Fiance & Proposed Partner Visa

What is a Fiancé/Proposed Partner Visa?

A UK Fiancé/Proposed Partner visa enables an engaged partner of a British or Irish citizen, a person who is settled in the UK, a person with pre-settled status who was living in the UK before 1 January 2021, a person with a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa, a person with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to enter the UK and marry or register a civil partnership with their partner within 6 months of their arrival.

What Are the Key Eligibility Requirements for a Fiancé/Proposed Partner Visa?

In order to successfully apply for a UK Fiancé/Proposed partner visa, an applicant must meet the following key requirements:

• Their partner must be either:
  • a British Citizen or Irish citizen
  • a person settled in the UK
  • a person with pre-settled status
  • have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa
  • have refugee status or humanitarian protection status
• Both the applicant and their partner must be at least 18 years of age;
• Must have met their partner in person;
• Must be in a genuine and subsisting relationship;
• Must intend to marry/register their partnership within 6 months of their arrival in the UK;
• Must meet the financial requirement;
• Must have adequate accommodation available in the UK;
• Must meet the required level of English language; and
• May need to provide a tuberculosis (TB) certificate depending on which country the applicant resides in.

The financial requirement is also known as the minimum income requirement and is often the most complex requirement to meet. The onus is on applicants to provide mandatory documents required by the Immigration Rules to demonstrate that the Rules have strictly been met.

Unless exempt (discussed below), you will need to demonstrate that your partner has a minimum income of £18,600. If however your application includes the sponsorship of children, an additional income of £3,800 is required for a first child and an additional £2,400 for each further child.

Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income requirement, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following 5 ways:

• Income from salaried or non-salaried employment of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work);
• Non-employment income, for example, income from property rental or dividends from shares;
• Cash savings of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant, above £16,000, held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months and under their control;
• State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant;
• Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work).

Exemption to the minimum income requirement

If the applicant’s partner is in receipt of certain state benefits or allowances in the UK, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement by providing evidence of ‘adequate maintenance’ rather than meeting an income threshold.

How Long is a Fiancé/Proposed Partner Visa Valid?

A Fiancé/Proposed Partner visa is initially granted for 6 months. After the marriage/registration has taken place and before the visa expires an applicant will be eligible to switch to a Spouse/Partner visa without leaving the UK..

Please refer to our Spouse/Partner Visa page for further information.

How Long Does it Take for a Decision to be Made?

The Home Office service standard for deciding a Fiancé/Proposed Partner visa submitted outside the UK is 3 months (12 weeks), however, they are currently advising that applications should be decided within 6 months (24 weeks).

How Much Does it Cost?

The Home Office fee for a Fiancé/Partner visa is £1,538.

How We Can Help You

Our highly experienced team will provide expert advice and guidance to you throughout your immigration journey.

If you have any questions, please complete our online enquiry form or email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can call us on 01724 701111 and one of our experts will be happy to assist you.