Unmarried Partner Visa

Unmarried Partner Visa

The Immigration Rules allow a person who is not married or in a civil partnership to join a partner who is settled in the UK provided that certain conditions are met. To view the relevant Immigration Rules click here.

The main requirement for unmarried partners, is that they have been living with their sponsor in a relationship akin to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years prior to the date of application.

What evidence is required for the Unmarried Partner route?

You will need to have evidence that you intend to live together in the UK, that you are co-habiting and that you are in a genuine and subsisting relationship.

You will need to provide evidence that any previous relationship broke down and that the relationship on which you are making the application has lasted for two years. You will need to provide evidence that you have lived together in a relationship akin to a marriage or civil partnership for two years or more. You and your unmarried partner should not have been apart for more than six months and, if you have been apart, you must be able to show that there are good reasons for this, such as work commitments or illness.

What evidence is necessary to prove living together?

In order to show cohabitation, the Home Office guidance suggests that the applicant provides six pieces of correspondence addressed to each of the parties jointly. If you do not have correspondence addressed to you and your unmarried partner jointly, you should provide correspondence addressed to you individually but to the same address. This evidence should cover two years. In addition, the documents must be provided in their original version and should be from at least three different sources. These sources might include bank statements, utility bills and doctor’s records.

What visa will I get?

You will obtain leave to enter or leave to remain for a period of 30 months.

What if my application is refused?

You will have a right of appeal against a refusal of your application. Once you win your appeal you will be either able to enter the UK or extend your stay in the UK on the basis of your relationship. An unmarried partner’s leave to remain or enter will grant you permission to work in the UK and after five years in this category you can apply for indefinite leave to remain and a year later for British citizenship. You will not be able to claim most UK benefits whilst in the UK under an unmarried partner visa.

How much are the costs?

You will need to pay a fee to the Home Office to process your application. Home Office fees at the moment are £1,033 for applications made in the UK and £1,523 for applications made outside of the UK. You will also need to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge fee, which is £1,000.

In addition, you have to pay a biometric information fee of £19.20. This fee allows you to provide your biometrics. This involves recording your fingerprints. Your photograph and signature will also be taken.

What is new in Appendix – Relationships with partner?

This new Appendix sets out the requirements for an application based on a relationship with a partner, spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner in a durable relationship of at least two years.

A significant change is that unmarried partners do not necessarily need to have lived together for two years for the relationship to be considered “durable”. They only have to demonstrate that they have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years. This will usually mean cohabitation but not necessarily.  At the moment this Appendix relationship with partnership rules only applies to Ukrainian visa applications, and those applying for settlement for 10 years on the family route, but we are hopeful that this will be rolled out more widely in the future.

Danielle invites you to take a look at her blog, where you will see the diverse range of clients that she has helped to be able to live in the UK with their fiance or spouse.

Danielle and her team of immigration lawyers in London can help to make the process as straightforward as possible and ensure that you provide accurate and comprehensive evidence in support of your application. If you would like Danielle and her team to assist with your application, or you have a general query please do not hesitate to contact us or to call us on 020 7267 4133.