The information provided in this blog does not constitute legal advice. For legal advice please contact our expert immigration team who will assist you with any queries you may have. We are highly experienced with all immigration matters. Please visit Review a Solicitor and see for yourself how our immigration team has been highly rated by existing Clients of the Firm.
Credits: wafi.co.uk
If you have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK or if you are a British Citizen, you can sponsor your spouse from overseas to join you in the UK on a permanent basis, under the spouse visa route.
Your spouse will be allowed to live and work in the UK, initially for a period of two and a half years, without recourse to public funds.
Your spouse will then need to apply for an extension, 28 days before the spouse visa is due to expire, following which your spouse will be granted a further two and a half years visa, to live and work in the UK.
After completion of five years, your spouse will be allowed to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, followed by a citizenship application.
What are the requirements for a spouse visa?
The main requirements for a spouse visa are as follows:
- The Sponsor has physically met the spouse.
- You must be lawfully married to one another – a marriage conducted overseas, for example, Pakistan, India or any other country, will be recognised in the UK, as long as it was conducted in accordance with the law of that particular country.
- The sponsor and the spouse must intend to live with one another permanently in the UK.
- The sponsor must ensure that they meet the financial requirement.
- The sponsor must have suitable accommodation for the spouse (and children, if applicable) to be able to join them in the UK.
- The spouse must satisfy the English language requirements and obtain a TB clearance Certificate if applicable.
What is the financial requirement?
The Sponsor must be earning at least £18,600.00 gross per annum in order to sponsor the spouse. Additional income is required if children are also being sponsored at the same time. An additional gross annual income of £3,800 is required for the first child sponsored in addition to the partner and an additional £2,400 for each further child.
The Immigration Rules set out the evidence that must be submitted with an application in order to satisfy the income threshold.
There are various ways in which the financial requirement can be met. Combined income and prospective income can also be taken into account. Your Solicitor will be able to assess your case and advise you on the best possible way to satisfy this requirement.
Cash savings of £62.500 can also be used to satisfy the financial threshold for a spouse visa. There are many other important factors to take into account if savings are relied upon.
It is important to seek appropriate advice from your Solicitor in this regard, as failure to do so can result in your application being rejected.
It is important that you submit the correct supporting evidence with the application to ensure high chances of your application being accepted.
Here at Henry Hyams we guide our client’s throughout their application process. We complete the necessary paperwork, advice on the supporting documents and also submit the same in the prescribed manner, for consideration by the Entry Clearance Officer or the Home Office case worker.
If you would like to discuss coming to live in the UK, please contact our immigration team. Henry Hyams has a highly experienced immigration team to guide you at every stage of your application. Henry Hyams Solicitors have been providing legal advice for over 80 years. We have experienced solicitors who have been providing immigration advice, assistance to clients nationally and internationally for many years.
Asif Hanif
Immigration Solicitor Immigration Solicitor at Henry Hyams Solicitors, Oxford House, Oxford Row, Leeds, LS1 3BE
Recent Comments