Fiancée visas and reporting to the Home Office
The Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers are reporting that the new girlfriend of the Strictly Come Dancing Star, Neil Jones, has been reported to the Home Office by her former partner. In this blog we discuss the importance of understanding the Immigration Rules that apply to UK fiancée visas.
Fiancé visa and family visa solicitors
London based OTS Solicitors specialise in Immigration and family law. If you have questions about your fiancé visa or spouse visa call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 to discuss your best immigration options or compete our online enquiry form. Appointments are available by video conference, Skype or by telephone appointment.
The relationship dance
It is said in the Daily Mail and The Sun newspapers that Columbian born dancer Luisa Eusse is in a relationship with Strictly star, Neil Jones, and that she entered the UK on a fiancé visa through her engagement to a former partner. It is reported that Luisa Eusse has been reported to the Home Office by her ex- partner because their relationship broke down in about July 2020. However, the papers also say that Ms Eusse is now studying in the UK on a student visa.
Whilst we don’t know why Luisa Eusse and her former partner split up it is true to say that many engaged couples in the UK have experienced relationship pressures over the last six months because of the emotional or financial pressures created by Covid-19 and the government lockdown. Immigration solicitors are receiving calls from those in engaged relationships worried about their Immigration status should they separate from their fiancée or fiancé having entered the UK on a fiancé visa and others worried about their reporting obligations to the Home Office.
Fiancé visas and reporting to the Home Office
Whilst no one wants to contemplate splitting up from their partner it is important that you know what your reporting obligations to the Home Office are if you enter the UK on a fiancé visa but later split up from your partner. A fiancé visa is valid for six months and enables you to enter the UK provided that you can prove that you are planning to get married or enter a civil partnership within six months of arriving in the UK and that you meet the other fiancé visa eligibility criteria.
The Immigration Rules say that you must tell the Home Office if your relationship ends (you divorce or separate from your partner) if your UK visa is based on your relationship.
How do you report a change of relationship status to the Home Office?
If you need to report a change in relationship status to the Home Office then either you or your immigration solicitor can email the Home Office to let them know. It is important that any email includes:
- Your full name and date of birth
- Your address
- Your Home Office reference number
- Your passport reference number.
If you email or write to the Home Office it is important to keep a copy of your correspondence to the Home Office.
Will the Home Office contact my ex-partner?
If you tell the Home Office that you are no longer engaged to your fiancé then they may contact your fiancé. However, when you report your change in circumstances to the Home Office, you can tell the Home Office officials if you are willing for them to share the information you gave them with your former partner or not by completing what are referred to as either a public statement or a consent form. It is important to think about which form is best for you to complete if, for example, you don’t want your ex-partner to know your current address.
What is my Immigration status if I split up from my fiancé?
If you entered the UK on a visa that was linked to your relationship status then it is important to take legal advice from a specialist fiancé visa and family visa solicitor if your relationship breaks down. It is best to do so as quickly as possible so that:
- You understand your reporting duties to the Home Office
- You understand that your former partner or a family member might report the end of the relationship to the Home Office
- You can consider your best alternative visa options if you want to stay in the UK.
How can OTS Solicitors help?
If you are separating from a fiancé or a husband, wife or civil partner and you are in the UK on a fiancé visa, spouse visa, family visa or dependant visa and you are worried about your Immigration status and Immigration options to stay in the UK then the specialist Immigration and family lawyers at London based OTS Solicitors can help you.
Our friendly and approachable team of experts know just how worrying and stressful a relationship breakdown can be, especially when combined with concerns about your Immigration status and best visa options. We can look at all your alternative visa routes from student visas to work visas to business visas and other types of family visa.
Fiancé visa and family visa solicitors
If you have questions about your fiancé visa or spouse visa then London based OTS Solicitors specialise in Immigration and family law and can help you. Call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 to discuss your best immigration options or compete our online enquiry form. Appointments are available by video conference, Skype or by telephone appointment.