UK Marriage Visa, Immigration advice and services

Can I join my husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée in the UK?

• You may apply to join your husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée in the UK so long as he or she:
• currently lives and is settled in the UK
• is returning to the UK to live permanently

How do I qualify to join my husband or wife?

• You must show that:
• you are legally married to each other
• your husband or wife is living and settled in the UK, or is being admitted for settlement at the same time as you
  you both intend to live together permanently as husband and wife
• you have met each other
• together you can support yourselves and any dependants without help from public funds
• you have adequate accommodation, owned or occupied exclusively by you, where you and your dependants can live without help from public funds
• he or she is not under 16

If your spouse has more than one husband or wife, only one will be allowed to join him or her in the UK.

You will be allowed to stay in the UK and to work for one year at first. Near the end of this time, if you are still married and still intend to live together, you may apply to stay in the UK permanently.

How do I qualify to join my fiancé or fiancée in the UK?

You must show that:

• you plan to marry within a reasonable time (usually six months)
• you plan to live together permanently after you are married
• you have met each other
• there is somewhere for you and any dependents to live until you get married without help from public funds
• you and any dependents can be supported without working or having recourse to public funds

You will be allowed to stay in the UK for 6 months with no permission to work. When you are married you may apply for a one-year extension as a spouse and, if the application is granted, you will be allowed to work. Near the end of this time you may apply to stay in the UK permanently.

Can I join my unmarried partner in the UK?

You may apply to join your unmarried partner in the UK so long as he or she:

• currently lives and is settled in the UK
• is returning to the UK to live permanently

How do I qualify to join my unmarried partner in the UK?

You and your unmarried partner must show that:

• any previous marriage, or similar relationship, has permanently broken down
• you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for two years or more
• you have adequate accommodation, owned or occupied exclusively by you both, where you and your dependants can live without help from public funds
• you can support yourselves and any dependants without help from public funds
• you intend to live together permanently
• your partner is 18 years old or over
• you are 16 years old or over

The Entry Clearance Officer will require evidence of a two-year relationship. This may include documentation showing joint commitments such as bank accounts, investments, rent agreements, mortgages; correspondence linking you to the same address and official records of your address, such as national insurance or health cards.

You will be allowed to stay in the UK and to work for two years at first. Near the end of this time, if you are still partners and still intend to live together, you may apply to stay in the UK permanently.

If you have been living outside of the UK in a relationship akin to marriage for four years or more, you will be allowed to enter the UK for an indefinite period.

You must get an entry clearance (more commonly called a ‘visa’) before travelling to the United Kingdom as a spouse, fiancé or fiancée or an unmarried partner.

Note: The rules for going to the UK are different if you or your husband or wife (the ‘sponsor’) is a national of another member state of the European Economic Area (the member states of the European Union, and Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), or Switzerland. The rules are also different if you can claim British citizenship or another connection with the UK, for example by ancestry.

Can my children join me and my spouse, fiancé or fiancée or my unmarried partner in the UK?

your children and dependants can also join you in the UK. However, there are separate rules about these and advice should be taken.

Can I go to live with my parents in the UK as a child?

You may apply to join your parents in the UK as long as:

• your parents live and are settled in the UK legally, with no time limit on their stay, or are being admitted for settlement at the same time
• one parent is living and settled in the UK or is being admitted for settlement on the same occasion and has had sole responsibility for your upbringing
• your parents can support you without help from public funds;
• your parents have adequate accommodation, owned or occupied exclusively by them, where you can live without help from public funds
• you are their child (this includes the stepfather or stepmother of a child whose father or mother is dead, both the father and mother of an illegitimate child and an adoptive parent in certain defined circumstances)

How can I qualify to join my parents in the UK?

You, or your parent, must show that you are:

• under 18 years of age
• are not leading an independent life, are not married and have not formed an independent family unit

A child cannot normally go to live in the UK if one parent is living abroad, unless the parent in the UK has sole parental responsibility for the child, or if there are serious reasons why the child should be allowed to join the parent in the UK. (Exceptions may be made for children under 12 years of age.)

You must obtain a visa before you travel to the UK.

Can an adopted child go to the UK?

Yes it is possible for an adopted child to go to the UK however, the procedure is complex and legal advice should be sought before, embarking on such an application.

