Fiancé(e) VISA

Axis Solicitors: Your Trusted Partner for Fiancé Visa UK

Are you planning to bring your fiancé to the UK? Applying for a Fiancé Visa can be complicated and time-consuming, but with Axis Solicitors’ help, you can easily navigate the system.

Our team of experienced immigration lawyers is dedicated to providing personalized and efficient service to help you and your partner join together in the UK. We understand that every case is unique, and we will work with you to ensure that your application has the best possible chance of success.

One of the first steps in the Fiancé Visa UK process is to prove that your relationship is genuine. At Axis Solicitors, we can help you gather the necessary documents and evidence to demonstrate this, such as photographs, messages, and letters from you and your partner.

Once your application is submitted, it will be reviewed by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) department. The process can take several months, and during this time, our team will constantly communicate with you to provide updates and answer any questions you may have.

If your application is successful, your fiancé will be granted a six-month visa to enter the UK. It would help if you got married and applied for a Spouse Visa during this time. Axis Solicitors can also assist with this process, ensuring a smooth transition for you and your partner.

At Axis Solicitors, we are committed to providing our clients with the highest service and support. We understand the importance of this time in your life and will do everything in our power to make the Fiance Visa UK process as stress-free as possible.

Don’t let the complexities of the Fiance Visa UK process stand in the way of your happiness. Contact Axis Solicitors today to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced immigration lawyers. Together, we can make your dream of being with your partner in the UK a reality.

What are the Fiancé Visa eligibility requirements?

If your fiance (fiancé/fiancée unmarried civil partner) has a permanent residency in the UK, they can sponsor you under Fiancé Visa UK. However, your partner (sponsor) is required to meet the following eligibility requirements to be able to apply. Your partner must:

• Be a British national or hold an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
• Be either ‘entering’ or is already residing within the UK at the time of your ]application
• Have physically met with you at least once before applying to satisfy the ‘genuine relationship criteria’.
• Satisfy the financial requirements, i.e. £18,600 per year, to be able to apply for you, without relying on public funds.
• Have ‘adequate’ accommodation and maintenance arrangements to be able to support you and your dependents (if any).
• Be planning to get married within the validity period, i.e. 6-months.
• Be intending to marry and live together permanently after you and your spouse enter the UK under the route.

What are the financial requirements for Fiancé Visa UK?

The financial requirements per Home Office preferences should be satisfied by proving:

• Combined Gross income of £18,600 (applicant and the sponsor’s financial income)
  • With the first child, it will be increased by £3,800
  • With the additional dependant, it will be increased by £2,400

As per Home office requirements, the sponsors (applicant’s partners with settled status) must demonstrate a solid financial background to support their unsettled (Fiancé/Fiancée unmarried partner) and dependents, if any, at the time of application.

So, how to satisfy the Financial requirements?

Typically, the applicant’s sponsor can satisfy the requirements from the following sources:

• Employment salary, wages
• Pensions
• Stocks and Shares
• Savings
• Tenancy—rented payments/owned mortgages
• Any other sources such as sick, adoption, maternity/paternity payments

What are the supporting documents required to apply?

Before applying, it is always a mandatory step to thoroughly have a keen eye while gathering and compiling your evidence. It is, therefore, crucial that you (applicant) and your British or settled partner (Sponsor) should be able to provide solid and reliable documentary proof, including additional information per dependant (if any).

In general, you are required to provide the following supporting documents with the UK Fiancé Visa application:

• Proof of ID for applicant, sponsor, and dependent, if any. Travelling history.
• Document to satisfy the genuine relationship criteria- including the duration of the relationship and how frequently you meet each other in person.
• Previous marriage history, if any, i.e. Divorce certificates.
• Details of any current/previous criminal record—character suitability certificate.
• Information on any other country of residency besides the UK.
• Date of birth and citizenship details of parents if applying from outside the UK.
• Information about the previous partner and children if applicable.

What is the English language requirement?

For a successful grant, you (the applicant) must meet the minimum English language requirement, i.e. at least A1 CEFR level in speaking and listening per Home Office Immigration policy. Failing to do so, your chances of acceptance will be low and might put you at the risk of getting rejected.

If you belong to a non-English speaking country, you must pass and provide the approved English proficiency test certificate endorsed by the accredited SELT UK.

