A UK marriage visa enables a person to apply for leave to enter the UK or leave to remain in the UK on the basis that they are married to a person who is present and settled in the UK. Settled status means that the person is living here lawfully with no time limit on their stay.
Duration
Initially a UK marriage visa is issued for a two year period. After this time a person can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). In some cases settlement entry clearance may be granted allowing a partner to stay in the UK permanently, however this is only applicable to a person who has been married and living abroad with their spouse for four years at the time they apply for entry to the UK.
Eligibility Criteria
Age
An applicant for a marriage visa in the UK must be 16 years of age or over and the partner with settled status in the UK must be 18 years of age or over.
Relationships
To be eligible for the UK marriage visa partners must:
- be legally married to each other; and
- plan to live together;
- have met each other;
- can be supported by themselves without recourse to public funds; and
-
have adequate accommodation where dependants can live without recourse to public funds.
If a person has more than one husband or wife, only one of them will be allowed to join them in the UK as their husband or wife under the UK marriage visa.
If a person is applying within the UK for leave to remain on the basis of marriage, at the time of the application the person must have leave to remain in the UK on a visa category that was initially issued for a period of more than six months.
Additional Information
Public Funds
To be eligible for a UK marriage visa you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without recourse to public funds.
