What is a 2 year spouse visa?

The Spouse visa is a visa specifically for the partners of UK based citizens or UK visa holders to apply to come and live with their partner.

As the United Kingdom’s Home Office cracks down on the scale of migrants granted access to settle in the UK, the Spouse visa is the most difficult visas to get approved.

As well as copious amounts of paperwork and legal documents that need to be submitted as part of an application, there are interviews and sufficient evidence needs to be provided to ensure your relationship is not a scam.

These issues combined means it is imperative a Spouse visa application is watertight with no errors.

There are several Spouse visa routes available if your partner has applied for one of these visas:

• An Investor or talent visa (Tier 1 visa) such as the Innovator visa, the Start-Up visa, the Investor visa, or the Global Talent visa

These routes take 2-3 years to wait until you become eligible for ILR. The shortest wait time is around 2 years for the Investor visa, providing you still meet the requirements for candidacy.

As the Spouse of someone holding the Investor visa, you will also be eligible for this accelerated route.

• A good knowledge of the English language (as shown by either an English qualification at B1, B2, C1 or C2 level, a degree in English)
• A genuine relationship (which will need to be proven)
• A Life in the UK Test
• A complete SET(M) application form
• Sufficient finances to support yourself and any dependant children you have (if applicable)
• A valid passport or recognised identity document
• Stable accommodation arrangements for your arrival in the UK

The UK Investor Visa is for high-net-worth individuals who want to make a significant financial investment in the UK.

It has been designed for applicants who intend to invest at least £2 million or more. Following five years of residence, eligible applicants may then apply for UK settlement.

It is possible to receive settled status sooner (2-3 years) if you invest £10 million.

You must be the partner or legally married spouse of a British or Irish citizen or someone who has settled status in the UK holding Indefinite Leave to Remain to apply for the Spouse visa.

For unmarried partners, the Unmarried partner visa or Fiancé visa may be more suitable.

If the UK based partner does not hold ILR, then they must have settled status or proof of permanent residence in the UK.

You must intend to live with your spouse after your arrival in the UK.

• £18,600 per year if you’re applying only for yourself
• £22,400 per year for you and one child
• £2,400 per year for each additional child

The spouse visa can take up to 8 weeks to process if the application is correct and in order. You will be notified if there are any discrepancies within your application, such as insufficient evidence, incorrect documents, or false claims.

There is an option to fast track an application, where applicants can pay a premium service fee and receive a processing time of 24 hours.

UKVI publishes up to date processing times for Spouse visas on their website, which will be individual to your case.

General processing time is up to 6 months. Most ILR applications are decided in 8 weeks. It is possible to expedite certain ILR applications using super-priority service, which costs additional £800.