UK Unmarried Partner Visa
Do you need to apply for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa?
Speak to our experts to find out about our fast, friendly and affordable service
If you are planning to live with your partner in the UK without getting married, then you may apply for a UK unmarried partner vis also known as UK defacto visa. Our OISC accrediated visa experts will guide you and help you with the UK unmarried partner visa application for a hundred percent success rate. The unmarried partner visa application process is complex and you shall have proper knowledge about application process, document required eligibility etc. Call Visa and Migration now and consult your case.
Unmarried Partner Visa is a category under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. An applicant can submit the Unmarried Partner Visa from outside or inside the UK. In order to apply for the unmarried partner visa from inside the UK, however, you must not be present in the UK on a visitor visa category or be an overstayer without immigration status.
We hold over 99% success rate in this category and are a UK Unmarried Partner Visa specialist. This visa is also known as De Facto Partner Visa.
Unmarried Partner Visa is mainly for people who have lived in a relationship akin to marriage for 2 years or more before submitting an application. The period of living together can be in different tranches and does not have to be continuous for two years. So if you have lived together for a day and then a month and then a year you can combine these all together to reach 2 years in total. One of the partners must be a British citizen or holding Indefinite Leave to Remain, or an EU National holding EUSS settled or pre-settled status, or a person having humanitarian protection or refugee status or have a right to stay in the UK under the ECAA Ankara Agreement.
In order to make a successful application for a UK Unmarried Visa or Defacto Partner visa you must be able to meet all the Eligibility requirements, which means that the applicant must have met in person, have lived together for a minimum of two years and their relationship must be a genuine and subsisting, You should also meet the financial requirement or the minimum income requirement which is £29000 from 11 April 2024, however, if you held a visa before this date under Appendix FM as a partner you will need to meet the financial requirement of £18600. You must regularly check on the financial requirement as it is the intention of the Government to increase this over the years. It is also important to provide evidence that you have adequate accommodation and also meet the English Language requirement at the appropriate level.
At the moment the unmarried partner visa from outside the UK is granted for 33 months and from inside the UK for 30 months. After completing 60 months on a unmarried partner visa the applicant can apply for indefinite leave to remain under the Appendix FM.
If you have children under 18 years of age from a previous relationship, they will also be able to apply with you provided you are able to establish that you have sole responsibility for upbringing of the child/ren or there are compassionate and compelling circumstances in connection with the child/children.
Once the applicant has been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain as an Unmarried Partner, you need to wait for one year before you apply for British Citizenship.
UK Unmarried Partner or UK De-facto visa allows people who are unmarried to apply for an immigration status in the UK, So you do not need to get married or form a civil partnership to apply for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa. However, one should keep in mind that you will need to show that you have lived together in a relationship like marriage for atleast a period of 2 years before submitting an application for UK De-Facto Visa.
An application for an unmarried visa can be completed online via the www.gov.uk website. Once the application is completed you will need to pay for the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge fee.
You must complete the relevant application form honestly and declare all the relevant information;
Apply for Entry Clearance from outside or Leave to remain from inside the UK;
Make sure that you are meeting all the Eligibility requirements;
Provide all the evidence in the format acceptable;
Book an appointment for your biometrics at the VFS or TLS and if applying inside the UK at UKVCAS
Upload the relevant evidence;
You may have to attend an interview, if invited
Collect your passport or BRP card - these will change from 31 December 2024 and people will be getting E-Visas
In order to apply for an unmarried partner visa both you and your partner must be 18 years old.
Your relationship must be proven to be genuine and subsisting and you must provide evidence of living together for 2 years, this evidence depends on your circumstances. In order to apply for an unmarried partner visa, you must have met in person and have lived together for at least two years before applying for the Unmarried Partner Visa. The two years may not be continuous and you can provide evidence that you lived together for 1 month in the UK and then 2 months in France so you can add these together to use towards the 2 years total.
You and your unmarried partner must intend to live in the UK permanently and be able to accommodate and maintain yourselves without additional access to public funds.
You must be considered suitable to enter the UK that means you should have any unspent criminal convictions or should not be considered to be a person not in public interest or should not have an outstanding bill of £500 or more towards the NHS in the UK. You must also not fall for refusal under certain general Grounds for Refusal when submitting an unmarried partner visa application under Appendix FM.
If you are applying on or after 11 April 2024 then you must be able to provide evidence of minimum income requirement of £29,000. However, if you initially applied before this date then you need to continue with the earnings of £18600. If you had or have children the amount increases according to the number of children you have starting with £3800 for the first child and £2400 each for any additional children. With the new rules in April 2024, you do not need to show additional income for children and only income of £29000 is sufficient.
