UK Spouse Visa Requirements for 2025

When applying for a UK Spouse visa, there are a number of eligibility requirements which must be satisfied.

If your partner is based in the UK and you wish to join them, they will need to satisfy the following criteria:

• You must both be at least 18 years of age
• Your partner will need to fall into one of the following categories:
• • Be either a British or Irish citizen
  • Have permanent settlement status in the UK (e.g. indefinite leave to remain status)
  • Have pre-settled status in the UK
  • Have either a Turkish Businessperson or a Turkish Worker visa
  • Have refugee status or humanitarian protection
  • Have permission to stay as a stateless person

In order to be eligible, you will need to prove that you and your partner are in a genuine and ongoing relationship.

You will also generally need to demonstrate that you have sufficient English language skills and that you and your partner satisfy the minimum income threshold. However, it may be possible to waive these two requirements in the following circumstances:

• You have a British or Irish child who has lived in the UK for at least 7 years and for whom it would be unreasonable to leave the UK
• Preventing you from entering or remaining in the UK would breach your human rights

Page Contents

• Eligibility Requirements for UK Spouse Visa
• UK Spouse Visa Document Checklist
• Sponsoring Partner Status in the UK
• Financial Requirements for UK Spouse Visa
• Genuine Relationship Requirement for Spouse Visa Application
• Accommodation Requirements for Spouse Visa UK
• English Language Requirements for Spouse Visa UK
• Sponsorship Requirements for Spouse Visa UK
• Intention to Live Together Permanently in the UK
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

There are a number of documents which you will need to provide when submitting a UK Spouse visa application. This includes the following:

• Valid passport
• Details of any previous immigration applications
• Details of any previous criminal convictions
• Tuberculosis test results, if your home country is not exempt from this requirement
• Proof of sufficient English language skills
• Proof that you and your partner satisfy the minimum income requirement. Note that there are generally additional financial requirements if you have shared children who are also applying for a Family visa. This is in addition to the Spouse visa financial requirements.
• Proof of your partner’s immigration status in the UK

These documents are necessary in order to demonstrate that you satisfy the UK Spouse visa requirements. Note that all documents must be provided in either English or Welsh. In the event that you need to have your documents translated, you will need to ensure that you use a certified translation service.

In order to sponsor you for a UK Spouse visa, your partner will generally need to fall into one of the following categories:

• British or Irish citizen
• Permanent settlement status in the UK (e.g. indefinite leave to remain status)
• Pre-settled status in the UK
• Turkish Businessperson or a Turkish Worker visa holder
• Refugee status or humanitarian protection
• Permission to stay as a stateless person

If none of the above apply to your partner but they are in the UK on a Work visa, you may be able to join them in the UK on a Dependant visa.

In order to obtain a Spouse visa, your relationship will also need to satisfy one of the following conditions:

• You are either in a civil partnership or marriage (which is recognised in the UK)
• You have been living together for at least 2 years
• You have been together for at least 2 years but have been unable to live together (because of cultural considerations or working in different locations, for example)
• You are engaged with plans to marry or have a civil ceremony within 6 months of your arrival in the UK. In this case, you will need to prove that any previous marriages or civil partnerships are now over and that the wedding or civil ceremony is scheduled for within 6 months of your arrival

There are a number of financial requirements which will need to be satisfied when applying for a Spouse visa.

In general, you and your partner will need to have a combined annual income of at least £29,000. However, this amount may vary if the sponsoring partner is on certain welfare benefits or if you are extending a visa for which you first applied before 11 April 2024.

If your partner is on one of the following welfare benefits, you will generally be exempt from the minimum income requirement:

• Disability living allowance
• Attendance allowance
• Severe disablement allowance
• Industrial injuries disablement allowance
• Carer’s allowance
• Adult disability payment
• Child Disability payment
• Police injury pension
• Personal independence payment
• Armed Forces independence payment
• Guaranteed income payment
• Constant attendance allowance
• Mobility supplement
• War disablement pension

When applying for a Spouse visa, you will need to provide evidence that your relationship is genuine. Generally, you will also need to prove that you and your partner live together. In order to maximise your chances of a successful application, you should aim to provide evidence which satisfies the following criteria:

• Is from within the last 4 years
• Provides evidence of an ongoing relationship (e.g. marriage licence, proof of shared finances, or proof of cohabitation)
• Comes from an official source, such as a government body, bank, landlord, or medical professional

This evidence could take numerous forms, such as a marriage certificate, a tenancy agreement, a joint bank statement, council tax bills confirming shared residence, or a letter from a doctor or dentist demonstrating that you and your partner share the same address.

In cases where you are not able to provide the above types of evidence, there is other documentation which you could provide to prove cohabitation, such as:

• One-off bills (e.g. for work on a shared home or bills for a shared pet)
• Student finance documentation demonstrating a shared address
• Voting registration documentation which proves a shared address

In cases where you and your partner have been together for at least 2 years but were not able to live together during that time, you will still need to provide evidence of a genuine and ongoing relationship. This evidence could take a number of forms, such as:

• Communication records which show that you talk to each other regularly
• Proof of shared finances
• Proof of shared care for any joint children

Proof of time spent together as a couple, e.g. shared travel or attendance at events

Generally, you and your spouse will need to have been cohabiting for at least 2 years in order to be eligible for the Spouse visa. However, for certain couples, there are reasons which have prevented them from living together, such as cultural factors or having worked or studied in different areas. In such cases, you should still be able to obtain a Spouse visa if you are able to prove that you have been in a committed and ongoing relationship for the last 2 years.

There is a range of evidence which you can provide in order to demonstrate this, such as:

• Communication records which show that you talk to each other regularly
• Proof of shared finances or financially supporting one another
• Proof of shared care for your children
• Proof that you regularly spend time together as a couple, e.g. proof of shared travel or joint attendance at events

In many cases, applicants for a Spouse visa will need to provide evidence of sufficient proficiency in the English language. You can do this either using an eligible academic qualification or by providing a test result which demonstrates your English proficiency.

In the case of academic qualifications, you can either provide your degree certificate from a UK university or a certificate from Ecctis showing that your non-UK degree was taught in English and is the equivalent of a UK degree.

Alternatively, you can take an English test in order to prove your English proficiency. You will need to achieve at least a level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale. If you are applying to extend your visa, however, you may be required to achieve a higher score in order to remain in the UK.

Note that you will need to ensure that you take an approved English test in order to use your result as proof of English proficiency.

To learn whether you will require proof of English language proficiency, contact Total Law today.

In order to be eligible to sponsor you for a Spouse visa, your partner will need to be at least 18 years of age and will generally need to be permanently settled in the UK. British and Irish citizens are also eligible sponsors.

If your partner is in the UK on a Work visa and is not yet permanently settled in the UK, they will not be eligible to sponsor you for a Spouse visa. They may instead be able to sponsor you as a dependant on their Work visa, however. This is a common route for UK workers on a Skilled Worker visa, for example.

Note that, once you have lived in the UK for at least 5 years, you will generally be eligible for permanent settlement in the UK. At this point, you will no longer require sponsoring in order to remain in the UK.

In order to be eligible for the UK Spouse visa, you will need to intend to live permanently with your partner in the UK.

In cases where you have not previously been able to live together, you will need to provide evidence that you were still in a committed relationship.

Note that, if you and your partner are not yet married but intend to marry within 6 months of your arrival in the UK, you will need to provide evidence of this.