Spouse Visa Lawyers London, UK
Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors is ranked as Top Tier by the Legal 500 in the field of UK Immigration, and has been serving clients with high success rates since 1985.
We are a team of expert Spouse Visa Lawyers and Solicitors in London. Call us on 020 7269 9590 for immediate help & assistance or fill out the form and we will call you back in 24 hours.
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Our Spouse Visa Lawyers London Have Been Serving Clients With High Success Rate for Four Decades
Our family immigration department specialises in assisting clients with Spouse Visa applications, where we have a wealth of experience in dealing with the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) authority and the UK Home Office. If you choose us to represent you, our team of Spouse Visa Lawyers London will provide you with comprehensive advice and support throughout the entire visa application process, from start to finish boosting your chance of success.
We understand that applying for a Spouse Visa can be difficult if you do not know the law, so we aim to make it as stress-free as possible for our clients by streamlining it with our expertise, knowledge and abilities. During the initial consultation, we will assess your eligibility and advise you on the best path moving forward. We will then provide you with a detailed quote for our services and advise you on the required documentation for your visa application. After submitting your application, we will keep in close contact to ensure there are no delays or problems. Lastly, we will provide assistance during the processing of your visa until it is finally approved. We understand the importance of a Spouse Visa—it is an essential part of many couples’ lives—and are committed to providing personalized service and quality advice every step of the way.
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How to make an application for a UK Spouse Visa?
If you and your partner are looking to move to the UK together, you may need to apply for a Spouse Visa. The process can be complex and confusing, so it’s important to seek professional help from our experienced Spouse Visa Lawyers.
The Spouse Visa application can be made from inside of the UK where you will most likely be switching to it from another visa route, or, from outside of the UK, at a British embassy abroad. If your application is successful, you can gain entry clearance to the UK to live and work here. However, as the non-British partner, you will have no access to public funds or benefits that UK citizens are entitled to until you qualify for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years of continuous residence.
If you are currently living in the UK and are on a Fiance Visa, a work visa, or a student visa that is valid for more than six months, you could qualify to switch into a Spouse Visa.
The Spouse Visa UK will eventually lead to “Indefinite Leave to Remain” (ILR), also known as “Permanent Residence”. This can be applied for after a period of 5 years if you meet the requirements or in some case 10 years if all the requirements are not met after 5 years. The application process for ILR is similar to the Spouse Visa and you will need to provide evidence of your relationship, such as financial responsibility, accommodation arrangements etc.
Spouse Visa UK Requirements
UK Spouse Visa requirements vary and depend on whether you are applying for the 5-year route or the 10-year route. That’s why it is always best to speak with one of our Spouse Visa Lawyers London or Solicitors to make sure which route would be open for you to apply under.
In either case, you must meet some basic initial requirements when applying for this visa and they are as follows.
- You must be married to British Citizen
- Or you are married to someone that has the status of indefinite leave to remain, settled status or permanent residence in the UK
If so, you can submit your application and if successful you will be granted entry clearance into the UK for 2 and half years after which you can re-apply with the intention to gain indefinite leave to remain in the UK after 5 years.
We understand how important your application is and we strive to get you the best results as quickly as possible. We will guide you through every step of the process, from filling out the forms to preparing evidence and attending court if an appeal is necessary. If you are looking for reliable immigration advice and help with your Spouse Visa application, our team of Spouse Visa Lawyers are here to support you. We have an excellent track record in obtaining successful outcomes for our clients.
Before submitting your Spouse Visa Application, you will also need to show evidence that:
- Both you and your partner are over the age of 18
- You (as the applicant) speak and understand English. For this, you will have to prove that you have studied English to an adequate level or may have to pass an English language test
- Your UK spouse is either a British citizen has indefinite leave to remain, settled status or permanent residence
- You are legally married or in a civil partnership that is recognised by the UK
- You are in a genuine relationship and you will be living with your partner upon arrival in the UK
- You have met your partner before and this is not only an online relationship.
- You will have accommodation in the UK and for yourself and your dependents.
- You can maintain a level of living in the UK that is adequate and will not need to claim any public funds.
- You have been tested for tuberculosis by a Home Office approved clinic
UK Spouse Visa Application Cost
The fee for the UK Spouse Visa is £1,523 for applications from outside of the UK and £1,033 for those processed within the UK. These fees are just for the application itself and are not inclusive of our independent fees for processing your application for you. These fees are subject to change so please contact our Spouse Visa Solicitors London for the latest information. Also, the fees stated here is the applciation fee and not our fees for handling your application.
How long Does The Application Process Take?
Our Spouse Visa Lawyers London advise that it takes 15–20 working days to prepare an application, but this can be done sooner, depending on your case. Moreover, you can expect a decision in 3–8 weeks. However, if you pay for the priority service, this can be all finalised in a matter of days.
What happens if you do not meet all the requirements of the 5-year route?
If you are currently married to a British Citizen or settled person, and you do not meet all the requirements under the 5 Year Route – Spouse Visa you can apply under the 10-year spouse visa route (only from inside the UK).
When can a Spouse Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain?
The Spouse Visa is a very popular route to eventual indefinite leave to remain (ilr) and is appropriate for you if you meet all the requirements of the immigration rules for this particular visa fully.
Firstly, you should be a person of good character, have no criminal convictions or have not acted in any deceitful manner with the Home Office or the tax authorities.
If successful in obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain, then spouses are free to live in the UK without any time restrictions. Furthermore, they can also apply for British citizenship after 12 months of having ILR if all other criteria are also met. Being a citizen would give full access to rights and benefits that only citizens of the United Kingdom are entitled too.
You can apply for ILR as a spouse after you have finished 5 years in the UK under the Spouse Visa Route.
If you would like to eventually succeed in the ILR application as a spouse under the 5 years route, you as an applicant must:
- Ensure that your case meets the suitability criteria as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules
- Show that you have been living with your UK spouse during the last period of leave
- Show that your relationship is genuine and subsisting
- Demonstrate you are a person of good character
- Demonstrate that you and the UK sponsor want to live together permanently
- Meet the Spouse visa Financial Requirement (£18,600 gross per year individually or jointly)
- Meet the requirement of decent accommodation and to be accommodated in the UK without any use of public funds
- Prove that you speak, read and write English to a suitable standard and that you meet the English language proficiency at CEFR level B1 in listening and speaking (English language requirement test)
- Prove that you meet the Life in the UK test requirement
What happens if your Spouse Visa UK application is refused?
If you apply for a UK Spouse Visa and it is refused for whatever reason, then you should consult our Spouse Visa Lawyers London who can review your case and appeal the refusal.
There are time limits for processing appeals, so it is very important to act quickly after you recieve the refusal.
If the correct guidelines are followed, an application is unlikely to be refused. However, if there is a refusal of your application, you can appeal against the Home Office decision through a First Tier Tribunal appeal process.
Our team of top immigration solicitors can help you through the appeal process and represent your case in the courts. Our track record of success for appeals and judicial review wins speaks for itself and with our 3 decades of experience of dealing with the UK judicial system, we can ensure you that your case is in safe hands.
Let's make your application as smooth as possible.
Speak with our Spouse Visa Lawyers London today.
Dr Bernard Andonian – the Co-Founder of Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors, is an experienced Immigration Solicitor, former Judge, and recipient of a PhD in Law from the University of West London. He has over four decades of experience practising UK Immigration, Human Rights and Civil Litigation Law. He has served on the Law Society Immigration Law Panel, achieved numerous groundbreaking decisions in higher courts and is featured in the Legal 500’s Hall of Fame.
