UK Civil Partnership Visa

Apply For A Civil Partner Visa

There are various UK Visa options for those who are either:

• Planning to register as civil partners
• Already registered as civil partners and would like to reside in the UK

Please note that if you are married, there may be more suitable routes such as the Spouse Visa. There is a helpful guide on the differences between marriage and civil partnership (in England and Wales) that you can read through by clicking here.

You can apply for a Civil Partner Visa in the UK and abroad.

The visa application procedure consists of the following steps.

1. Check if you are eligible for a Civil Partner Visa.
2. Prepare the necessary package of documents.
3. Fill out the online application (the form will differ depending on whether you are applying in the UK or beyond).
4. Pay the required fees.
5. Upload the collected documents.
6. Make an appointment at UKVCAS or a visa centre in your city to submit biometric data.

In some cases, you will have an interview with the Home Office.

If you are planning to register as civil partners

If you are planning to apply for a UK Visa as a civil partner, you will have to choose a route that is specifically suitable for your situation. You may have to consider many factors, including your desired length of stay. The main visa routes that may be applicable are as follows:

• Proposed Civil Partner Visa – 6 months of stay – This route is ideal for those planning to register their civil partnership and settle in the UK. In this case, the sponsor/partner you are joining must either be ‘settled’, or be a British or Irish citizen.
• Marriage Visitor Visa – 6 months of stay – This route is suitable for those who wish to register as civil partners or get married in the UK, but do not intend to reside within the UK afterwards.

UK Civil Partner Visa Requirements

To successfully apply for a Civil Partners Visa, you must meet the specific requirements of your chosen route. You must also clearly highlight that you meet these visa requirements in your application, which can be done with a well-presented and to-the-point application.

It is advisable to seek assistance from legal professionals, as this will increase your chances of your application being accepted from the first try, avoiding a lengthy and costly appeal process.

Proposed Civil Partner Visa

In order to qualify for this specific visa, you will need to show the Home Office that:

• Your partner is British, Irish, or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
• You are both over 18
• You have met in person
• You are both free to enter a civil partnership
• Your relationship is genuine, and you intend to live together permanently in the UK
• Any previous relationships have broken down completely
• You intend to enter a civil partnership within 6 months of your arrival in the UK
• You will be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds
• There is suitable accommodation for you (and your dependants)
• You speak and understand English to a satisfactory level

Marriage Visitor Visa

In order to be eligible, you must prove that:

• You are both 18 or over
• You are free to give notice of marriage, to marry, or enter a civil partnership in the UK, within 6 months of your arrival
• You are in a genuine relationship
• You will be visiting the UK for less than 6 months and leaving the UK at the end of your visit
• You are able to support yourself without working or help from public funds, and can meet the cost of the return or onward journey

If you are unsure whether you are meeting these criteria, or need help building a strong case, please contact our team.

If you have already registered as civil partners and would like to reside in the UK:

A Family Visa as a civil partner allows foreign nationals to enter or remain in the UK, so long as they are in a civil partnership with a British/Irish citizen or a person with Indefinite Leave to Remain. To qualify for entry to the UK, you may need to be granted entry clearance prior to your arrival. This route would grant you 2 years, 9 months of stay.

The requirements for this visa are similar to the Proposed Civil Partner Visa. Generally, you will need to prove that:

• You are both over 18
• Your partner is British, Irish, or has obtained ILR
• You are in a recognised civil partnership
• You have a good knowledge of English
• You are financially independent (meaning you can support yourself and any dependant, without help from public funds)

Who Qualifies for a Civil Partnership Visa?

To qualify for the Partnership Visa UK, you need to meet several criteria and requirements. Who can become a holder of this visa, and what conditions must be met to obtain it successfully?

Status and Age Requirements

To obtain a Civil Partnership Visa in the UK, your partner must meet one of the following requirements:

• Be a British or Irish citizen.
• Have Indefinite Leave to Remain, settled status (permanent residence), or no time limit to stay in the UK.
• An EEA citizen with Pre-settled Status in the UK.
• A personnel of HM Armed Forces.
• Have limited leave as an ECAA Turkish Business person or a Turkish Worker.
• Have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
• Have a Stateless Person status holder in the UK.

