UK Spouse Visas

Life is rarely straightforward, especially when you need a spouse visa to join your partner in the UK. At OTS Solicitors our immigration lawyers are specialists in ‘difficult’ spouse visa applications. In this blog, our Spouse Visa Solicitors explain what we mean by that and how we can help you.

UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and Spouse Visa Solicitors  

For advice on spouse visas call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

What is a UK spouse visa?

Our Spouse Visa Solicitors receive many inquiries from people who are unsure about what type of family visa they need. They may need a visitor visa or a dependant visa or a fiancé visa rather than a spouse visa.

Confusingly spouse visas are referred to by several different names, such as:

• Marriage visa
• Partner visa
• Family visa
• Civil partner visa

All the above visas are essentially spouse visas as they all share the requirement that the visa applicant wants to join a sponsoring partner in the UK and:

• The sponsoring partner is a British citizen or is settled in the UK. For example, the sponsor has indefinite leave to remain
• The visa applicant and their sponsoring partner are in a relationship together akin to husband and wife. This can be a heterosexual or same-sex relationship and the couple can be married, in a civil partnership, or unmarried. If unmarried, the relationship must have been ongoing for at least 2 years
• The couple is in a committed genuine relationship and they have plans to live together (this requirement is to avoid ‘sham marriage’ applications)
• The visa applicant and their sponsoring partner meet the financial requirement required under the immigration rules
• The visa applicant meets the general eligibility criteria to come to the UK. For example, the applicant’s immigration record or previous criminal convictions do not prevent entry clearance

If you think that a spouse visa meets your requirements our Spouse Visa Solicitors will check that this is the best visa for you. For example, if you are in an unmarried relationship and want to get married in the UK, a fiancé visa may be the best option for you. A fiancée visa allows you to stay in the UK for 6 months to get married. If you want to continue to live in the UK then you would need to apply for a spouse visa.

What are difficult spouse visa applications?

As Spouse Visa Solicitor specialists, we receive lots of requests for help with ‘difficult’ spouse visa applications. It can sometimes be hard to secure a spouse visa even where it appears as if you have everything going in your favour so we never really class any application as ‘easy’ as you just don’t know from one application to the next.

Indicators of a potentially difficult spouse visa application include:

• You have previously had a spouse visa application refused. This may have been because you did not take expert immigration law advice or because your previous solicitor did not address a key point in your application or explain why it was important to provide quality evidence about your relationship. Whatever the reason for the previous refusal it must be addressed in any subsequent visa application
• Your relationship status – this could either be because your marriage was arranged and you have therefore had very little direct contact with your husband or wife or because you are an unmarried couple. If you are not married or in a civil partnership it is particularly important to show that you meet the genuine relationship eligibility criteria for a partner visa
• Meeting the financial requirement – it may be hard to show that the sponsor meets the financial requirement for a spouse visa. This may be because the sponsor is self-employed or derives income from several different sources or because the sponsor is a director of a company. Alternatively, you may be relying on cash savings of over £65,000 to meet the financial requirement but you may not be aware of the complexities of the immigration rules on savings and what you need to evidence to prove that you can meet the financial requirement through savings
• Meeting the accommodation requirement – to obtain a spouse visa you have to meet an accommodation requirement and show that you have accommodation available to you. You may think that it is obvious as your sponsor’s home address is Maida Vale but the Home Office requires information about the accommodation requirement in all spouse visa applications
• Spouse visa extensions – when you apply for a spouse visa extension it is often assumed that these go through ‘on the nod’ without Home Office officials examining the application and evidence too closely. That isn’t true. The same attention to detail needs to be paid to an extension application as the original visa request

How our Spouse Visa Solicitors can help you

The Spouse Visa Solicitors at London-based OTS Solicitors can help you with:

• Visa consultations to check a spouse visa application is the best option for you
• Initial spouse visa applications
• Spouse visa application reviews if your spouse visa application is refused after you have submitted your own application or used a different solicitor
• Spouse visa administrative review requests
• Spouse visa appeals
• Applying for dependant visas for children
• Spouse visa extension applications
• Switching from or to a spouse visa. For example, switching from the skilled worker visa to the family visa
• Spouse visa curtailment
• Indefinite leave to remain after entry in the UK on a family visa
• Indefinite leave to remain when a relationship has broken down due to domestic violence
• Indefinite leave to remain applications when a relationship has broken down and you have a dependent child
• British citizenship after entry to the UK on a family visa

UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and Spouse Visa Solicitors  

For advice on spouse visas call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

What our clients say about our spouse visa services:

Here is just a small sample of what our clients say about our spouse visa services. We are delighted by the reviews as they highlight the care we give to every application for a spouse visa, however complex or urgent.

• Posted on March 21, 2023

Whilst facing questions with regards to us applying directly for my wife's spouse visa, my wife suggested we called OTS Solicitors for a consultation, since the company had been highly recommended by a friend who had recently filed for a Spouse Visa. This was the best action we could have taken, as we soon learned from our solicitor, Nollienne, that I would not have qualified as a sponsor, since I was filing n as an employee from a Philippine Company based in the Philippines. Our Solicitor immediately found a solution by filing based on our savings account meeting the minimum requirement as a sponsor. We found Nollienne to be ever so efficient and easy to communicate with. After our first conference call, we did not hesitate to engage OTS Solicitors to represent us with the filing of the Spouse Visa. Nollienne was meticulous with her advice and instructions with regards to the documentation requirements needed before we filed our application. Using Dropbox, we were able to organize our documentation and allow Nollienne to review and provide suggestions for improvement. What impressed me the most was the detailed cover letter written by Nollienne at the time we submitted our application. it was incredibly detailed and illustrated how well she knew our circumstances and documentation. We silently felt very confident of being approved. We were fortunate enough to be selected for priority service and within 9 weeks from filing we were granted approval. Once again Nollienne stepped in to remind us of the requirements needed prior to leaving the Philippines of which we were not aware of. Without question, I would recommend OTS Solicitors to anyone filing for a spouse visa, and the cost for their service is extremely good value and a very small investment for future happiness in the UK as husband and wife. Then there is the human factor. Our solicitor, Nollienne, was not simply a professional in her own field, but really cared about the service she provided, and took extreme pride in being able to help people such as my Filipina wife feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the filing process. She really took pride in helping those in need, which meant a lot to her personally.

• Posted on June 8, 2023

I highly commend Tia Rose for representing us for my UK Spouse/ Partner Visa application. From start to finish, she has been professional, prompt and very organised with everything. We have all our documents all smoothly processed, all deadlines met and all our questions answered. We're obviously contacting her again and OTS Solicitors for my visa renewal. Thank you Tia and OTS!

• Posted on April 27, 2023

My partner and I were successful in our Spouse Visa application. We were lucky enough to have Sanae handle our case, which she did with utmost care. She advised us on every step of the way and was quick to answer any query we had. We are extremely happy with the result and the service we got, we highly recommend OTS Solicitors to anyone looking for a positive and hassle-free result.

UK Online and London-Based Immigration Lawyers and Spouse Visa Solicitors  

For advice on spouse visas call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

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