Immigration – Entry Clearance – Fiancé(e) Visa
Meeting someone on holiday, or online, when they live abroad can mean the potential for a long-distance relationship. However, at some point relationships develop, marriage becomes a possibility and a decision needs to be made about where to marry and more importantly, where to live.
If you decide to make the UK your home you would need to apply for permission to bring your fiancé(e) and this requires an application for an Entry Clearance Visa. Entry Clearance is the procedure used by UK Visa and Immigration before a person arrives in the UK, to confirm they qualify under immigration rules and can be admitted lawfully to the UK.
If successful, your fiancé(e) will have a six month Visa giving you time to plan and arrange a wedding, and then apply for further leave to continue living in the UK as a spouse of someone settled and living in the UK.
What are the requirements?
Generally:
- Both parties must be over the age of 18.
- If either party has been married previously, evidence must be provided to confirm they are free to re-marry.
- The parties cannot be related in any way.
- Nor should they be in breach of the immigration laws.
Specifically:
- You should have adequate accommodation for your fiancé(e) without the need for public funds.
- You should be able to maintain your fiancé(e) without recourse to public funds.
- If your fiancé(e) is not from an English speaking country then they are required to sit an English Language Tests.
How long will it take for a decision?
The timescales vary, however, it is currently taking around 16 weeks to receive a decision. It is possible to expedite decisions to around 5 weeks though timescales are not guaranteed for a decision.
We regularly assist in making these applications and can provide fixed fees for our involvement. If we can help you contact our Glenrothes Office and arrange an appointment with Jemma Forbes.
Rachel Scott
