Overview
The UK Spouse Visa, part of the family route under Appendix FM, is for the partner of a British citizen or someone settled in the UK. A successful application grants 33 months of leave if you apply from outside the UK, or 30 months if you switch in-country. You can work without restriction, study, and bring your children. After five continuous years on the partner route you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
It is one of the most evidence-heavy applications the Home Office handles. Three requirements decide most cases: a genuine and subsisting relationship, the financial requirement, and the English language requirement. A weak file in any one of them is the common reason for refusal. Our Glasgow office prepares each category from the ground up.
Updated for 2026: The minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year. Home Office fees rose by 6-7% on 8 April 2026. The English requirement at settlement rises from B1 to B2 on 26 March 2027, so applicants planning their five-year route should factor that in early.
This page covers the partner route in full, from a first application made from Pakistan, India or Nigeria, through to switching in-country and extending with FLR(M). We act for clients across Glasgow, Paisley, and the wider west of Scotland.
Key Benefits
Financial requirement mapped
The £29,000 requirement can be met through employment, self-employment, savings, or a combination. We map the exact category that fits your circumstances and assemble the payslips, bank statements and employer letters in the format the Immigration Rules demand.
Relationship evidence built
Genuine and subsisting is proven, not asserted. We help you build a timeline of cohabitation, communication and shared finances, and select the documents that answer the questions a caseworker actually asks.
Refusal risk checked first
Before you pay a single Home Office fee, a Glasgow adviser reviews your file against the Appendix FM rules and flags any gap in finances, English, accommodation or suitability. We would rather fix it now than appeal it later.
Settlement-ready from day one
Every Spouse Visa we file is set up for the FLR(M) extension and the ILR application that follow. We track your five-year clock, the English progression from A1 to B1, and the Life in the UK Test.
Our Service Packages
Advice Package
A one-to-one consultation with a Glasgow immigration adviser. We confirm eligibility, identify how you meet the financial requirement, and give you a written action plan to the application date.
From £150 + VAT
Application Package
Full end-to-end Spouse Visa application. We prepare every document, draft the relationship and cover letters, complete the online form, and submit on your behalf. Includes one revision after Home Office contact.
From £1,200 + VAT
Document Check
Already prepared your own application? Our advisers review every document and the completed form before you submit, with a written checklist of any gaps in your financial or relationship evidence.
From £350 + VAT
Refusal Review
If your Spouse Visa was refused, we review the refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, advise whether administrative review, a fresh application or an appeal is the stronger route, and rebuild the file. We refer to a representative for tribunal advocacy where an appeal is the right path.
From £450 + VAT
What is the UK Spouse Visa?
The UK Spouse Visa is the family-route permission, granted under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, that allows the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen or settled person to live in the UK. It is sometimes called the partner visa. A first grant lasts 33 months when you apply from outside the UK, or 30 months when you switch from inside. You can work, study and travel, and after five continuous years you can apply to settle.
Most people who come to our Glasgow office are sponsoring a partner from abroad, or are in the UK on another visa and want to switch onto the partner route. The application is the same set of requirements either way. What changes is where you apply from and how long the first grant runs.
Who can apply in 2026
You can apply for a UK Spouse Visa if you are aged 18 or over, you are married to or in a civil partnership with your sponsor, and your sponsor is a British citizen, settled in the UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain, or has pre-settled or refugee status. You must both intend to live together permanently in the UK, and you must meet the financial, English and accommodation requirements. Unmarried partners who have lived together for two years use the closely related partner route, and engaged couples use the Fiance Visa.
Spouse Visa requirements at a glance
Five requirements decide a partner-route application:
- Relationship: a genuine and subsisting marriage or civil partnership, with both parties over 18 and an intention to live together in the UK.
- Financial: a minimum income of £29,000 a year, or qualifying savings, or a combination.
- English language: CEFR level A1 at the initial stage, unless exempt.
- Accommodation: adequate housing in the UK without overcrowding or recourse to public funds.
- Suitability: no immigration or criminal history that triggers a refusal under the suitability rules.
A file that is strong on four requirements and weak on one is still a refusal. Our advisers in Glasgow build all five before submission.
Applying from outside the UK or switching in-country
If your partner is abroad, they apply for entry clearance from their home country and attend a visa application centre for biometrics. This is the most common route for our Glasgow sponsors whose partners are in Pakistan, India or Nigeria. The first grant is 33 months.
If you are already in the UK on a visa that permits switching, such as a Skilled Worker or Student visa, you can switch onto the partner route without leaving the country. The grant is 30 months. You cannot switch from a visit visa, and switching from no status is rarely possible. We confirm at the first consultation whether you can switch or need to apply from abroad.
