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Pathway

UK Partner or Spouse Family Visa

United Kingdom Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

You may apply to live in the UK with a spouse, civil partner, fiancé, proposed civil partner, or partner in a lasting relationship of at least two years. Both of you must be at least 18, the relationship must still be genuine, and you must plan to live together permanently in the UK.

Supporting partner
British, Irish, settled, or holding another immigration status accepted for this route
Relationship
A qualifying marriage, civil partnership, or unmarried relationship lasting at least two years
Financial requirement
Usually £29,000 annual income; transitional and specified-benefit exceptions apply

Summary

This is a family route for joining a British, Irish, settled, protected-status, or otherwise qualifying partner in the UK. It can lead to settlement, but the relationship, finances, English requirement, and documents need careful proof.

Prepare to live with your partner in the UK
  1. Check your partner's status Check whether they can support your application, whether the EU Settlement Scheme applies, and which partner category fits.
  2. Prove your relationship and finances Use the required records and time periods to show your relationship and enough income or savings.
  3. Apply and plan for renewal Meet the English and other requirements, then track renewal and permanent-residence conditions.

Fiancé permission has different time limits and work rights. A lasting partnership does not always require two years living together. Earlier financial rules may still apply in some cases.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

The UK partner must be British or Irish, settled, a qualifying pre-settled EEA/Swiss citizen, hold legacy Turkish permission, protection status, or qualifying stateless permission. The free EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) route should be checked first where relevant. The separate refugee Family Reunion appendix closed to new applications at 3pm on 4 September 2025 pending review; a new partner application to a protection-status sponsor must now use Appendix FM until further notice, with its ordinary requirements, fees and fee-waiver rules.

Marriage is not required for a durable partner. Two years' cohabitation is one way to prove the relationship, but current rules also accept a two-year relationship where the couple cannot live together because of work, study or cultural reasons. Evidence should cover regular contact, time together, shared responsibilities and finances.

The usual minimum income requirement is £29,000. Transitional applicants who first applied on the partner route before April 11, 2024 and continue with the same partner can remain under the older £18,600-plus-children calculation, capped at £29,000. Where the sponsor receives specified disability or carer benefits, adequate maintenance replaces the fixed threshold. English is normally A1 initially and A2 at extension.

Policy watch 1 development we’re tracking
Some British-citizen family cases are intended to retain five-year settlement
Consultation — not currently law

Some British-citizen family cases are intended to retain five-year settlement

Current official stage: Consultation closed; government analyzing feedback

The proposal says qualifying partners of British citizens would receive a five-year reduction from the 10-year baseline, preserving a five-year path when core requirements are met. Cases involving other sponsor statuses, the 10-year family route, and transitional arrangements still need final rules.

Timing: The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. GOV.UK currently says the government is analyzing feedback. No general implementation date has been announced, and current settlement rules remain in force unless and until Immigration Rules changes take effect.

Last checked
References
Read the full briefing

What This Route Allows

A partner grant from abroad normally lasts 2 years 9 months; an extension or in-country switch lasts 2 years 6 months. If a protection-status sponsor claimed asylum after March 2, 2026, the partner’s permission ends sooner when necessary to match the sponsor’s. Work and study are allowed and public funds are normally barred. From 8 April 2026 the fee is £2,064 outside or £1,407 inside the UK, normally plus IHS. A fiancé grant lasts six months and permits neither work nor study until marriage/civil partnership and a successful partner extension; its six-month grant does not attract IHS.

The standard partner route leads to settlement after five continuous years; fiancé time and time on other visas do not count. A human-rights grant that does not meet the standard requirements normally uses a ten-year route. Settlement normally requires Life in the UK and B1 speaking and listening now; the enacted B2 requirement applies to applications from 26 March 2027.

What This Route Is Not

It is not a visitor or marriage-ceremony visa, and marriage alone does not guarantee approval. Switching is barred from several short-term categories. “No recourse to public funds” can be lifted for destitution, imminent destitution or child-welfare reasons without automatically moving a five-year-route holder to ten years.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the sponsor status and whether EUSS or transitional income rules apply.
  2. Build a relationship chronology and use independent, recent records.
  3. Match every income source or saving to Appendix FM-SE's specified evidence periods.
  4. Track the eVisa, renewal, English progression and five-year settlement clock separately for each family member.

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Discussed in these reports

Other routes in United Kingdom.

Sources