Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our immigration solicitors provide clear legal advice on spouse visa applications for couples who want to live together in the UK. We can advise on eligibility, relationship evidence, financial and accommodation requirements, supporting documents, applications and visa refusals.
Spouse and Civil Partner Visa Advice
Living apart from your husband, wife or civil partner can put everyday plans on hold. Even when your relationship is well established, the financial rules and document requirements can leave you uncertain about what to submit. Our immigration solicitors help couples prepare spouse visa applications that explain their circumstances clearly and meet the requirements of the partner route. We assess the marriage or civil partnership, sponsor status, income and immigration history together, so you understand any difficulty before paying the Home Office fee.
We can calculate the financial requirement, review employment or business records and prepare the application with supporting legal representations. If you have lived apart, changed jobs or received a previous refusal, our legal team will identify what needs explaining and which documents support that explanation. We also advise on switching, extensions and settlement, helping you plan the next stage of your life together with a clear view of the work involved and its cost.
Both partners must normally be at least 18. The UK sponsor must hold a qualifying status, such as British or Irish citizenship, settlement, specified pre-settled status or protection status. The marriage or civil partnership must be legally recognised in the UK, genuine and continuing.
Most initial applications from outside the UK are granted for up to two years and nine months. An in-country grant or extension is usually up to two years and six months. The standard route can lead to settlement after five continuous years as a partner.
The relationship requirement is only one part of the application. The financial rules prescribe which income can count and which documents must cover a set period. Salary, self-employment, company income, pension and cash savings are treated differently, and a small evidence gap can affect the decision.
Advice can also clarify transitional financial rules, adequate maintenance where the sponsor receives a specified benefit, past periods living apart, previous relationships and earlier immigration problems. These points should be addressed before the application is submitted.
A legally valid marriage does not guarantee approval. Refusals often arise because the financial evidence is incomplete, the income has been calculated under the wrong category or the documents do not cover the exact period required. The Home Office may also question a relationship where addresses, travel, contact or earlier partnerships have not been explained consistently.
Other risks include an overseas marriage that is not recognised in the UK, inadequate accommodation, missing English-language evidence, applying from the wrong location or an immigration and criminal history that engages the suitability rules. We check the form, documents and written explanation together so that contradictions and evidence gaps can be dealt with before a fee is committed.
We calculate the applicable financial requirement and check the evidence against the source relied upon. We also review the marriage or civil partnership certificate, relationship history, accommodation, English-language evidence and application form for consistency.
Where a refusal has already been issued, we can identify the disputed requirement and advise on a fresh application or immigration appeal. We also advise on extensions and the later route to indefinite leave to remain.
We check the rules and documents together. This is especially important for financial evidence, where the date of application, pay period, bank credits and employer records must support the same calculation.
Most new partner applications must meet the £29,000 annual income requirement. Transitional rules can apply to qualifying applications linked to permission sought before 11 April 2024. Sponsors receiving specified benefits may instead need to meet an adequate-maintenance test. We establish the correct test before calculating qualifying income or savings.
The applicant’s earnings cannot always be combined with the sponsor’s. For an overseas application, employment income from the applicant’s overseas job is not normally counted in the same way as lawful UK earnings in an in-country case. We also check evidence periods and any restrictions on combining income sources.
At 15 September 2026, the Home Office fee is £2,064 for a partner application made outside the UK and £1,407 for an application made inside the UK. The Immigration Health Surcharge for an adult is normally £3,105 for an initial two-year-nine-month grant or £2,587.50 for a two-year-six-month grant. Each dependant pays a separate application fee and surcharge.
Other costs can include an approved English test, certified translations and optional priority processing. Our legal fee depends on the income sources, number of applicants, document volume and any history that requires additional representations. The scope and fee will be agreed before work starts.
Spouse Visa FAQs
Answers about eligibility, income, evidence, application costs, extensions and settlement.
A sponsor must hold a status accepted by the family rules. This can include British or Irish citizenship, settlement and certain other qualifying forms of permission. We verify the sponsor’s actual status documents and the relationship requirements. A UK address or long residence alone does not establish eligibility, and a person on a temporary work visa usually sponsors dependants through that route.
Most new partner applicants must usually show combined annual income of at least £29,000. Transitional rules or the adequate-maintenance test can apply in some cases. Only income permitted by the rules can count. An overseas applicant’s employment earnings cannot normally be added in the same way as a partner already working lawfully in the UK; we check the source and application location.
Permitted cash savings can sometimes meet the requirement alone or cover an income shortfall. The required amount and holding period must be calculated before applying. Savings must be evidenced under the relevant ownership, source and holding-period rules. A recent transfer or borrowed balance should not be assumed sufficient. We calculate the requirement using the income category and application stage.
The rules require specified business, tax and banking evidence for the relevant financial year or years. The calculation and documents differ from ordinary salaried employment. Being a director of a specified limited company can trigger particular evidence rules. We review accounts, tax records, business bank statements and personal income together instead of treating drawings or turnover as qualifying salary.
Evidence should show a legally recognised marriage or civil partnership and a genuine continuing relationship. The selection may include shared addresses, finances, travel, communication, children and an explanation of time spent apart. We select records across the relationship and explain meaningful gaps. The marriage certificate proves the formal relationship, but the wider evidence should support continuing commitment and your intention to live together permanently.
A visitor will usually need to leave the UK and apply from overseas. Limited exceptions can apply in family or human-rights cases and need individual assessment. Marrying during a visit does not automatically allow a switch. We check your immigration position and any exceptional family circumstances before advising on the correct location and timing of an application.
The total normally includes a Home Office application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge for each person. English tests, translations, priority processing and legal fees may also arise. At September 2026 rates, the usual initial overseas adult application totals £5,169 in application fee and IHS. A typical 30-month in-country application totals £3,994.50. Legal fees and other expenses are additional.
The standard five-year partner route can lead to settlement after five continuous years. Time as a fiancé or on unrelated visa routes does not normally count. We check the grant history and absences against the applicable rules before calculating the date. A grant on a different family route may lead to a different qualifying period, so the original decision letters are important.
The refusal should be checked against the evidence submitted. A fresh application may correct a clear gap, while some decisions carry a right of appeal on human-rights grounds. An appeal deadline should be protected while the options are assessed. A new application involves new fees and may not resolve the original refusal unless the underlying legal or evidential problem is addressed.
Leaving the Common Travel Area while an in-country permission application is pending will normally cause it to be treated as withdrawn. This can affect your ability to return and the fees already paid. Ask for advice before booking travel, and check your current permission and the exact application circumstances.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We will discuss your circumstances, any deadline and the legal work required, then explain the scope and fees before proceeding.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area, including applications involving family members or applicants overseas.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.