UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Requirements

To qualify for a UK Spouse Visa, you must demonstrate to the Home Office that you fulfil the following requirements:

1. Your partner has the appropriate UK status or citizenship.
2. Both you and your partner are at least 18 years old.
3. You and your partner are not closely related.
4. You and your partner have met in person.
5. Your relationship is genuine and subsisting.

• You plan to live together with your partner permanently in the UK.
• Any previous relationship has ended permanently.
• You meet the financial requirement.
• You have suitable accommodation for you and any dependents.
• You can speak and understand English at the required level.

The specific criteria you need to satisfy to be eligible for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa can vary depending on your circumstances. You may wish to speak to an immigration lawyer for specific advice and guidance on your Proposed Civil Partner Visa application.

Specialist Advice and Representations  

Our proposed civil partner visa solicitors regularly assist applicants with their proposed civil partner visa applications and are experts in preparing proposed civil partner visa applications. We have successfully handled standard to highly complex proposed civil partner visa applications and can leverage our expertise to help you join or remain with your proposed civil partner in the UK in an efficient and timely manner. Our team of specialist immigration lawyers will take the time to understand your objectives, assign the right lawyer or a team of lawyers – where necessary – to your case and agree a strategy to help you achieve your objectives as cost-effectively and as quickly as possible.

Sponsoring Partner’s Status

To qualify for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa, your partner must:

• Be a British or Irish citizen in the UK; or
• Have indefinite leave to remain, settled status, or permanent residence in the UK; or
• Have pre-settled status under Appendix EU; or
• Have limited leave to remain as a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker under Appendix ECAA; or
• Have refugee leave or humanitarian protection status in the UK.

A British Citizen in the UK includes a British Citizen coming to the UK with you as your partner. A person with indefinite leave to remain in the UK includes someone admitted for settlement on the same occasion as you.

UK proposed Civil Partner Visa Minimum Age

To qualify for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa both you and your partner must be over 18 on the date you submit your UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa application.

UK Spouse Visa Relationship Requirement

The UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa relationship requirement entails many different elements and require you to demonstrate that:

• You and your partner are not within a prohibited degree of relationship;
• You and your partner have met in person;
• Your relationship is genuine and subsisting;
• You intend to enter the UK for the purpose of entering into a civil partnership within 6 months of your arrival;
• You and your partner intend to live together permanently in the UK;
• Any previous relationship has broken down permanently.

Prohibited Degree of Relationship Requirement

To qualify for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa, you and your parter must not be within a prohibited degree of relationship as defined in the Marriage Act 1949 and the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986. This means you and your Proposed Civil Partner must not be related in the following ways:

• Adoptive child
• Adoptive parent
• Child
• Former adoptive child
• Former adoptive parent
• Grandparent
• Grandchild
• Parent
• Parent’s sibling
• Sibling
• Sibling’s child

For the purposes of the immigration rules, ‘sibling’ refers to a brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister. A Proposed Civil Partnership  between a person and anyone in the list below will not qualify for a Proposed Civil Partner visa until both parties are 21 or older, and provided that the younger party has not been a child of the family in relation to the other party before turning 18:

• Child of former civil partner
• Child of former spouse
• Former civil partner of grandparent
• Former civil partner of parent
• Former spouse of grandparent
• Former spouse of parent
• Grandchild of former civil partner
• Grandchild of former spouse

Requirement to Have Met in Person

You and your Proposed Civil Partner must have met in person. This requirement implies that you must demonstrate a face-to-face meeting that led to mutual acquaintance. Merely coming face-to-face followed by phone or written contact would not satisfy the UK Spouse Visa requirements.

Genuine and Subsisting Relationship Requirement

To qualify for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa, you must provide the Home Office with required level of evidence to demonstrate that your relationship with your proposed civil partner is genuine and subsisting. Decisions on whether a relationship is considered genuine and subsisting are made on a case-by-case basis, considering all available evidence and individual circumstances of both partners. It is usually good practice to provide the Home Office with a detailed chronology of your relationship as well as corroborating evidence to support it.

Factors Considered by the Home Office to Determine the genuineness of a Relationship

The Home Office may consider various factors when assessing the genuineness and subsistence of your relationship, including:

• The presence of a current, long-term relationship between you and your Proposed Civil Partner;
• The history of you and your Proposed Civil Partner’s co-habitation;
• The existence of children (adopted, or step-children) shared between you and your Proposed Civil Partner, as well as shared responsibility for them;
• Shared financial responsibilities between you and your Proposed Civil Partner;
• Visits to each other’s home countries and visiting each other’s respective families;
• Concrete plans regarding future arrangements for living together in the UK.

If the Home Office has doubts about the genuineness of your relationship, they may conduct additional checks, interview both you and your partner, or arrange a home visit.

Required Documentation to Prove Genuine And Subsisting Relationship

To be satisfied about the genuineness of your relationship, the Home Office will want to see substantial evidence of regular contact, signs of affection and companionship, emotional support, and a continued interest in each other’s welfare and well-being.

