The Fiance(e) or Proposed Civil Partner Visa allows your partner to come to the UK so that you can get married or form a civil partnership here. Once that has taken place, they can then apply to remain with you in the UK on a Spouse Visa.
To make a successful application, you will need to show that you are in a genuine relationship, that you meet the financial requirements, and that you really do plan to marry within six months of arriving. The Home Office looks at these applications very carefully, and there is a strict timetable once the visa is granted. Having the application properly prepared from the start, and knowing what to do after your partner arrives makes the whole process much more manageable. We are here to guide you through both of these important stages.
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Who Can Apply For a Fiance(e) or Proposed Civil Partner Visa?
The Fiance(e) or Proposed Civil Partner Visa is for people outside the UK who plan to come here to marry or form a civil partnership with their UK-based partner within six months of arriving. The application must be made from outside the UK. The UK sponsor must be a British or Irish citizen, hold Indefinite Leave to Remain or settled status, have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (subject to meeting the Immigration rules), or hold a qualifying status such as refugee leave or humanitarian protection. Both parties must be 18 or over.
You and your partner must have met in person. The Home Office requires evidence of a genuine face-to-face meeting and will not accept a relationship conducted entirely online or by phone. The relationship must be genuine and subsisting, and both parties must intend to live together permanently in the UK after marrying or forming a civil partnership.
Both parties must be free to marry. Any previous marriages or civil partnerships must have permanently ended, and evidence of that needs to be included.
Financial Requirement and Accommodation
The sponsor must show a minimum income to support the applicant without recourse to public funds. For new applications, this is currently £29,000 per year gross (this is subject to change under the Immigration Rules), consistent with the partner visa route. Evidence of adequate accommodation that is not overcrowded must also be provided. The fiancé visa does not include the right to work. That right is included once the visa is switched to a spouse visa after the marriage or civil partnership. We help clients plan the timeline between arrival, the wedding, and the switching application.
Switching to a Spouse Visa
The visa is granted for six months. During that time, the marriage or civil partnership must take place. If it does not, your partner will need to leave the UK when the visa expires. Once married or in a civil partnership, your partner needs to apply for further leave to remain as a spouse or civil partner before the fiancé (e) visa runs out. The switching application involves the same requirements as a standard spouse visa: financial evidence, accommodation, and English language Applicants must also meet the English language requirement unless exempt. We advise clients to start preparing the switching application well before the expiry date and manage that process on their behalf.
There is a lot to manage with a fiancé visa. The initial application needs to be thorough and well-evidenced, and once your partner is in the UK, there is a six-month window to get married and to prepare a switching application before the visa expires.
At Reeds Solicitors, we handle both stages. We carefully prepare the fiancé(e) application and manage the spouse visa switching application so to help ensure the transition is handled efficiently and within the relevant deadlines.
We check eligibility carefully before anything is submitted. We confirm the sponsor’s qualifying status, look at the relationship evidence available, check that both parties are free to marry, and identify any issues that need to be resolved first. This is particularly important where either party has a previous marriage or civil partnership, or where there is any complexity in the immigration history.
We help you put together a comprehensive evidence package covering the history of the relationship, evidence of in-person meetings, regular communication, and your mutual intention to marry and live together in the UK. We advise on what evidence carries weight and structure it so that it presents the relationship clearly and credibly.
We check whether the sponsor’s income meets the threshold, identify the most effective sources of evidence, and prepare the financial documentation package. Where income alone is not sufficient, we advise on whether savings can be used and exactly how they need to be evidenced.
We complete and review all forms, compile the supporting evidence, advise on biometric enrolment, and manage communications with the Home Office. We keep track of all deadlines and make sure the application is ready before it is submitted.
After the marriage or civil partnership, we manage the switching application to a spouse or civil partner visa. We update the evidence bundle, handle the application forms, and make sure everything is submitted before the fiancé (e) visa expires.
We then continue to advise as you move towards an extension, Indefinite Leave to Remain, and, if you want it, British citizenship.
Our immigration team at Reeds Solicitors will guide you through the fiancé (e) application and the spouse visa switching process, helping clients navigate both applications and comply with the relevant deadlines
You can contact us through the Reeds Solicitors contact page on our website, by calling 0333 240 7373, or by emailing [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a lot to manage with a fiancé visa. The initial application needs to be thorough and well-evidenced, and once your partner is in the UK, there is a six-month window to get married and to prepare a switching application before the visa expires.
At Reeds Solicitors, we handle both stages. We carefully prepare the fiancé(e) application and manage the spouse visa switching application so to help ensure the transition is handled efficiently and within the relevant deadlines.
We check eligibility carefully before anything is submitted. We confirm the sponsor’s qualifying status, look at the relationship evidence available, check that both parties are free to marry, and identify any issues that need to be resolved first. This is particularly important where either party has a previous marriage or civil partnership, or where there is any complexity in the immigration history.
We help you put together a comprehensive evidence package covering the history of the relationship, evidence of in-person meetings, regular communication, and your mutual intention to marry and live together in the UK. We advise on what evidence carries weight and structure it so that it presents the relationship clearly and credibly.
We check whether the sponsor’s income meets the threshold, identify the most effective sources of evidence, and prepare the financial documentation package. Where income alone is not sufficient, we advise on whether savings can be used and exactly how they need to be evidenced.
We complete and review all forms, compile the supporting evidence, advise on biometric enrolment, and manage communications with the Home Office. We keep track of all deadlines and make sure the application is ready before it is submitted.
After the marriage or civil partnership, we manage the switching application to a spouse or civil partner visa. We update the evidence bundle, handle the application forms, and make sure everything is submitted before the fiancé (e) visa expires.
We then continue to advise as you move towards an extension, Indefinite Leave to Remain, and, if you want it, British citizenship.
Our immigration team at Reeds Solicitors will guide you through the fiancé (e) application and the spouse visa switching process, helping clients navigate both applications and comply with the relevant deadlines
You can contact us through the Reeds Solicitors contact page on our website, by calling 0333 240 7373, or by emailing [email protected].
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