Can parents, grandparents and other dependent relatives go to live in the UK?

If you are a widowed parent or grandparent of 65 or over, or parents or grandparents travelling together, of whom one is 65 or over, you may qualify if:

• you are wholly or mainly financially dependent on children or grandchildren living and settled in the UK
• you are without other close relatives in your own country to turn to
• your children or grandchildren can support you without help from public funds
• your children or grandchildren have adequate accommodation, owned or occupied exclusively by them, where you can live without help from public funds

If you are a parent or grandparent under the age of 65 you may qualify if:

• you are living in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances
• you are wholly or mainly financially dependent on children or grandchildren living and settled in the UK
• you are without other close relatives in your own country to turn to;
• your children or grandchildren can support you without help from public funds
• your children or grandchildren have adequate accommodation, owned or occupied exclusively by them, where you can live without help from public funds
• It is almost impossible to qualify under this rule as what are “most exceptional circumstances” will depend on the facts of each individual case. Majority of these applications often result in refusal. However, there is a right of appeal.

If you are over 18 with a parent settled in the UK, or you are a sister, brother, aunt, uncle or any other parent or grandparent of a relative settled in the UK you may qualify if you meet the above criteria, and in addition:

you are living alone in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances

How do I bring my adopted children to the UK?

You must be able to show that:

you currently live and are settled in the United Kingdom legally, with no time limit on your stay

you can adequately support and house your child without help from public funds

How does my adopted child qualify to join me in the United Kingdom?

You, or your child, must show that he or she:

• is not leading an independent life, is not married and has not formed an independent family unit
• is under 18 years
• was adopted when both parents lived together abroad or when either parent was settled in the United Kingdom
• has the same rights as any other child of the adoptive parents
• was adopted because their original parents could not care for them and there has been a genuine transfer of parental responsibility
  has broken all ties with their original family
• was not adopted just to make it easier to enter the United Kingdom
• Your adopted child must get entry clearance before they travel to the United Kingdom.Following the implementation of the Adoption (Intercountry Aspects) Act 1999 on 30/4/2001, it is now an offence* for prospective adoptive parents to bring a child into the United Kingdom for the purposes of adoption, unless they have complied with requirements prescribed in law. The penalty for non-compliance is a fine of up to £5000 and/or up to three months imprisonment.*Section 56A of the Adoption Act 1976, inserted by Section 14 of the Adoption (Intercountry Aspects) Act 1999

  The Adoption of Children from Overseas Regulations 2001 aims to deter people from bringing children into the United Kingdom for the purpose of adoption unless they have first been assessed and approved by a local council or a voluntary adoption agency (VAA) and had their suitability endorsed by the Secretary of State. In order to avoid committing an offence, the Regulations require prospective adoptive parents in England and Wales, to have first:

• applied for their suitability to adopt a child to be approved by a local council or VAA
• complied with the assessment process
• received confirmation, in writing, of the agency’s decision to approve them as suitable to be an adoptive parent
• received written notification from the Secretary of State that he is prepared to issue a certificate of eligibility

Within 14 days of the prospective adoptive parents’ arrival in the United Kingdom with a child, they must notify their local council of their intention to adopt or not. Once this notification has been received, the child will be a protected child under Section 22 of the Adoption Act 1976 and his/her placement will be monitored by the council under Sections 32 to 37.

How long can my adopted child stay?

If your child was adopted in a designated country and both you and your husband or wife are settled here, or you have sole responsibility for the child, he or she will normally be allowed to stay here permanently from the date they arrive. If your child has not been adopted in a designated country he or she will normally be allowed to stay for 12 months so the adoption process can continue through the United Kingdom courts.

Will my adopted child become a British citizen automatically?

Your child will only become a British citizen if you adopted them through the United Kingdom courts and at least one of their adoptive parents was a British citizen when the adoption order was made.

Will a foreign adoption order be recognised in the UK?

A foreign adoption order will only be recognised in the UK if it was made in a country that is included in the Adoption (Designation of Overseas adoptions) Order 1973. This is known as a designated country.

If the adoption order was made in a country that is not designated, the child can apply to come to the UK to be adopted through the courts.

Visa Fee:

Visa fee for UK is £ 515.00.