Introduction: Eligibility Criteria for UK Spouse Visa

• To successfully apply for any visa, you need to know the eligibility and requirements
• The UK Spouse visa is a UK visa route that allows married or civil partners of British citizens or those settled in the UK on Indefinite Leave to Remain, to join them in the UK
• If you are looking to join your partner in the UK, it’s helpful to know the full information on the UK Spouse visa
• The SmartMove2UK’s UK Spouse visa experts have curated this Eligibility Criteria for UK Spouse Visa guide for you to have a better understanding of this visa

What are the Eligibility Criteria for UK Spouse Visa 2023?

Residency & Age factor

Both you and your partner must be at least 18 years old in order to apply as a partner.
Your partner must:

• Be a citizen of the United Kingdom or Ireland; be from the EU; Switzerland; Norway; Iceland; or Liechtenstein;
• Have pre-settled status; they must have lived in the UK before January 1, 2021;
• Have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa.
• Receive humanitarian protection or refugee status in the UK.

Our experts in India – Mumbai, Delhi & Bengaluru have received many queries on the eligibility of accommodation for the UK Spouse visa.

For the Spouse Visa UK Requirements 2023, your accommodation in the UK must meet 4 requirements. Your lodging must include the following:

• Be solely owned or occupied by you or your family
• Be obtained without using public funds
• It should not be overcrowded
• Not to violate public health and safety

What proofs must be submitted under the Eligibility Criteria for UK Spouse Visa 2023?

You have to prove‌:

• You have a legally recognised civil union or marriage in the United Kingdom.
• If you apply, you must be in a relationship and have lived with the partner for at least 2 years.

You may still be allowed to apply for a visa or renew your permission to stay even if you don’t match these conditions if:

• You have a child in the UK who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years, and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK
• If you and your partner lived together as a couple outside of the UK, it would be against your human rights to prevent you from entering or forcibly remove you from the country/there would be very significant difficulties for you and your partner that could not be overcome if you lived together as a couple outside the UK.

What is a genuine relationship/proof of relationship for a UK Spouse Visa?

In order to meet the Eligibility Criteria for UK Spouse Visa 2023, you will need to meet the genuine and subsisting relationship requirement, by providing proof of relationship.

As per the UK Home Office, you will need to provide documents acknowledged by the Home Office to prove your relationship. You must provide proof that:

• Comes from an official source such as the government, a bank, a landlord, a utility company, or a doctor;
• Attests to your relationship with your partner, such as the fact that you share expenditures, live together, are married, or have been in a civil partnership for fewer than four years.

You can use the following as proof:

• A marriage licence or certificate of civil union
• A bank statement from a combined bank account, proof that you pay bills jointly, a lease agreement, energy bills, or council tax bills, or proof that you live at the same address
• A letter proving that you live at the same address by your dentist or doctor

Keep in mind that not providing any of the important documents can lead to an increase in the processing time for your UK Spouse visa application.