Moving outside your home country is always an exciting experience. You are about to embark on a journey where you will have the opportunity to see things you have not seen before. For that reason, many people are interested in doing so when they can.
Sadly, many do not have this opportunity. Nevertheless, those who have numerous ways to do this. Of course, it depends on the country in question.
One of the ways it can be achieved in the United Kingdom is through the procedure known as a spouse visa for UK. We are discussing a procedure under the family visa category for those who don’t know.
To apply for this procedure, the applicant should be married to a UK citizen or live in a civil partnership. Both options are available, but the applicant must meet a string of standards to be qualified enough.
As you can imagine, this is quite a complex procedure, which can last for a long time. Therefore, the applicant should arm himself with patience before conducting the process. Furthermore, many standards need to be met.
All of them will be checked by the institution responsible for the procedure. Today, we want to discuss the most important questions regarding spouse visas in the United Kingdom.
The Requirements
We have mentioned that numerous requirements should be met before conducting the procedure. But another major point is who is eligible to conduct it. We are talking about the individuals who live in the country.
At the same time, those who married a UK citizen in a foreign country will need to prove that they are married. Furthermore, those who fulfilled these requirements and left the country can do the same.
The only requirement is that they should return within six months. During the global pandemic of COVID-19, the regulations have been edited slightly, but the regulations have returned to what they used to be. During that time, the person currently a visitor in the country could go through the same process. In this case, consulting with a legal professional is an absolute must.
Those who live outside the UK should visit the local embassy and start the procedure. But, of course, going to an embassy will be slightly different and probably lengthier. Going through the embassy lasts a long for a simple reason; the local office will need to send the documentation to the office in the country.
That’s why those who go through this channel should be prepared to wait for a little bit longer.
The Application Process
The procedure is pretty straightforward, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. One of the things that requires your attention is what sort of visa you are applying. Generally speaking, the process goes like this. The first thing is to complete and submit the necessary application for the procedure. The next aspect is to pay the required fee and all other fees needed, like the immigration healthcare surcharge.
When you do these two steps, the next one is to book the date for the appointment you will have with the institution’s representatives. Naturally, going to the interview means you should bring all the necessary documents like a passport, id card, fingerprints, and a photo. Doing so will prove your identity, citizenship, and practically all the essential elements that will tell the institution all about you.
How to Apply for a British Passport?
The spouse visa usually lasts for two and a half years. But, of course, some aspects might increase the lengthiness. However, it generally lasts for the period we have mentioned. Of course, you can extend this period, but it should be done before it has expired. Naturally, the only condition for this is that you cannot obtain a British passport during the period. Therefore, we are talking about a process that usually lasts ten years.
The applicants are allowed to leave the country four times during this time. Of course, these leaves should not last for longer than three months. Otherwise, the problem of not being eligible for the renewal process becomes massive. Furthermore, chances are you will lose the status. You can see just how big of a problem this can be down the road. So, it is crucial to be careful about this aspect as possible.
If the applicant is unmarried to a British national before submitting for this visa, it includes a waiting period. Of course, no definite answer exists on how long this process will last. However, this process could last up to twelve months. It is quite long, and you should be prepared for this occurrence.
That doesn’t necessarily mean this will happen in your case, but you should be prepared for this potentially occurring.
Is Marriage Required for the Process?
As you can see, the applicant doesn’t need to be married before applying for a spouse UK visa. So, in that case, the process will be somewhat different, but it will remain within the same framework. We have mentioned that the process will be longer. But this is not the only thing you should pay attention to. There are many others as well. Still, we would like to say that you should inform yourself about it.
The most important thing is that the applicant needs to prove being in a civil partnership. Another possibility is that the couple is already married, but the law in the United Kingdom does not recognize their marriage. In that case, they would need to go through the process all over again in the future. Thankfully, they can get together in the country by one of the partners getting the visa.
Summary
Bureaucracy is usually complex, and most people do not like it. However, it is necessary to go through these processes sometimes. One of the situations when this is needed is when you are about to obtain a spouse visa in the United Kingdom. Here, you can look at the most important aspects of this process. You will find all these elements useful; we do not have any doubt about it.
