UK Spouse Visa: Apply from Ireland

Being married to a person who is settled in the UK does not automatically grant you a Spouse Visa. To qualify, you and your spouse must:

• Be legally married.
• Intend to live together permanently.
• Be able to support yourselves financially without claiming public funds. The minimum threshold is £29,000.
• Have a suitable accommodation for both you and your dependants.
• Satisfy the English language requirements and pass an accredited language test. Nevertheless, the test is valid only if taken with a provider approved by the Home Office.

Irish citizens can enter the UK to join their spouses without having to obtain a visa due to the common travel area agreement between the UK and Ireland. However, legal residents of Ireland (who aren’t citizens) will need a spouse visa to live in the UK longer than 30 days. This page focuses on educating such residents on the requirements and application process.

Page Contents

• What are the Spouse Visa requirements?
• What is the Spouse Visa application process?
• What documents do I need to include in my Spouse Visa application?
• Spouse Visa Document Checklist
• How long does the Spouse Visa processing time take?
• UK Spouse Visa Fee
• UK Spouse Visa Extension
• How Can Total Law Help?

You can apply for a Spouse Visa either from overseas or from within the UK. In other words, if you are already in the country on different immigration status, you can apply to change your permit before your current visa expires.

If you fail to switch your status before your authorised stay terminates, you will need to go back to your home country and submit a new application for a Spouse Visa.

When applying for a Spouse Visa, it is essential to include the right evidence to support your eligibility. Most importantly, you must prove that you are in a genuine relationship.

To demonstrate that you and your partner are sincerely in love and ready to settle in the UK together, you can submit several pieces of evidence. However, every document needs to be in the exact format required by the UKVI guidelines. Furthermore, you must provide an accredited translation for each documentary evidence that is not written in English.

To qualify as a genuine couple, you must prove that you:

• Have met at least once before getting married;
• Have spent time together and have been in frequent contact;
• Have children together (if applicable);
• Have a shared bank account or savings.

Some of the evidence that you can provide to show your eligibility are:

• Communication between the couple, such as text messages and social media chat logs;
• Travel documents, to prove that you have been visiting each other;
• Pictures of you spending time together;
• Written statements from people who know you as a couple and can testify that you are genuinely in love;
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate;
• Divorce certificate to prove that any previous relationship has ended.

The average processing time for a Spouse Visa is about twelve weeks from the date you submit your application forms. However, your waiting time varies depending on the country where the application is made. In other words, if you are applying from outside the UK, you may need to wait longer until the UKVI processes your case.

In addition, if you fail to attach adequate evidence of your status, you may be summoned for an interview. This will delay your Spouse Visa application, making you wait longer before you can move to the UK with your partner.

It costs £1,938 to apply for a Spouse visa from outside of the UK and £1,321 to apply for it from within the UK.

If you’re unable to pay the fee, you may be able to have it waived in certain exceptional circumstances, such as if you cannot afford essential living costs.

You will also have to pay the immigration healthcare surcharge as part of your application. This is normally £1035 a year for adults and £776 a year for under 18s.

You are able to apply for an extension to your Spouse visa to allow you to stay in the UK beyond the initial 33 month period.

In order to do so, you must still continue to meet all of the financial, relationship and accommodation requirements that applied to you when you first applied for your visa. You must also demonstrate that you have not accrued any criminal convictions during your time in the UK.

It is advised to apply around 28 days before your visa expires to ensure that your application can be processed in time.

If your application for an extension is approved, you will be granted an additional 30 months’ worth of leave in the UK, after which you will become eligible to apply for permanent residency (indefinite leave to remain).