Earnings from employment for last 6 months;
Earnings from employment for last 12 months if you are not employed by the same employer for last 6 months;
Non-employment earnings – if you are receiving hourly wages
Self-employment earnings in the full last tax year from 06 April to 05 April or average of last 2 tax years;
Company director earnings received during the company tax year;
Earnings through shares held in a company (dividends);
Pensions
Rental Income
Overseas employment where you are returning to the UK with your husband or wife;
Overseas self-employment or company earnings if you are returning with your husband and wife to the UK;
Earnings during Maternity and Paternity pay;
Savings held by you or your unmarried partner for last 6 months £88500 after 11 April 2024 or £62500 before 11 April 2024;
Gifts held as savings or money received from sale of property, shares, bonds or assets;
Grants or Stipends can also be counted towards financial requirements.
You can combine some of your sources of income to meet financial requirements. The specified evidence of financials needs to be provided according to Appendix FM SE of the Immigration Rules.
There are exceptions to the financial requirement and certain applicants do NOT need to meet the financial requirement and rather only need to meet the maintenance and accommodation requirement at the levels of income support if their unmarried partner in the UK is in receipt of either –
Disability Living Allowance - DLA; or
Severe Disable Allowance; or
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit; or
Attendance Allowance; or
Carer’s Allowance; or
Personal Independence Payment – PIP; or
Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme; or
Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme; or
Police Injury Pension; or
Child Disability Payment; or
Adult Disability Payment; and
English Language requirement is applicable to you if you are not from an English Majority Speaking country – example – USA, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, etc. You should be able to meet the English Language requirement at level A 1 if applying Initially level A2 if extending an unmarried partner visa.
You must provide a SELT test certificate which is UKVI recognised. You can also provide your degree if taught from an English majority country or have a Ecctis letters of comparability and English language assessment.
The documents required depend on the circumstances of the applicant. The applicant must make sure that all the evidence is being submitted in accordance with the Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. You must make sure that all the evidence is provided to meet the Eligibility requirements.
You should submit -
A fully completed application form meeting the validity requirements;
Your valid passport;
Your two-passport size photos;
Evidence of living together such as tenancy agreement, bank statements, pay slips, Utility bills, phone/internet contracts, any other documents which have your names and address jointly or individually;
Evidence to show that your relationship is genuine and subsisting (evidence of communication or meeting or proof of living together or money transfers or letters from family and friends);
Evidence of financial requirement like payslip or self-employment documents or proof of savings, etc;
Evidence that you meet the English Language requirement - relevant SELT Test certificate or UK Degree, etc;
Translation of documents if not in English;
Attending the biometric appointment;
TB test certificate where you have been residing in a relevant country under Appendix T
It is your responsibility that you provide evidence in a legible format which discharges your burden of proof to satisfy the Eligibility requirement of the immigration rules. It is important to note that the document's requirements can be complex according to a relationship or the way you meet the financial requirement. It is advisable to seek immigration advice from an immigration lawyer or solicitor.
For an unlimited advice to achieve a successful outcome on your application you can contact Visa and Migration Ltd on 02034111261 or email us on info@visaandmigration.com
The application can be submitted from outside or inside the UK using an online application. The application from inside the UK is known as leave to remain and from outside the UK it is known as Entry clearance;
Once you have completed the online application you will need to book an appointment with VFS or TLS if you are applying from outside the UK. If you are applying from within the UK then you will book an appointment with UKVCAS. You must upload your documents online or purchase the document scanning service.
You must attend the appointment to complete the process where you must submit your passport and provide your documents for scanning if not uploaded already.
The unmarried partner visa application from outside the UK takes between 8 to 12 weeks in general, however, this can be extended to 24 weeks if the application is complicated. The application inside the UK takes 8 weeks. You can also purchase priority service which costs £500 from outside the UK and £1000 inside the UK.
The UK Unmarried Partner Visa fee in 2024 for UKVI application from outside the UK is £1846 and the Immigration Health Surcharge of £3105, kindly note the UKVI charges 4% processing fee on top of their fees and is paid in currency depending upon your residence or nationality.
For applications from inside the UK, the UKVI fee is £1048 and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) of £2587.50.
In 2024 the IHS is £1035 per year and has been multiplied to the length of years the visa will be granted. If you meet all the above requirements and are able to provide us evidence which we will list for you upon instructions we will be able to guarantee a positive outcome on your application provided you have given us all information correctly and have not deceived us in any way or hidden any relevant information.
Once you have been granted the Unmarried Partner visa, you are allowed to work in the UK or study in the UK. You cannot claim public funds or benefits in the UK.
If you have any dependent children from the previous relationship who are under the age of 18 years, they can join you in the UK provided your partner is able to meet the financial requirement and you can establish that you have the sole responsibility for the child or the child normally lives with you and not the other parent or there are compassionate and compelling grounds for the child to accompany you to the UK.
If you are extending your stay in the UK generally the rules at the time of your first application will continue to apply. It is important now because from 11 April 2024 the financial requirement has increased to £29000 and this will be applicable to all new applicants after 11 April 2014.
