The UK Fiance Visa category enables British citizens or individuals who have EU Settled Status or Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK to apply for their prospective spouse to come and join them in the UK to get married.
The UK Fiance Visa should not be confused with the Marriage Visitor Visa. With the Marriage Visitor visa, the applicant cannot extend their stay in the UK after their marriage and must leave the country after marriage. However, under a UK Fiance Visa, after marriage, a spouse can extend their leave to remain from within the UK.
Fiance visas are different from other partner visa categories in that with a fiance visa there is no requirement for the applicant and the sponsor to have lived together before making an application.
If you are a UK citizen returning to live in the UK you can apply for your fiance to join you at the same time.
Fiance visa requirements
To qualify for a fiance visa you must satisfy the following criteria as per the UK Immigration Rules:
- You and your future spouse must be at least 18 years of age
- You and your future spouse must have met each other
- You and your future spouse must intend to live together on a permanent basis once married
- You must show that any previous relationship that you or your partner were involved in has ended whether it was as a married or an unmarried couple
- You and your future spouse must have enough funds to support yourselves without claiming public funds
- Your fiance must be earning a minimum of £18,600 per annum or have savings to be able to sponsor you. The level of this financial requirement will increase if you are also sponsoring children as dependants
- You must have suitable accommodation available for you, your future spouse and any dependents
How long can you stay in the UK?
A fiance visa grants you entry to the UK for a period of six months during which time you are required to marry your fiance in the UK.
Once you are married you can apply for a spouse visa from within the UK. The spouse visa enables you to work in the UK and will initially be granted for a period of 30 months.
After spending five years on a spouse visa you are then eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as long as your marriage is subsisting and you can continue to meet the financial requirements.
English language requirements for partners
All partners, spouses, civil partners and fiancés must be able to prove that they can speak and understand the English language. As part of your application, you will need to provide evidence to show that you have passed an English language test from an approved test provider.
Related Links
- Full Representation Service
- UK Spouse Visa
- UK Spouse Visa interview questions and tips
- The real cost of a UK Spouse Visa in 2021
- FLR M Visa 2021 supporting documents
- British Citizenship by Marriage
Frequently asked questions
UK Visa & Immigration published processing time for UK Fiance visas applications is up to 12 weeks. If you require a faster visa processing timeline, most visa application centres outside the UK offer a Priority Visa Service which reduces the processing time to 5 working days or a Super Priority Visa Service for 1 working day. There will be an additional cost for each service.
You might have to wait longer for a decision if your application is not straightforward and/or more information is required before a decision is made, for example, if your supporting documents need to be verified, if you need to attend an interview or because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction).
If you are applying from abroad, presently, the Home Office fee for a fiance visa is £1,523.
You will be issued a visa that allows you to enter the UK within a time frame of 30 days. Once you arrive in the UK, you will be given a 10-days within which you will need to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