The relationship requirement
The Home Office must be satisfied that your relationship is genuine and subsisting. A valid marriage certificate is the starting point, not the end of it. Caseworkers look for evidence built up over time: cohabitation, joint financial commitments, communication during any period apart, photographs across the span of the relationship, and the accounts of people who know you both.
Marriages conducted abroad must be legally recognised in the country where they took place. Both partners must be at least 18. If you and your partner have not lived together, for example because of visa restrictions, the application can still succeed, but the other evidence of a genuine relationship needs to be correspondingly stronger. This is an area where Glasgow clients often benefit most from a structured document plan.
The financial requirement in 2026
The minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year. It can be met in several ways:
- Employment income of the sponsor, evidenced by six months of payslips and bank statements, or twelve months in some categories.
- Self-employment or company director income, evidenced through tax returns and company accounts.
- Cash savings of £88,500 held for at least six months, which can be used alone or to top up a shortfall in income.
- Certain non-employment income, such as rental or pension income.
The rules on which sources can be combined are precise, and the evidence has to be in an exact format. Applicants who applied before 11 April 2024 may still be assessed against the older £18,600 threshold at extension. Getting the financial category right is the single biggest driver of success, and it is the first thing we map for every Glasgow client.
The English language requirement
For the first application you must demonstrate English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening, through an approved Secure English Language Test, unless you are exempt. You are exempt if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country, hold a degree taught in English, or are over 65 or have a qualifying disability. The required level rises to A2 at the extension stage and B1 at settlement. From 26 March 2027 the settlement level rises from B1 to B2, so anyone on a five-year route should plan their English progression with that date in mind.
The accommodation requirement
You must show adequate accommodation in the UK that you own or occupy, which will not be overcrowded under the Housing Act and does not rely on public funds. This can be a property you own or rent, or accommodation provided by family, supported by a letter of permission and proof of the property. Accommodation is a quietly common cause of avoidable refusals, usually because the evidence is incomplete rather than because the housing is inadequate.
Tuberculosis testing
If you have lived for six months or more in a country on the Home Office TB testing list, you need a TB test certificate from an approved clinic as part of the application. The list includes Pakistan, India, Nigeria and many other countries. If you have lived in an exempt country, no test is required. We confirm whether the requirement applies before you book anything.
Document checklist
A partner-route application typically needs a current passport, the marriage or civil partnership certificate, financial evidence covering the relevant period, the English test certificate, accommodation evidence, the TB certificate where required, and relationship evidence spanning the length of the relationship. The exact list depends on how you meet the financial requirement and where you apply from. We issue every client a tailored checklist rather than a generic one.
Spouse Visa fees and costs in 2026
The Home Office application fee is from £2,064 for entry clearance and £1,407 to switch or extend in-country, following the April 2026 increase. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year of leave, which is around £3,105 for a 33-month grant. Budget also for the English test, the TB test where required, and any document translation. We give a full written cost breakdown at the assessment so there are no surprises.
How long it takes
From outside the UK, the standard service is around 12 weeks from biometrics, with a priority service of around three weeks where the visa centre offers it. In-country applications take up to eight weeks on the standard service, with super-priority available for an urgent decision. Times vary by centre and season. We advise whether paying for priority makes sense for your circumstances.
Extending your Spouse Visa
The partner route is a five-year path made of two grants. Before your first 33 months run out, you apply for an FLR(M) extension of a further 33 months. The requirements are similar, with English at A2, and the financial and relationship evidence refreshed. We start extension preparation around three months before the visa expires, which keeps you in status throughout.
From Spouse Visa to ILR and British citizenship
After five continuous years on the partner route, and once you meet the B1 English requirement and pass the Life in the UK Test, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. ILR is full UK settlement with no time limit. Twelve months after ILR you can apply for British citizenship, or immediately if your partner is a British citizen. Our ILR service and citizenship service pick up the same file, so nothing is rebuilt from scratch.
If your application is refused
A refusal is not always the end of the route. Where the decision contains a case-working error, there may be a right of administrative review. Some partner-route refusals carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal on human rights grounds. In many cases a carefully rebuilt fresh application is faster and stronger than an appeal. We review the refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, tell you honestly which route gives the best prospect, and where an appeal is the right path we refer you to a representative for the tribunal hearing while we support the underlying evidence.
2026 rule changes
The partner route continues to evolve. The minimum income requirement sits at £29,000. Home Office fees rose by 6-7% on 8 April 2026. The settlement English requirement rises from B1 to B2 on 26 March 2027. The suitability framework and the longer-term move toward an earned-settlement model are under review. We keep every Glasgow client’s plan current as the rules change, because a five-year route started today will cross more than one rule change before it ends.