Along with a marriage certificate, the Home Office will expect to see proof of cohabitation. Documents should ideally be in both you and your proposed civil partner’s joint names. Alternatively, documents addressed individually to both of you and your partner at the same address can be used. Documents should be recent, dating back only a few years, and should come from a variety of sources. Official documents are preferred; however, if exclusively official documents cannot be provided, other documents proving cohabitation may also be submitted.

If you and your proposed civil partner have not lived together for an extended period, unofficial evidence of a relationship can also be provided.

As previously mentioned, the Home Office will require substantial evidence of a genuine and subsisting relationship. If doubts arise regarding the genuineness and subsistence of your relationship, the Home Office may conduct further checks, interview you and your proposed civil partner, or arrange a home visit. If reasonable grounds for doubt exist, your Proposed Civil Partner Visa application will very likely be refused.

Intention to Permanently Live Together in the UK

To qualify for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa, the Home Office will need to be satisfied that you and your proposed civil partner intend to live together permanently in the UK. At the initial Proposed Civil Partner Visa application stage, this requires a clear commitment from both of you to reside together permanently in the UK immediately following the outcome of your Visa application or as soon as circumstances allow thereafter. When applying for further leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain as a Civil Partner, the Home Office expects any time spent outside the UK to be limited, for a valid reason, and consistent with the intention to reside together permanently in the UK. Acceptable reasons could include time spent overseas for work, holidays, training, or study.

If you or your partner spend most of your time abroad, the Home Office may question your intention to permanently reside together in the UK. The Home Office will take into account the reasons for travel, length of absence, and whether you and your spouse travelled and lived together during the time spent outside the UK.

Any Previous Relationship Broken Down Permanently

The Home Office will need to be convinced that neither you nor your Proposed Civil Partner are married to another person at the date of your application for entry clearance as a Proposed Civil Partner. If you or your partner have been previously married or entered into a civil partnership, you will need to provide evidence that the previous marriage has ended, or the previous civil partnership has been dissolved. In the UK, a divorce must be evidenced by a decree absolute from a civil court. A divorce outside the UK must be evidenced by a reasonable equivalent to a decree absolute certificate, valid under the law in force in the relevant country.

If you or your proposed civil partner have previously been married or have entered into a civil partnership which has not been legally dissolved, you may still qualify for an Unmarried Partner Visa. You will need to provide evidence that the new relationship is genuine and subsisting, and that the previous relationship has ended permanently.

UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Financial Requirement

To show that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without relying on public funds, you will need to fulfil the Proposed Civil Partner Visa financial requirements. The financial requirement for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa application specifies that, unless exempt, you need to demonstrate that your Proposed Civil Partner (or both of you jointly if you are in the UK with valid leave to remain) has a gross annual income of at least £29,000.

Different considerations apply if your Proposed Civil Partner receives certain state benefits or entitlements. In this case, the financial requirement for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa is that the sponsor can “adequately maintain and accommodate” the family member being sponsored to enter or remain in the UK.

You are expected to satisfy the financial requirement when you first apply to enter the UK as a Proposed Civil Partner, when you apply to extend your stay as a Civil Partner, and when you apply for indefinite leave to remain as a Civil partner.

The Immigration Rules regarding the Proposed Civil Partner Visa financial requirement are complex and include mandatory documentary evidence requirements. Applicants are responsible for proving that the financial requirement is met. One of the most common reasons for a Proposed Civil Partner Visa application refusal is due to the absence of mandatory financial evidence.

How to Meet the UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Financial Requirement?

The UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa financial requirement can be met in a number of ways. These include relying on:

• Income from your Proposed Civil Partner’s salaried or non-salaried employment (and/or yours if you are in the UK with work permission);
• Non-employment income, like income from property rental or share dividends;
• Cash savings of your partner and/or yourself, over £16,000, held by your proposed civil partner and/or you for a minimum of 6 months and under their/your control;
• State (UK or foreign), occupational, or private pension of your partner and/or yourself;
• Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of your partner (and/or you if you are in the UK with work permission).

In some cases, you can rely on a combination of the above income sources to meet the financial requirement. As previously mentioned, different considerations apply if your spouse receives certain state benefits or entitlements.

Proposed Civil Partner Visa applicants relying on cash savings should remember that the required cash savings level for entry clearance and extension applications differs from the level required when applying for indefinite leave to remain as a spouse.

In exceptional circumstances where refusing the Proposed Civil Partner Visa application might otherwise breach ECHR Article 8, other credible and reliable sources of income, financial support, or funds available to the couple may be considered. 

Proposed Civil Partner Visa Accommodation Requirement

When applying for entry clearance or further leave to remain as a proposed civil partner, you must provide evidence that adequate accommodation will be available for you and your proposed civil partner, without relying on public funds, in a property that you own, exclusively occupy or have been granted access to (if the property belongs to family members such as your parents). You will need to present proof of the property’s ownership or tenancy, demonstrate that you have the legal and exclusive right to occupy the property, and confirm that the property will not be overcrowded or violate public health regulations.

