you do not have one.

Your decision email or letter will also state whether you have a:

• ‘standard endorsement’ - this means you met all the requirements for the visa
• ‘non-standard endorsement’ - this means you only met some of the requirements for the visa, but you have been given the visa so you can join your family

Your endorsement type might affect when you can apply for settlement in the UK, if you become eligible.

What you can do in the UK

You can:

• work
• study

You cannot:

• usually get benefits or other public funds for you or your dependants
• apply to settle in the UK until you’re eligible

If you applied as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner

You cannot work or study in the UK.

You’ll need to apply for permission to extend your stay in the UK when you marry or enter into a civil partnership. If your application is approved, you will have the right to work or study in the UK.

Source: GOV.UK – After you apply (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Processing times and faster decisions (official)

Standard: See gov.uk (GOV.UK visa processing times).

• Priority service: +£500, usually a decision within 5 working days (settlement, citizenship and family-from-outside-UK: usually 30 working days).
• Super priority service: +£1,000, usually a decision by the end of the next working day after you prove your identity. Not available for citizenship.
• Availability depends on the route, the country and whether you use a UKVCAS centre or the ID Check app; there is a daily limit. You are told at the point of applying whether it is offered.

Source: GOV.UK – Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How the application works (official)

1. Check eligibility and gather documents (sections above). Sponsored routes: get your CoS/CAS reference first; endorsed routes: get your endorsement first.
2. Apply online on GOV.UK and pay the fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (if it applies) – IHS.
3. Prove your identity: either the UK Immigration: ID Check app (if offered) or an appointment at a visa application centre (outside the UK) or UKVCAS service point (inside the UK) for fingerprints and photo.
4. Upload documents and wait for the decision. Do not travel or leave the UK before a decision if applying from inside the UK – it can withdraw your application.
5. Your permission is issued as an eVisa in your UKVI account; physical BRPs are no longer issued. Link your passport to it and use share codes to prove your rights – GOV.UK eVisas.

Path to settlement (ILR) and citizenship

Usually after 5 years on the partner route – check gov.uk.

Citizenship normally needs ILR (or settled status) held for 12 months – or immediately if married to a British citizen – plus the residence, absences, good character, Life in the UK test (£50) and English B1 requirements. See GOV.UK – Settle in the UK and GOV.UK – Citizenship if you have ILR.