Spouse Visa guides by nationality
The partner route is the same set of rules for everyone, but the documents, the tuberculosis test, the English requirement and the visa application centre differ by country. We have written a dedicated Spouse Visa guide for several nationalities, covering exactly what changes for applicants from that country:
- Spouse Visa for Indian nationals
- Spouse Visa for Pakistani nationals
- Spouse Visa for Bangladeshi nationals
- Spouse Visa for Nigerian nationals
- Spouse Visa for Filipino nationals
- Spouse Visa for Chinese nationals
- Spouse Visa for Polish nationals
- Spouse Visa for Romanian nationals
- Spouse Visa for Ukrainian nationals
- Spouse Visa for Turkish nationals
- Spouse Visa for Sri Lankan nationals
- Spouse Visa for South African nationals
- Spouse Visa for Iranian nationals
- Spouse Visa for Brazilian nationals
- Spouse Visa for American nationals
How UK Visa Assistance helps
UK Visa Assistance is a Glasgow immigration practice. We prepare partner-route applications end to end: confirming eligibility, mapping the financial requirement, building the relationship and accommodation evidence, completing the form and submitting on your behalf. We work on fixed fees agreed in advance. To start, call 0141 496 0321 or request a callback for a free initial assessment of your Spouse Visa.
Frequently asked questions
The minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year. It can be met by the sponsor's employment income, the couple's combined income once the applicant is in the UK with permission to work, self-employment, certain non-employment income, or cash savings of £88,500 held for six months. We assess which route is strongest for your circumstances before you apply.
Yes, if you are already in the UK on a visa that permits switching, such as a work or student visa, you can switch into the partner route without leaving. You cannot switch from a visit visa. In-country grants run for 30 months. If you are on a visit visa or have no status, you generally need to apply for entry clearance from outside the UK. We confirm your eligibility to switch at the first consultation.
The Home Office looks for evidence that you and your partner are in a real, continuing relationship: a valid marriage or civil partnership, time spent together, joint financial commitments, communication when apart, and the intention to live together permanently in the UK. We help Glasgow clients build a document timeline rather than a folder of receipts, because a clear narrative is what persuades a caseworker.
For the initial application you must show English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening, through an approved Secure English Language Test, unless you are exempt. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries and holders of a degree taught in English are exempt. The level rises to A2 at the extension stage and B1 at settlement, with B1 rising to B2 from 26 March 2027.
From outside the UK the standard service is around 12 weeks from your biometrics appointment, with a priority service that reduces this to around three weeks where available. In-country applications take up to eight weeks on the standard service, with super-priority available. Processing times vary by visa centre and time of year. We advise on whether priority is worth it for your timeline.
The Home Office application fee is from £2,064 for entry clearance and £1,407 to switch or extend in-country, following the April 2026 fee increase. On top of that you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per year of leave granted, so around £3,105 for a 33-month grant. There may be costs for the English test, TB test and document translation. We give you a full cost breakdown at the assessment.
You need a tuberculosis test certificate from a Home Office approved clinic if you have been living for six months or more in a country on the TB testing list. This includes Pakistan, India, Nigeria and many others. If you have lived in an exempt country such as the UK or an EU state, no test is needed. We confirm whether the requirement applies to you.
You receive 33 months of leave (30 if you switched in-country). Before it expires you apply for an FLR(M) extension of a further 33 months. After five continuous years on the partner route, and once you meet the English and Life in the UK requirements, you apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Twelve months after ILR, or immediately if your partner is British, you can apply for citizenship.
Yes. Dependent children under 18 can be included as dependants on the partner route, each with their own application and fee. The financial requirement does not increase for children of a British or settled parent in the same way it once did, but accommodation and the genuine relationship of the family unit still need evidencing. We prepare the family's applications together.
You must show you have adequate accommodation in the UK that you own or occupy exclusively, without overcrowding under the Housing Act, and without recourse to public funds. This can be a property you own, rent, or live in with family who provide a letter of permission. We help Glasgow clients evidence accommodation correctly, which is a quietly common reason for avoidable refusals.
It depends on the refusal. Many partner-route refusals carry a right of administrative review where the decision contains a case-working error, and some carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal on human rights grounds. We review the refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, advise whether administrative review, a fresh application or an appeal is the stronger route, and refer you to a representative for tribunal advocacy where an appeal is right.
Yes. Our office is in Glasgow and we meet clients across Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrew and the west of Scotland, but most of the work is done by phone, video and secure document exchange. We act for sponsors in Glasgow whose partners are applying from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and elsewhere, so being out of the city is not a barrier.