UK Marriage Visa

With the marriage visa, the applicant is first granted a 33-month visa, which can be extended for a second 33 months. If no problems arise, the couple can apply for permanent residence after 5 years.

The UK fiancé visa is divided into two categories: the standard visa and the visitor visa.

• With the standard fiancé visa, the applicant is issued a 6-month visa in order to marry their chosen partner. At the end of the 6-month period, a 3-year visa is issued to the applicant.
• With the visitor visa the applicant is issued a 6-month visa so that they can marry in the UK and then return to their home country to apply for the 3-year visa from there. This type of visa is not available to Iranians.

Types of UK marriage visa

UK spouse visa (SPOUSE VISA)

This is issued from outside the UK and allows applicants to join their British partner in the UK, under their financial support, for a period of 33 months.

 FLR (M) visa

The spouse visa applied for from inside the UK allows the applicant to REMAIN with their British partner, under their financial support, for 30 months. In other words, an FLR (M) application can only be submitted by those who are already in the UK.

 UK fiancé visa (fiance visa)

The UK fiancé visa allows you to marry your partner in the UK or to enter the UK. This can lead to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and is valid for 6 months. Although this visa is only valid for 6 months, it can easily be extended by submitting an FLR (M) visa application before the fiancé visa expires.

 UK unmarried partner visa (UK Unmarried Partner visa)

The UK unmarried partner visa allows the applicant to enter the UK with their partner and to reside in the country with them as financial sponsor.

 Civil partner visa or proposed civil partner visa (Civil partner visas)

The UK proposed civil partner visa is for the committed partners of British citizens. This type of visa is suitable for applicants whose partners have indefinite leave to remain in the UK and who intend to enter the UK through a civil partnership within 6 months. To apply for this type of proposed civil partner visa, individuals must apply from outside the UK.

Requirements for obtaining a UK marriage visa

•  Both the resident and the marriage visa applicant must be over 18 years of age, because UK law does not recognise marriages under 18.
• Both people must currently be single and not even be in a civil partnership.
• Your partner must be British or an Irish citizen with settled status.
• If your spouse is from an EU country (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein) and has been living in the UK since before 1 January 2021, they must have residence status, indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with settled status.
• Your marriage or civil partnership must be recognised by the UK government. (This is to prevent marriages that UK law does not recognise.)
• If you are engaged, you must prove that you will marry within the next 6 months.
• At the time of applying for the visa, you must have lived with your partner for at least 2 years or be in a stable relationship.
• Proof that you and your partner intend to live together permanently in the UK after the application.
• Your partner in the UK must support you financially.
• The applicant must be proficient in English.

Documents required for residence through the UK marriage visa

• Completed application form for the UK marriage visa (form VAF4A)
• Valid passport
• Your previous passports
• Two colour photographs
• Sufficient proficiency in English
• Proof of financial means
• Proof that the relationship is genuine (photos of the two of you together, etc.)
• Full name
• Date of birth
• Details of any previous immigration applications, if any.
• Certificate of no criminal record.
• National Insurance number
• Your parents' dates of birth and nationalities if you are applying from outside the UK.
• Proof of address
• Biometric information (including fingerprints and a digital photo)
• Receipt of the fees paid for the UK marriage visa

Costs of residence through the UK marriage visa

Regarding the costs of obtaining UK residence through the UK marriage visa, these include wedding expenses, gathering documents and translating them, and the visa application processing fee. Because of the variety of options for registering and holding a wedding ceremony, no specific amount can be given for this, but in general a fixed fee for processing visa applications is announced each year by the UK immigration office and government, which is around 1330 pounds. Registering biometric information is estimated to cost around 20 pounds. In addition, the first and most important part of immigrating to the UK is proving the marriage and submitting the marriage certificate, which costs around 295 dollars.

The process of the UK marriage visa

The process of the UK marriage visa must be completed before the spouse enters the UK so that the spouse can become a British citizen entirely legally.