English Language exemption conditions:

Under the following conditions, the Home Office has exempted the English language requirement if the applicant:

• Holds a certified degree (Bachelors/Masters/Ph.D) that satisfies the English language requirements per ENIC UK, in which case you may provide a certificate of English proficiency issued by the institutes stating English as a medium of instructions during the academic program
• Suffers from physical or mental anomalies, which could be challenging to sit for the language exam
• Has refuge or humanitarian protection status
• Is over the age of 65
• Is a victim of domestic violence

Foreign Nationals Exempt from English Language Requirements
If you are a national of the following common-wealth countries, you are exempt from meeting the English language requirements:

• USA
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Canada
• Grenada
• Belize
• Barbados
• Antigua and Barbuda
• The Bahama
• Dominico
• Jamaica
• Guyana
• Ireland – for citizenship only
• St Lucia
• S Kitts and Nevis
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago

Satisfying genuine relationship requirement

You can provide the following proof (depending upon your circumstances) to satisfy genuine relationship conditions:

• Joint bank accounts statements.
• Details of accommodation proof.
• Divorce certificate; in case of previous marriage history.
• Reference letters of family, friends, and or professionals who could guarantee your genuine relationship.
• Birth certificates of children you had together (if applicable).
• Proof of how you met, how frequently you see each other, and the duration of your relationship.

For a successfully positive response from the UK Immigration centre, a genuine relationship is one of the many requirements. This evidence is mandatory to validate that you and your partner have genuine intentions of living together permanently if you plan to settle in the UK in the long run.

Do I have to be engaged to apply?

Yes, you must be engaged to apply and qualify. In particular, UKVI requirements imply that you and your partner must have at least had a ‘face-face meeting’ in person once to satisfy that you are in a genuine relationship before applying. Any evidence of meeting through the internet or a phone call is not considered; as a means to provide evidence to meet the genuine relationship criteria.

Note that once you enter the UK via this route, you are supposed to get married within 6-months, the validity period of the UK Fiancé Visa route. So depending on the individual merits, your circumstances are assessed differently by the UK immigration caseworkers.

Studying or working on this route

It is important to note that you are not allowed to work or study unless you switch to the Spouse Visa route. Once you switch to a Spouse visa, you will be exempt from the employment or study restrictions once you are married and settled in the UK.

How long is the visa valid for?

The validity period under this visa only lasts for up to 6 months. Once your marriage has taken place, you can switch to spouse visa.

Processing Time

The average processing time for UK Fiancé Visa could take 2 to 3 months. The processing time will vary depending on the adequacy of the evidence submitted. If you have satisfied the required UKVI criteria ( substantial evidence, complete application form, certified original documents), you will then be able to receive a decision within due time.

Fiancé Visa UK application fee

The application fee when applying from outside the UK is around £1,523 (differs slightly according to the currency rate when paying from abroad). Then, there are additional charges summarized in the table below:

What to do after Fiancé Visa UK approval?

Once you receive approval, you are required to get married within the 6-months validity period per Home Office policy under this immigration route. However, if you expect to pursue settlement in the UK, in which case you should apply for a long-term immigration route – Spouse Visa UK, following the qualifying period of residency of about 5-years (lawful resident period) or so under Marriage Visa. Switching to a Spouse visa will allow you to stay for up to 30 months in the UK and subsequently additional 33-months with a Spouse visa extension. You can then apply for the Indefinite Leave to Remain and finally be eligible to apply for full British Citizenship by marriage.

Getting Fiancé Visa UK extension

Incase your marriage did not take place before the expiry of your visa, you can apply for a 6 month extension in order to allow the ceremony to be held. However, you will be required to provide solid grounds to explain why you were unable to get married within the ascribed qualifying period. You will also need to give evidence that a ceremony will take place within the next 6 months.

What if my application gets refused?

As disturbingly painstaking as it can be to get the refusal/rejection, you still have a safety net alternatively through UK Fiancé Visa appeals. Typically, failing to satisfy the genuine relationship requirements or missing strong documentary evidence leads to the application refusal. Nevertheless, it is never too late to pursue legal assistance from Immigration Experts.

If you think that the refusal wasn’t due to your mistake but rather an unjust decision (unfairly considered case), i.e. some of the evidence has not been assessed or thoroughly reviewed. You can still have leniency to follow and lodge an appeal through a UK Judicial Review. Our experienced immigration lawyers in the UK will meticulously prepare put forward your case for high success chances.

What are the other routes to marry/enter into a UK Civil Partnership?

If you are intending to get married and are planning to stay for more than 6-months following your marriage in the UK, you can switch to a UK Spouse visa category once you are married.

Does a Standard Visitor Visa allow me to get married in the UK?

No, it doesn’t. You are not allowed to get married under the Standard Visitor Visa, even if you arrange your wedding.