In order to qualify for a UK Unmarried Partner visa you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that you meet the following requirements:

• Your partner is British or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain;

• You are both over the age of 18 and are not in a prohibited degree of relationship;

• You have met in person and have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years;

• Your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together permanently;

• Any previous relationships have broken down permanently;

• You will be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds;

• There is adequate accommodation for you and any dependents;

• You speak and understand English to the required level.

The exact requirements you will need to satisfy will vary depending on your circumstances.  You may want to speak to an immigration lawyer for expert advice.

In order to demonstrate that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, you will need to satisfy the Fiancé(e) visa UK financial requirement.

The financial requirement for a UK Fiancé(e) visa application states that you will need to demonstrate that your partner has a gross annual income of at least:

• £18,600; plus

• £3,800 for a first child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national); plus

• £2,400 for each additional child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national).

The Financial Requirement can be met in a number of ways, which include the use of cash savings, income from investments, salaried employment, self-employment and other relevant sources of income. You may be able to combine sources of income to meet the Financial Requirement, however some sources of income cannot be combined. You may want to speak to our immigration lawyers for expert advice.

UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) aims to process 95% of UK Fiancé(e) visa applications within 12 weeks.

If you require a faster visa processing timeline, most visa application centres outside the UK offer a Settlement Priority Visa Service. This will ensure that your UK Fiancé(e) visa application is placed at the front of the queue at every stage of the decision-making process. The visa processing time for a UK Fiancé(e) visa application submitted via the Settlement Priority Visa Service is normally not more than 30 working days.  A well prepared visa application may result in a quicker processing time.

Applications for Fiancé(e) visas can only be made from outside the UK.  It is not possible to switch into the Fiancé(e) visa category from within the UK.

The Home Office application fee for a UK Unmarried Partner visa application submitted outside the UK is currently £1,523.  The Home Office application fee to switch into the Unmarried Partner category from within the UK or extend stay as a Unmarried Partner is currently £1,033.

If your application for a UK Fiancé(e) visa is successful, your visa will be valid for 6 months initially.

After your wedding has taken place, you will then be eligible to apply to switch into the Spouse category without having to leave the UK.

If your application for further leave to remain in the UK as a Spouse is successful then you will be granted further leave to remain for a period of 30 months.  You will need to extend your Spouse leave for a further 30 months before it expires.

After spending 5 years in the UK as the Spouse of a British citizen or settled person, you will be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

UK Fiancee Visa holders are not permitted to work and study in the UK. After you have converted the UK Fiancee Visa into a Spouse Visa, you will have full right to work and study in the UK.