Proposed Civil Partner Visa English Language Requirement

As part of your Proposed Civil Partner Visa application, unless exempt, you will need to prove to the Home Office that you meet the English language requirement. For entry clearance applications, you must demonstrate English language competence at a minimum of CEFR level A1. For further leave to remain as a Civil Partner, you’ll need to demonstrate competence at CEFR level A2.

You can alternatively fulfil the Proposed Civil Partner Visa English language requirement by:

• Holding nationality from a majority English speaking country;
• Passing an approved English language test at or above the required CEFR level with an approved provider, as listed on Approved Secure English Language Tests and Test Centres; or
• Possessing an academic qualification, such as a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD, either awarded in the UK or, if awarded outside the UK, deemed by Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) to meet or exceed the recognized standard of a UK Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD, with confirmation from Ecctis that the degree was taught or researched in English at or above the required CEFR level.

To be exempt from the English language requirement, you will typically need to prove one of the following:

• You are over 65 years old at the time of application;
• A physical or mental disability prevents you from meeting the English language requirement;
• Exceptional circumstances make it impossible for you to meet the English language requirement before entering the UK.

If you cannot demonstrate that you meet the English language requirement (or are exempt), your Proposed Civil Partner Visa application will be refused.

UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Supporting Documents Checklists

A common reason for refusal of Proposed Civil Partner Visa applications is insufficient supporting documentary evidence. The Immigration Rules have strict requirements as to which documents must accompany a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa application. The specific documents to be provided in support of a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa application will vary depending on the individual circumstances of each case.

Using a pre-prepared document checklists for your Proposed Civil Partner Visa application may not be suitable for every case and it is best to tailor the supporting documents to the circumstances of each case. You may wish to speak to an immigration lawyer to help you prepare the exact supporting documents you need based on your circumstances.

If any of the required documents is missing, improperly formatted, or lacks mandatory information, your Proposed Civi Partner Visa application may be refused. Appeals can take months to conclude, and appeal outcomes are steeped in uncertainty whilst a fresh application will involve significant additional costs and delays.

Our immigration lawyers offer expert advice on the required documents for a successful Proposed Civil Partner Visa application and are able to help you assess whether your supporting documents comply with the requirements of the immigration rules for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa.

UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Application Fee

The current Home Office application fee for a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa submitted  from outside the UK is £1,523. To switch to a Civil Partner Visa (following the registration of your civil partnership) from within the UK, the fee is £1,033.

UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa Processing & Decision Waiting Times

The Home Office service standard for deciding a Proposed Civil Partner Visa application submitted from outside the UK is 12 weeks (3 months). With reduced backlogs for Ukraine Visa Scheme applications, standard marriage and family visa applications, including Spouse Visa applications, are processed within 60 working days.

UK Civil Partner Visa applications submitted from inside the UK are usually decided within 6 months of the date of submission. It is also possible to submit your Civil Partner Visa application through the Home Office’s Priority Service where you can expect a decision within 24 hours of enrolling your biometrics.

Duration of a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa

If your UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa application is successful you will be granted an initial 6 months visa. If you apply for leave to remain as a Civil Partner (following registration of your civil partnership) from within the UK, you will be granted leave to remain for 30 months.

Before your initial UK Civil Partner Visa expires, you must make an application to the Home Office to extend your UK Civil Partner Visa. A successful further leave to remain application will lead to a grant of another 30 months. After residing in the UK for 5 years with UK Civil Partner Visas, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Switching Into the Civil Partner Route From Inside the UK

Once you register your civil partnership, you can apply for leave to remain as a civil partner from inside the UK, except if you are a visitor or have valid leave for 6 months or less. Visitors wishing to settle with their civil partner in the UK are required to leave the UK and apply for entry clearance from overseas.

If you have leave to remain (visa) as a Proposed Civil Partner or were granted leave pending a family court order or the conclusion of divorce proceedings, you can exceptionally apply for leave to remain as a civil partner from within the UK.

Working in the UK on a Proposed Civil Partner Visa

If you are granted a UK Proposed Civil Partner Visa, you will have an unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Indefinite Leave to Remain as a Civil Partner

A successful Civil Partner Visa application will lead to the grant of an initial 30 months visa (plus 3 months for entry clearance). You must apply for an extension before the expiry of your leave and if successful, you will be granted a further period of leave of 30 months.  Once you complete 5 years (60 months) on the Civil Partner Visa route, you may be eligible for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

To qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the UK as a civil partner, you must demonstrate:

• You have lived with your civil partner in the UK or have a good reason for not doing so, consistent with an intention to live permanently in the UK;
• You meet the higher CEFR Level B1 English Language requirement for settlement applications;
• You have passed the Life in the UK test (unless exempt).

If you don’t satisfy these requirements, UK Visas and Immigration will consider whether you should be considered for leave to remain in the UK on exceptional and compelling grounds.