Fiancé(e) Visa UK in London

The UK Fiancé Visa is for those intending to marry a partner who is a British citizen or settled person in the UK. It must be applied from overseas through the Family Partner route. Those in same-sex relationships can apply through the Proposed Civil Partner route (equivalent of the Fiancé Visa).Key Points Of The Fiancé Visa include meeting a minimum financial requirement of £29,000 per year. It allows an applicant to live in the UK for up to 6 months, with no study or work permitted. The applicant must marry their partner and apply for a visa extension to remain through the UK Spouse Visa which leads to settlement status, and the possibility of British citizenship.

The Fiancé Visa is the first stage of a process to settle in the UK:

1. Fiancé Visa (obtain entry clearance)
2. Apply for the Partner Visa (within the UK) once married or have become a Civil Partner – 2.5 years
3. Extend Partner Visa – 2.5 years
4. Apply for Indefinite Leave To Remain (ILR) – completion of 5 years
5. Potentially apply for British citizenship.

You must continue to live with your partner and comply with UK immigration laws until you have obtained ILR, but you are free to live and work in the UK during this time.

The Fiancé Visa or equivalent is not mandatory to enter the Family Visa Route, as you can marry overseas and then just apply for the Fiancé Visa UK.

If you are in the UK with a long term visa (one which has been issued for more than 6 months), you may be able to switch immigration status to the Fiancé Visa without having to leave the UK.

For those who do not intend to live and work in the UK, but simply wish to get married here, the appropriate route is the visit for marriage visa.

Fiancé Visa Assistance

The UK Fiancé Visa can be challenging, our expert team can assist you with the application process through to ILR and thereafter British nationality.

Who Can Sponsor A UK Fiancé Visa?

• a British citizen settled in the UK
• an Irish national
• a person granted refugee or humanitarian protection status
• a Turkish Worker.

Fiancé Visa Requirements

1. Meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years at date of application and not be within the prohibited degree of relationship i.e. not closely related such as brother or sister.

2. Have met in person, this requires a physical meeting and evidence thereof can be requested.

3. Intend to marry within the 6 month validity period of the Fiancé Visa UK.

Evidence of the wedding ceremony, booking of the reception or any other services related to the wedding should be supplied.

4. Intend to live together permanently with one another following the marriage or Civil Partnership and is a question of fact.

5. Be in a genuine relationship with one another and is perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of the Fiancé Visa.

For those in longer term relationships this will be easier to demonstrate.

In short, documentation to substantiate the relationship should be produced, depending on the circumstances of the case.

6. Any previous relationship of either party must have permanently broken down, this generally requires divorce certificates to be produced.

7. Meet a Minimum Financial Requirement of £29,000 per year and is arguably the most challenging aspect of the Fiancé Visa, see below.

8. Meet an Adequate Accommodation Requirement without having recourse to public funds, and for any dependants.

The Home Office will want to see the proposed accommodation has sufficient space for the couple and any dependants and complies with UK legislation:

• This varies from case to case and depends on the size of the property and who the other occupants are and their ages.
• It may be advisable to produce an independent property report but in most cases this can be met by providing tenancy agreements or evidence of ownership with documentation showing the size of the property.

9. The applicant must demonstrate a minimum competence in the English language. This can be met through:

• being a citizen of a specified majority English speaking country or
• holding a degree level qualification that was taught in English and certified through ECCTIS if not obtained from a UK approved educational institution such as a University or
• by passing a specified secure English language test at level A1 or above.

The UK Fiancé visa can only be applied from outside the UK and the process involves:

• Submission of an online application through the Home Office website where payment of the application fee is required.
• Upload supporting evidence.
• Attendance at a biometric appointment through a third party body (VFS).
• Potentially attending an interview, which is rare.

Applicants from certain specified countries must undertake a Tuberculosis test.

Processing Time Outside The UK

• The standard processing time is 12 weeks.
• For an additional fee of £500 it can be processed within 25 working days through a priority service.