First, submit the relevant documents to the embassy. Below we review these documents:

• To prove a legal marriage, the couple must submit their marriage certificate. To make the visa process easier and to prove the certificate, it is recommended that they submit all marriage documents together with wedding videos and photos to the embassy.
• The couple must prove that they married to share a loving life together and that their marriage is not a sham.
• To obtain a UK marriage visa the marital status of both parties must be clear. Therefore, providing a divorce or death certificate is mandatory if this is not the parties' first marriage.
• The British citizen must prove they are financially independent and show with the necessary documents that they have the financial ability to support the household. Also, if you are bringing your spouse to the UK, you must prove that your combined income is at least 18,600 pounds per year.
• The couple must prove that they can afford insurance costs.
• The applicant must meet the English language requirements.
• Certificates showing no criminal record or any offence by the couple must be submitted to the embassy.
• If the passport has been renewed or a new passport obtained, the old passport must be submitted to the embassy.
• 7 days before applying for the UK marriage visa, the couple must attend the register office for marriage notices in the UK.
• The place of residence for the shared life must be specified. Whether you own, are the owner of or rent the property does not matter much. It only needs to be proven that the place of residence is fixed for at least one year.
• When applying for the UK marriage visa, neither you nor your partner may have made any application to receive charitable services or state benefits.
• For the approval or rejection of marriage arrangements, you have up to 28 days to submit your arrangements to the register office for marriage notices. The date of the wedding ceremony must be stated precisely in these arrangements, but it is possible to change the wedding venue after submitting the documents.

To receive a UK marriage visa you need about 12 weeks. If your application is made in the UK, online or by post, a response takes a maximum of 8 weeks. On the other hand, if you apply in person in the UK, you will receive a response to your marriage visa application within one day.

Extending the UK marriage visa, obtaining permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship can be obtained in the UK. First, to enter the country, you receive a 6-month visa from the country's embassy. With this visa you can officially register your marriage and, if you meet the conditions, submit the documents and pay the required fees, you can apply to extend your temporary visa. The initial visa issued to you is temporary and is extended for 33 months. During this period, by proving that your marriage is genuine and your relationship stable, your temporary residence visa is extended with the same validity as before. After approximately 5 years since the relationship became official and of living together in the country, holders of this visa can apply for permanent residence. After that, if you meet the citizenship requirements of the country, you can apply for British citizenship; these requirements include the following:

• In the 3 years before applying for UK citizenship, you must not have been outside the UK for more than 270 days.
• In the past year, you must not have stayed outside the UK for more than 90 days.
• You must abide by all UK laws and must not have even one breach of UK law on your record.

Possibility of family members accompanying you after receiving the UK marriage visa

Family members of the marriage visa holder can reside with and accompany them, but family members must be the person's immediate relatives. Before applying, make sure of your financial means to support them, and it is also better to apply separately for each of your immediate family members.

Advantages of the UK marriage visa

• Ability to work and study in the UK
• No work restrictions for holders of the UK marriage visa
• Immediate family members can accompany the holder of the UK marriage visa
• Contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Guardian's Allowance
• Disability allowance
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Maternity Allowance
• Retirement Pension
• Statutory Maternity Pay
• Statutory Sick Pay

Every year many immigrants seek to move to the UK through marriage, because this route allows them to obtain permanent residence in the UK and, by meeting the requirements mentioned, to officially obtain citizenship of the country. In this article we have tried to review this immigration route fully from various angles. If you wish to immigrate to the UK through a marriage visa and become familiar with all the details of the immigration process, the recommendation of Iranoca Immigration Marketing Company is to consult our specialist and experienced consultants and lawyers about your immigration file.

If you need consultation, you can meet our consultants in person or online and learn about the process of obtaining your UK marriage visa. You can also, right now, through our free assessment form, which is managed by expert consultants, check your eligibility for this type of visa.

Steps to obtain a UK marriage visa

Dear applicant, if you wish to obtain a UK marriage visa, please follow the steps below

Assessment form and consultation

First, by completing the free assessment form, you can send your basic circumstances and details for review by the lawyers. If your general circumstances are suitable, a consultation call will be scheduled for you. It should be noted that this entire process is free of charge and is reviewed and assessed by specialist staff

Receiving the confirmation letter

After the consultation and completion of the immigration file process, a letter of approval or non-approval will be sent to you by the licensed lawyers. This letter states whether or not you are eligible to immigrate, the type of immigration visa, and the route and conditions through which you can immigrate.

Registration in Obtaining the visa Frequently asked questions some users have had about the UK marriage visa