Do I Need an Immigration Solicitor to Apply for a UK Fiance Visa?
You don’t need an Immigration Solicitor to apply for a UK Fiance Visa but it helps to have a specialist Immigration Lawyer on your side.
At OTS Solicitors our Immigration Solicitors can help you secure your Fiance Visa.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi
Can I apply for a UK Fiance Visa?
An Immigration Solicitor can explain if you meet the eligibility criteria for a Fiance Visa and advise on whether there is a UK visa that better meets your needs and requirements.
The UK Fiance Visa is for people who are not British citizens and who are subject to UK immigration control but who are engaged to marry:
- A British citizen
- An Irish citizen
- A person with settled status in the UK – that could be someone with Indefinite Leave to Remain or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- A person with a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker Visa
- A person with refugee or humanitarian status
If you are unsure if you will qualify for a Fiance Visa or want more information on the application process our Fiance Visa Solicitors can help.
Can I apply for a Fiance Visa from within the UK?
You can't apply for a Fiance Visa from within the UK. We get asked this question a lot by international students in the UK on Student Visas. Our Immigration Solicitors recommend you take immigration advice before leaving the UK to apply for a Fiance Visa. There may be a better visa option for your circumstances, such as a Graduate Visa or Skilled Worker Visa.
Our Individual Immigration Lawyers are based in London but we represent Fiance Visa and Family Visa applicants across the globe. We can arrange a Zoom meeting with you to discuss your application.
Does my fiancé qualify for a Fiance Visa?
A fiancé will qualify for a Fiance Visa if their partner meets the status criteria and both are:
- At least 18 years old
- In a genuine and enduring relationship with one another and have met one another in person
- Free to marry as any previous relationships have permanently ended. (Neither of you can still be married or in a civil partnership)
- Planning to get married within six months
- Intending to live together in the UK
In addition, the visa applicant must:
- Have adequate accommodation
- Be able to maintain themselves without recourse to state benefits
- Meet the English language requirement
If you have questions about the eligibility criteria our Fiance Visa Lawyers can explain how the criteria relate to your circumstances and the evidence you will need to supply to secure your Fiance Visa.
If you want to get married in the UK but don’t intend to live in the UK then the UK marriage Visitor Visa may be more suitable for you. If you are already married you will need a Spouse Visa.
Is there a financial requirement for a Fiance Visa?
The Fiance Visa financial requirement is that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds. Most visa applicants must show that their engaged partner or the two of them jointly have a gross income of at least £29,000. There are exceptions to this, mainly if the UK-based partner receives one of a prescribed list of UK state benefits.
Under Fiance Visa immigration rules, a Fiance Visa holder is not allowed to work in the UK. However, an applicant may have investment income that can be taken into account.
It is an essential part of a Fiance Visa application to demonstrate that the financial requirement is met. This could be through the production of evidence of employment and salary slips of the sponsoring partner, evidence of self-employed income or private pension or, in some cases, a combination of allowable sources of income.
If the visa applicant or sponsor has savings of over £16,000 then these cash savings can be used to reduce the annual salary figure for the financial requirement but there are complex immigration rules on what can be classed as cash savings.
Many Fiance Visa applicants have their applications refused because they either don’t supply the Home Office with enough evidence that they meet the financial requirement or that they are in a genuine relationship. Specialist Fiance Visa Solicitors can explain what is needed for your circumstances.
The length of the UK Fiance Visa
The UK Fiance Visa only lasts six months. Before your Fiance Visa ends you will need to apply for a Spouse Visa. You can do that from within the UK. In rare cases, you can extend a Fiance Visa. For example, if your planned wedding had to be delayed because one of you had an accident or was unwell and the date has been rearranged.
If you know after you arrive in the UK that you won't be married within six months of your arrival in the UK you must speak to an Immigration Solicitor. You should not leave things because if you do nothing you will be in breach of the immigration rules. You will also be an overstayer if you stay longer than the length of your Fiance Visa.
Questions about Fiance Visas
You are bound to have questions about applying for a Fiance Visa. For example, how to best prove you are in a genuine relationship or what sort of home satisfies the accommodation requirement. Our experienced Fiance Visa and Spouse Visa Solicitors can help you starting with your Fiance Visa application and then supporting you through your first Spouse Visa application followed by your Spouse Visa extension application and Indefinite Leave to Remain application.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi
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