Process After Arrival In The UK

Once in the UK, an individual should contact a Registrar to give Notice of Intention to Marry.

The Registrar will normally want to see that you have the required UK Fiancé Visa.

Notice To Registrar Requirements

The requirements to give Notice are:

• Pay a fee.
• Complete a period of 7 days and nights in the UK and give notice on the 9th day.
• Provide ID documents and possibly evidence of residence.

The process should be checked with the Registrar for the Marriage Visa UK.

The notice period will be at least 29 days and thereafter you will be free to marry.

Home Office Checks

If you do not have a UK Fiancé Visa the Registrar may then refer the case to the Home Office:

• The Home Office will have up to 70 days to investigate.
• Those who do not have an immigration status for the UK, are in the UK illegally, or as an overstayer face greater scrutiny.

What The Home Office Can Do

• Request an interview.
• Detain and attempt to remove individuals from the UK.

Marriage Or Civil Partnership Ceremony

Once granted permission to marry, the marriage date should be set, if not already done so. Any plans associated with this should be made.

For those who do not have an immigration status as referred to above, it is not unheard of for the Home Office to detain people at the ceremony.

Some documents are mandatory to meet the Fiancé Visa requirements which are highlighted in bold below:

• current passport
• current passport of UK-based sponsor
• tuberculosis test certificate
• evidence to show when the proposed marriage will take place
• A1 English language test certificate if not from a specified majority English speaking country i.e. degree certificate with ECCTIS certification or if obtained from a majority English speaking country, or specified English language test at level A1 or above
• evidence that the proposed accommodation is adequate which can include documents to show ownership, tenancy agreements, consent letters, independent property reports or floor plans and photographs
• documentation to show the relationship is genuine which can include evidence of contact, evidence of cohabitation (where relevant), trips to be together, joint financial commitments, bank statements, photographs and letters of support.

The financial rules apply equally across all partner visa types. In other words, the requirements for a Fiancé Visa are the same as for a spouse or civil partner visa.

We set out below a summary of the main rules, but more detailed information can be found on our spouse visa page.

Applicants must meet a minimum earning requirement of £29,000 p.a.

There are no additional increments for children dependents on the application.

Acceptable Sources Of Income

• Employment or self-employment of the sponsor.
• Certain permitted sources other than employment, such as rent from property, ongoing payments from insurance policies, e.g. income protection.
• State or private pensions of the sponsor.
• Maternity allowances or bereavement benefits received in the UK.
• Shortfalls in income can be made up from savings in excess of £16,000 held by either the sponsor or the applicant.

If your sponsor does not have an income, the amount of savings you need to hold is £88500.

Exemption From The Minimum Financial Requirement

Applicants will be exempt from these financial requirements if their UK sponsor receives a specified disability related benefit or carer’s allowance.

In these circumstances, it is necessary to show the couple can still maintain and accommodate themselves without additional recourse to public funds.

Applicants Granted A UK Fiancé Visa Prior To 11 April 2024

For those few who were granted a Fiancé Visa prior to 11 April 2024, they will remain subject to an £18600 financial requirement through to settlement unless, they do not renew their visa or apply to stay in the UK with a different sponsor.

A Fiancé Visa application must meet the English requirements. This must be at a minimum level of A1.

Those who are from the following specified majority English language speaking countries do not need to provide any evidence other than the passport showing the nationality as follows:

• 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.

The standard Fiancé Visa application fee is £1938, payable in either a local currency, Euros or US dollars.

The timescale for processing is approximately 12 weeks or more.

An optional priority processing Fiancé Visa fee of £500 (local currency) subject to availability, can be paid which should lead to the application being considered within 25 working days of attending the biometric appointment.

Applying for a Fiancé Visa to the UK and, at the same time, planning a marriage and a visa extension within 6 months in a new country can be stressful and challenging.

Our lawyers have decades of experience with the marriage visa process, are recommended by the Legal 500 as immigration lawyers and have reviews spanning more than 10 years.

We can assist you to understand the legal requirements, process and fees required to plan and succeed to ensure a successful outcome.