When your marriage partner is already in the UK, it is easy to go join them with a spousal visa. Spousal visas allow the immigration of married people into the UK as long as their partners are citizens or have no immigration restraints over the period they can spend in the UK.
So, if your husband or wife is already settled in the UK, you can go join them with a spouse visa. The professional immigration lawyers in Leeds can efficiently provide more detailed information about this process and how it works.
Benefits of Spousal Visa
Spouse visas are granted with the condition that the applicant has no access to public funds. According to the UK immigration rule, the public funds include child benefits, income support, attendance allowance, house benefit, and many others.
Even with this condition, a spousal visa allows you to stay in the country legally for 2.5 years and you are also permitted to work or study during this period. Then you may decide to extend your stay. After staying for 5 years, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as long as you are eligible.
Requirements for a Spousal Visa
There are some eligibility criteria you must meet to get the UK spousal visa. They are:
· You and your spouse must be at least 18 years or older.
· Both of you need to prove that you have met each other and provide proof for legal marriage.
· You must have arranged suitable accommodation for your family.
· Both of you must show the intention of permanently staying with each other.
· You must have fulfilled the needed English language requirements.
· You must be able to support yourself (and your dependents) financially without a claim to public funds.
· The annual income earned by your sponsoring partner must exceed £18,600 or have enough savings of at least £62,500 (this may increase with the number of kids in the picture).
How can I combine my Income to Meet up Financially?
If the application has been made within the borders of the UK, your earnings can contribute to the total amount needed. On the contrary, your earnings cannot be used to meet the financial requirements if the application had been made overseas.
To meet up, proof of financial support for the entire visa validity period may be accepted. In a situation where the above options are not in your favour, you can leverage combining the following with your income source.
· Personal income
· Income through shares
· Pension
· Maternity, Paternity, adoption, or other related pay
· A minimum 6 months cash savings of £16,000
Documents Needed for Application
Generally, you would need to provide some sort of documentary evidence to get any type of visa granted. A spousal visa is no exception. Most of the required documents are to check for the authenticity of the marriage relationship. In the past, there have been many records of sham or arranged marriages. Consequently, this has resulted in the need for applicants to provide legal paperwork supporting the marriage claim. The required documents may include:
· Your full name and date of birth
· Proof of your relationship status
· Proof of financial capability
· Criminal record certificate
· Nationality
· Payment proof for the spousal visa
· Biometric data
· A proof that you have satisfied the English requirements for the visa
· A UK spousal visa application form
· Passports that suit the visa requirements
How do you Apply?
You can apply for a spousal visa from the UK or abroad. In a situation where you are already in the UK on a work or student visa, you can proceed to apply for a spouse visa. Or you could just apply for one straight up from your resident country.
Application Fees
Although it is subject to change, the application fee for a spousal visa in the UK is £1,523. Other fees like immigration health surcharge (IHS), housing report, priority visa services, and others need to be catered for too. Generally, the fees are mostly cheaper for in-country spousal visa applications than the applications made outside the country.
What is the Duration of the Application Process?
The time it takes to process the visa largely depends on the country in which the application is being made. On average, it takes about 2 weeks to 3 months from the day the application is being submitted.
Conclusion
If you need help with your UK marriage visa application, you can seek professional advice from immigration lawyers that will put you through the requirements and process of applying for a spousal visa.
