Unmarried Partner Visa UK – A Guide from Expert Immigration Advisers

In order to be eligible for the UK Unmarried Partner visa, you must fulfil a number of requirements.

Ultimately, through meeting these conditions, you will prove to the Home Office that you are eligible for the Unmarried Partner visa.

The requirements are as follows:

• Both you and your partner must be at least 18-years-old
• Your partner must be resident in the UK and act as your sponsor
• You must have been in a relationship with your partner for at least two years
• You must have met your partner in-person
• You must have lived with your partner for at least two years
• Must be able to demonstrate that your relationship is genuine and that any previous relationships have broken down. If you have been married in the past, you will need to provide evidence that the marriage/civil partnership has ended
• Your sponsor must meet certain financial requirements (more below)
• You must have suitable accommodation which you intend to live in with your partner (and any dependents)
• You need to demonstrate that you can speak English to a certain level if you are from a non-English-speaking country

In order to be eligible for the Unmarried Partner visa, you will need to plan to live permanently with your partner upon your arrival in the UK. Even if you and your partner have not previously lived together or if you have been long-distance until now, you will still be expected to cohabit upon your arrival.

The Unmarried Partner visa is intended for couples who are in long-term and committed relationships despite not being married. The permanent cohabitation upon arrival requirement is an extension of this and is intended to ensure that you have a strong case for joining your partner in the UK.

If living together upon arrival will be an issue, due to cultural considerations, for example, an alternative route to consider is the Fiance visa route. This route grants you a 6-month period in the UK in which to marry your partner, after which you will be able to apply for a Spouse visa. The Spouse visa is another Family visa type which provides a route to UK permanent settlement.

If you are from a non-English-speaking country, you may need to take a test to prove that you can understand and communicate in English to a certain level. This is a requirement for all long-term family visa applicants. The test must be taken at an approved SELT English language test centre.

If you have studied a degree or higher level qualification in English at an approved educational institution, you will not need to sit an English language test.

You will also be exempt from the English requirement if you are aged 65 or over or have a mental or physical condition which prevents you from sitting the test.

Unmarried Partner visa applicants must be able to prove to the Home Office that they have suitable accommodation to live in in the UK. The accommodation must meet appropriate UK living standards.

It is not acceptable for large families to live in a small house without adequate room space. Your accommodation in the UK must have adequate rooms for you and your partner as well as any dependents. An additional bedroom is needed in your accommodation for each dependent who will be joining you.

Your sponsor might be required to provide photographs and other information which details the accommodation thoroughly.

Need help proving your accommodation eligibility? Our immigration consultants will guide you in gathering the necessary documents, including tenancy agreements, property ownership proofs, and sponsorship letters, ensuring compliance with UKVI standards.

As mentioned, you will need to provide certain information and documents to prove your eligibility to the Home Office. The specific documents which you need to provide are somewhat dependent on your individual circumstances.

Still, with all UK Unmarried Partner visa applications, the following documents will always need to be provided:

• Copy of passport
• Copy of your partner’s passport and immigration status in the UK
• Documents showing proof that you meet the genuine relationship requirement, as explained above
• Proof that previous relationships have ended
• Details of your accommodation requirements
• English language test certificate, if applicable
• Bank statements/payslips from your partner which prove that you meet the minimum income requirement
• Details of where you have lived in the past
• Information of any dependents who will be joining you

When applying for the UK Unmarried Partner visa, you will first need to check your eligibility and ensure that you have the required documentation. Once you have done so, you can then submit your application form online, via the UK government website. As part of this process, you will also need to pay the application fee.

Once you have submitted the form, you will generally also need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre. These centres can be found in numerous global locations. At your appointment, your biometric information will be collected (specifically, your photograph and your fingerprints).

When you have completed all the steps, your application will then be processed. You should generally receive a response within 12 weeks, although there may be delays in the case of a high number of other applications simultaneously being processed or if there are issues with your application.

If your application is successful, you will then be granted an eVisa. You can now use this to enter the UK.

The UK Unmarried Partner visa costs £2,064 if it is submitted outside the UK. If you switch to the Unmarried Partner visa from within the UK, the cost is £1,321 .

However, there are other costs which you ought to bear in mind. For instance, you will need to pay for an English language test if you are not exempt. Translation fees are another cost to be aware of – if any of the information or documents which you provide are not in English or Welsh, they will need to be translated by an accredited translator.

As you will be applying to remain in the UK for a relatively long period, you will need to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) if you haven’t already.

What is the processing time for an Unmarried Partner visa application?

If you completed your application outside the UK, you will generally receive a decision within 12 weeks of the date the application was received.

If you apply from inside the UK, you can expect a decision within eight weeks.

Prohibited relationships, in the context of the Unmarried Partner Visa in the UK, refer to relationships that are not eligible for this visa category. These relationships involve individuals who are closely related by blood or adoption, making them ineligible for a partner visa. Examples of prohibited relationships include:

The Unmarried Partner visa can be extended upon expiry, provided that you continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria.