In order to apply for extension, you must prove that you have lived together for two years and remain genuine and subsisting. You must provide relevant evidence to discharge the burden of proof. Additionally, you must meet all the eligibility requirements stated above.
In order to switch to the UK Unmarried Partner visa, you must be in the UK lawfully, you will be unable to switch to the Unmarried Partner Visa, if you are an overstayer or in breach of immigration rules or on a visa which is issued 6 months or less or on a visitor visa. If you apply for the visa and are not allowed to switch the unmarried partner visa the application will be considered as invalid or lead to refusal.
The most common reason for refusal for the Unmarried Partner visa is that the applicant did not provide relevant documents in support of their application. It’s always better to consult a lawyer in order to verify that all the documents are in correct order so that there are no mistakes which lead to refusal of the application.
Some of the reasons are -
Completing the application incorrectly or dishonestly;
Not providing documents in English Language;
Not providing sufficient documents to prove cohabitation as an unmarried partner;
You did not provide valid documents;
Your relationship is not recognised;
You did not provide sufficient evidence to prove your relationship is genuine and subsisting;
Your communication is less;
You did not provide relevant documents to meet the financial requirement;
Your accommodation is inadequate or leads to overcrowding;
You do not meet the maintenance requirement at the rate of income support;
The English test is not recognised;
You did not submit the TB Test
You failed to attend the interview or the information provided was incorrect
These are some of the reasons why your unmarried partner visa application can be refused, however, consulting a regulated immigration lawyer or solicitor can avoid such reasons as we always cross check and provide you with a relevant list of documents according to your circumstances which avoids such reasons for refusal.
An application for a UK Unmarried Partner visa is generally considered with the Article 8 rights of a Family. If your application has been refused you will receive a refund of your Immigration Health Charge fee. On refusal of an application, you may have three realistic options -
Request for a reconsideration - if you believe the immigration officer has made an error in considering your application you can request a reconsideration of the application. Generally, this only works where there may be something minor like you had the documents available but you forgot to submit it or the UKVI overlooked a document which was submitted, must be done within 14 days and is sometimes at the discretion of the Home Office staff.
Submit a Fresh Application: You can submit a new application at any time and don't need to wait for a certain time. However, you must remedy the reason for refusal on a new application.
Appeal the decision: You can appeal the refusal decision within 28 days of receipt of the refusal letter from outside the UK and 14 days from the date of decision for an application refused inside the UK. You must always prepare the grounds of appeal, witness statement and proper bundle to support the appeal showing why the decision was incorrect or how you satisfy the requirement now and why the decision amounts to breach of your human rights to establish a family in the UK.
Make sure that you meet all the eligibility requirements. The documents must be in a clear readable format. Make sure all is arranged properly. Try to make a letter to explain your circumstances and list all the documents being submitted with the application.
Provide all the documents in English Language, make sure that the documents are valid and latest to meet the requirements of the immigration rules
Before you apply for a UK unmarried partner visa, we assess your circumstances and provide you with a quote for our services. If you choose to move ahead with your application, you pay an initial 50% deposit of our fees and 50% on submission of the application. We then provide you with a comprehensive checklist of documents you'll need, as well as templates approved by the Home Office.
We advise you on the evidence and process of submitting your defacto visa application, reviewing all this evidence and suggesting any amendments you may require. We do not leave any scope for refusal of your application - if there is anything which is of concern, we inform you of this and help you to remedy the issues. We prepare the application forms, and always send you these to review - this is to avoid any simple mistakes. We prepare and finalize your application for submission, and book you an appointment in the country where you will provide your biometric details. Should there be any delays to the processing times for your UK unmarried partner visa, we will chase the application for you.
The Immigration Rules generally restrict a person on visitor visa unless you have a British child or exceptional circumstances
Yes, you will need to pay for the Immigration Health Charge for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa.
The unmarried partner visa is granted for 30 months and after this you need to extend your unmarried partner visa
If the applicant is made from outside the UK and lived 6 months or more in a country under Appendix T of the immigration rules
Yes, you will need pass an English Language Test if you are between 18 and 65 years old and no exception applies
Yes, you can apply for an Unmarried Partner Visa if you have lived for 2 years in the last 5 years of yoru relationship.
Yes, the child can apply with you provided the child is under the age of 18 and you have sole responsibility for the child's upbringing or compassionate and compelling circumstances exist.
You need to provide documents in digital format.
The appointment is booked through VFS or TLS if you are outside the UK or with UKVCAS if inside the UK.
You will need Level A 1 English test SELT, this is a basic listening and Speaking test.
Yes, you both must be 18 years or above.
Yes, you can use money received as a gift provided you have held it for 6 months or longer.
Do you need to apply for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa?
Speak to our experts to find out about our fast, friendly and affordable service