You and your partner must be over 18 when you apply for the Civil Partnership Visa.

Meeting Relationship Criteria

You and your partner must either be in a civil partnership or plan to enter into a civil partnership upon 6 months’ arrival in the UK. You must prove that all previous relationships have ended and that you are in an exclusive commitment.

Prohibited Relationships and In-person Requirements

Your partner must not be in a prohibited degree of relationship, for example:

• Brother or sister.
• Adopted child.
• Foster parent.
• Grandma or grandpa.
• Grandson or granddaughter.
• Parent's brother or sister, etc.

Additionally, you must be personally acquainted and have a genuine, subsisting relationship.

Recognizing Civil Partnerships in the UK and Abroad

To be valid, all civil marriages registered in the UK must be monogamous and entered into following the Civil Partnership Act 2004 requirements.

It means you must file a notice of intention to enter into a civil partnership. It must be concluded in a civil institution (usually the local town hall or council), and the procedure must be carried out by an authorized person or in their presence.

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 also provides for a relationship abroad to be recognized as a civil partnership in the UK if all the following conditions are met:

• The relationship is registered with the appropriate authority in a country or territory outside the UK.
• The relationship is long-term and voluntary.
• The partners are considered a couple or treated as spouses.

Establishing a Genuine and Subsisting Relationship

Your relationship with your civil partner in the UK must be supported by an official civil partnership registration certificate.

Intent to Permanently Reside in the UK

You and your partner must demonstrate your intention to live together permanently in the UK. It may be evidenced by joint plans to reside, work, or study in the UK.

UK Civil Partner Visa Financial Requirements

To meet the financial threshold, you must show that the qualifying minimum annual income is not less than £29,000 (or £23,496 for HM Armed Forces personnel) gross, before tax and national insurance.

For existing Partner Visa holders on this route before 11 April 2024 and applying for Extension or Indefinite Leave to Remain, you may continue to meet the previous minimum income requirement of £18,600 under the Appendix FM transitional arrangements (up to a maximum of £29,000 including children):

• £18,600 for applicants without children.
• Additional £3,800 for those with one child.
• Additional £2,400 for each additional child.

When calculating your annual income, your salary is considered along with the following cash receipts:

• Income received from self-employment or as a head of a UK limited company.
• Cash savings of over £16,000.
• Pension payments.
• Income not related to work activities, such as the sale of property, rental housing, interest on deposits, or share dividends.

To calculate how much your cash savings over £16,000 could reduce your income requirement, you need to:

1. Calculate the average amount of your savings over the last six months.
2. Subtract £16,000 from average savings.
3. Divide the remaining amount by 2.5 (the number of years the Visa is issued).

For example, if you have £21,000 in savings, you can reduce the annual income requirement by £2,000. An amount of £88,500 will satisfy the minimum income requirement of £29,000. For existing Visa holders on this route before 11 April 2024 and applying for Extension or Indefinite Leave to Remain, cash savings of £65,000 or £34,600 respectively will meet the previous minimum income requirement of £18,600 under the Appendix FM transitional arrangements.

Please note that you may be exempt from meeting financial requirements if your UK civil partner receives certain government benefits or public funds. If your UK resident partner receives one of the benefits listed below, they may meet the financial requirement called adequate maintenance instead of minimum income requirements. Such benefits include:

• Carer’s Allowance.
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
• Severe Disablement Allowance.
• Attendance Allowance.
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
• Armed Forces Independence Payment.
• Guaranteed Income Payment via the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement, or War Disablement Pension.
• Police Injury Pension.

Residence and Language Requirements for a UK Civil Partner Visa

Whether you are applying for a Civil Partner Visa or its extension, you must prove that you and your civil partner have sufficient accommodation in the UK and do not need additional government financial assistance.

For your Civil Partner Visa to be approved, the accommodation you will be sharing with your partner in the UK must meet the following requirements:

• Belong exclusively to you and your family.
• Be purchased or rented with your own money, without any government financial assistance.
• Meet the space standards for the number of residents.
• Do not violate health and safety standards.