When you are first granted an Unmarried Partner visa, it will generally have a duration of 2 years and 9 months. Upon its expiry, you can extend it for an additional 2 years and 6 months. However, you will be expected to demonstrate that you still satisfy the eligibility criteria for the Unmarried Partner visa. If you and your partner are no longer in a relationship, for example, you will no longer be eligible.

After being on an Unmarried Partner visa for at least 5 years and living continuously in the UK during this time, you will generally be eligible to apply for UK permanent settlement.

In many cases, it will be possible to switch to an Unmarried Partner visa from a different visa type. If you enter the UK on a Student visa, for example, and meet a UK partner during this time, you can apply to switch to an Unmarried Partner visa once you and your partner have been together for 2 years, provided that you also satisfy the additional eligibility criteria. Alternatively, if you enter the UK on a Long-term Work visa and meet your partner during this time, you may also be eligible.

However, note that not all UK visas provide a route to switching to the Unmarried Partner visa. If you enter the UK on a Visitor visa or a Temporary Work visa, for instance, you will generally not be eligible to switch to an Unmarried Partner visa. Instead, you will be expected to leave the UK once your current visa expires and to submit a new visa application from outside of the UK.

You will also not be eligible to switch to the Unmarried Partner visa if your current visa expires before you and your partner have been together for at least 2 years. In this case, you will generally need to leave the UK until you and your partner have satisfied the 2-year-relationship threshold, after which point you can submit an Unmarried Partner visa application.

If your Uk Unmarried Partner visa application is accepted, you can remain in the UK for up to 30 months if you applied from within the UK and for up to 33 months if you applied from outside the UK. You will be free to work and study in the UK through this immigration route.

You can extend your Unmarried Partner visa’s immigration permission when your current permission expires for the same time period.

After you have lived in the UK for five years, and provided you haven’t broken any immigration rules or conditions, you will be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, which is a form of permanent residence, meaning you can remain in the UK without any restrictions.

After you have lived in the UK for one year under Indefinite Leave to Remain, you will be eligible for British citizenship. As a British citizen, you can apply for a British passport and enjoy the full benefits of British citizenship.

With expert legal assistance, the visa process becomes smoother. Our firm provides continuous support even after your visa is granted, helping you with extensions, ILR applications, and British citizenship guidance.

We understand that it can be extremely distressing to receive a rejection letter. Your rejection letter will indicate the reason/s for the rejection, as well as if you have the option to challenge the decision.

If there was a clear and obvious reason why your application was rejected, the best course of action is to submit another application with the mistakes rectified (if possible to do so). However, if you believe that your application was unfairly rejected, you are well within your rights to challenge the decision of the Home Office.

If you think a genuine mistake was made, such as a clear piece of evidence not being taken into consideration, you can usually opt for an administrative review. With an administrative review, your application will be reconsidered by a different UK immigration official.

Also, under certain circumstances, you might be able to lodge an official appeal against the Home Office’s decision. However, in most Unmarried Partner visa cases, this will not be an option.

Our firm specializes in visa refusals and appeals. With extensive experience in immigration law, our barristers and attorneys will fight for your case and provide the best possible legal strategy.

Contact our immigration advisers in Manchester if you would like help with an Unmarried Partner visa application rejection.

The Unmarried Partner visa provides a direct route to permanent settlement in the UK, also known as indefinite leave to remain. Once you have lived in the UK for at least 5 years, you will generally be able to apply for permanent settlement status. However, there are a number of eligibility criteria which you will be expected to satisfy. For example, you will need to have lived continuously in the UK for at least a 5-year period, meaning that you did not spend more than 180 days outside of the UK during any 1-year period (except in the case of certain extenuating circumstances such as illness or natural disaster).

In addition, you will need to pass the Life in the UK test and demonstrate that you satisfy the language requirements for UK permanent settlement.

Many individuals with UK permanent settlement status choose to eventually apply for UK citizenship. Once you have obtained permanent settlement status, you will generally be eligible to apply for UK citizenship after 1 year, provided that you satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Upon successfully receiving UK citizenship, you will be eligible to obtain a British passport and to participate in UK elections.

We are a team of highly experienced IAA-accredited immigration advisers in Manchester as well as throughout the UK, with a wealth of experience in the field of immigration law. We deal in all areas of immigration law and we have developed a reputation over many years of delivering outstanding results.

We can help you apply for a UK Unmarried Partner visa or any of the other UK visas.

The requirements which need to be fulfilled for the Unmarried Partner visa are extensive but if you choose to hire one of our immigration experts, you needn’t worry. We will work with you through the entire visa application process to ensure that your application is completed to the very highest standard, maximising your chances of securing your UK Unmarried Partner visa.

To find out more about how we can help you, please call us now on 0161 826 9783. Our offices are in Manchester as well as throughout the UK. Find your local office by entering your postcode in our Office Finder.