To meet this requirement, you may provide documents, including and not limited to:

• Evidence that you or your civil partner have exclusive title to the property, for example, through a deed or mortgage.
• Proof that you or your civil partner rent the property, for example, under a tenancy agreement.
• A letter from a friend or relative confirming that you will be staying with them or that you will have suitable accommodation for your stay in the UK.

Additionally, UK Civil Partnership Visa requirements include your proficiency in English. You may not need to prove your level of knowledge or take an exam if one of the following applies to you:

• You are over 65.
• You come from a recognised English-speaking country.
• You have a degree or academic qualification taught or studied in English.some text
  • In this case, you need to contact Ecctis for a certificate confirming that your qualification is equivalent to a British bachelor's degree or above and that it was taught in English.
• You have a degree or academic qualification from a UK college or university.
• You have a physical or mental illness that prevents you from meeting the language proficiency requirement.

If you do not fall into one of the above categories, you must take an English exam and achieve a grade of at least level A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR).

Please note that the minimum English language proficiency requirements will increase after living in the UK for 2.5 years. Your English level must be A2 or above to renew your visa and continue living in the UK.

However, if your first test results are A2 or above, you may use them again when renewing your visa.

UK Civil Partnership Visa Document Requirements

Along with your application for a Civil Partnership Visa, you have to provide a comprehensive bundle of documents, namely:

• Completed application form and receipt of payment of the registration fee.
• A valid passport or acceptable identification document.
• Evidence that you are in a relationship or live together (for example, utility bills, official correspondence, etc.).
• Proof that you meet English language requirements (e.g., CEFR test certificate).
• Proof that you meet financial requirements (bank statements showing your and your partner's income and any savings, payslips for the last 6 months, letter from your place of employment, etc.).
• Details of previous UK visa applications, if any.
• Certificate of criminal record, if applicable.
• Your National Insurance number (if you have one).
• Proof of housing in the UK (rental agreement, mortgage agreement, etc.)
• Biometric data (fingerprints and digital photographs).
• Tuberculosis test results if you come from a country where you must pass a test to apply for a Civil Partnership Visa.

Please note that any documents not in English or Welsh must be professionally translated and certified.

The list of documents may vary slightly depending on your circumstances, so it is vital to carefully review the documentation requirements to obtain a Civil Partnership Visa.

Processing Times for Civil Partnership Visas

The decision is aimed to be made within 24 weeks if you are applying outside the UK and 8 weeks if you are applying within the UK.

If you are applying in the UK and do not meet the minimum income and English language requirements at the time of application, it may take up to 12 months for a decision to be made under the 10-year route instead.

If applying for Leave to Remain in the UK and you need your application processed faster, you can use the “Super Priority” service. You will pay £1,000 in addition to the application fee to receive a decision within one or two working days. For entry clearance applications outside the UK, there may be a Settlement Priority Service offered depending on locations which costs £500.

Duration of a Civil Partnership Visa

The Civil Partnership Visa gives you the right to reside in the UK for 2.5 years or 33 months. In the future, this period can be extended for another 30 months.

Work Opportunities on a Civil Partner Visa

As a Civil Partner Visa holder, you are free to live with your civil partner and officially work and study in the UK until your permit expires.

Path to Indefinite Leave to Remain

After 5 years of continuous residence on the Civil Partner Visa, you become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Once you receive your ILR, you will no longer need to apply for a visa extension. In addition, you may apply for British citizenship after that, should you wish to.

Civil Partnership Visas with QC Immigration

As a team that specialises in immigration law, we can offer comprehensive guidance on the requirements and routes that are most relevant to a civil partner seeking access to the UK.

We will help you submit a convincing application that minimises the risks of a lengthy appeals process. We will make sure that you are applying for the right Civil Partner Visa, meet all of the requirements, and have all of the necessary documentation.

We can work with you both remotely and in person at our London law firm. You can get things started today by contacting us, which you can do online or by phone.