The civil partner visa UK is granted on the basis of the civil partnership of the applicant with a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee, Turkish Businessperson visa holder or Turkish Worker visa holder. Civil partner visa applications are made according to requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. A civil partner visa is also known as a settlement visa or Appendix FM Partner visa. As a result of an application for entry clearance for a civil partner visa, the applicant is granted initial leave to enter for a period of 33 months. In case of an in-country application for switching to a civil partner visa, the applicant is granted an initial leave for 2.5 years (30 months), and a further extension is also granted for another 2.5 years (30 months).
A person who completes 5 years under the civil partner visa 5 years route can apply for ILR as a civil partner 28 days before completing 5 years. A person who holds a civil partner visa under the 10-year route will qualify for ILR 28 days before completing 10 years under the civil partner visa 10-year route or 28 days before completing 10 years of continuous and lawful residence on all types of UK visas.
Free Immigration Advice For Civil Partner Visa UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice online regarding your civil partner visa application. Ask a question online to our specialist team of family visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our family visa solicitors concerning your civil partner visa application.
Specialist Civil Partner Visa Solicitors UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors have a wealth of knowledge and experience for successfully handling civil partner visa applications. Our team of highly experienced spouse visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis concerning your application for entry clearance, switching, extension and ILR as a civil partner. Our family visa lawyers can provide immigration legal services both for civil partner visa (5 years route) and civil partner visa (10 years route).
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Applications For Civil Partner Visa UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations for all types of civil partner visa applications, including entry clearance applications, switching to a civil partner visa, extension of a civil partner visa and ILR as a civil partner. Various civil partner visa applications for which we can provide legal help and support are as follows:
- Entry Clearance For Civil Partner Visa UK
- Switching Into Civil Partner Visa UK (5 Years Route)
- Switching Into Civil Partner Visa UK (10 Years Route)
- Extension Of Civil Partner Visa UK (5 Years Route)
- Extension Of Civil Partner Visa UK (10 Years Route)
- ILR As A Civil Partner (5 Years Route)
- ILR As A Civil Partner (10 Years Route)
- Marriage / Civil Partnership Visitor Visa UK
- Immigration Appeals UK
- Naturalisation As A Civil Partner Of A British Citizen
Transitional Financial Requirement Of £18,600 For Applicants Who Made Their Initial Partner Visa Application Before 11 April 2024
The Home Office UKVI has introduced the transitional financial requirements for an applicant who made their first application as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, or as a partner before 11 April 2024 and who was granted permission as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner or as a partner on the five-year route to settlement as a result of that application. According to paragraph E-LTRP.3.5 of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, a person who has permission as a partner on the five-year route to settlement, or as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, at the date of application, must meet the transitional financial requirement of income which is £18,600 gross per year if they made an application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner or partner under Appendix FM before 11 April 2024, which was successful. Under the new rules, where the financial requirement exceeds £29,000 due to the number of children in the family, the applicant will only need to provide evidence of a gross annual income of £29,000.
The transitional financial requirement of £18,600 per year applies to applicants applying for permission to stay with the same partner for whom they were last granted permission. Applicants applying for permission to stay with a new partner must meet the financial requirement of £29,000 gross per annum.
Financial Requirement Of £29,000 Gross Per Year From 11 April 2024
As a result of changes to Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules effective from 11 April 2024, the new financial requirement of £29,000 gross per annum applies to an applicant who is making their first application on the partner route on or after 11 April 2024. You will not have to meet higher income requirements if you have any dependent children applying simultaneously along with the lead applicant, and the threshold will remain at £29,000 gross per annum.
Applicants can combine employment income under Category A with savings if the employment income is less than £29,000 gross per annum. The savings must be £16,000 plus additional savings equivalent to 2.5 times the difference between the applicant's gross annual income and £29,000.
UKVI Fees For Civil Partner Visa Applications
The Home Office UKVI fees for various stages of civil partner visa applications are as given in the table below:
| Application | Application Fee | Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) | Priority / Super Priority Service Fee (Optional) |
| Entry Clearance for civil partner visa from outside the UK | £1846 per applicant | £3105 for partner [£2328 for each child applicant] | £500 per applicant |
| Switching to a civil partner visa from inside the UK | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant |
| Extension of civil partner visa from inside the UK | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant |
| ILR as a civil partner | £2885 per applicant | IHS is not payable for ILR applications | £1,000 per applicant |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Civil Partner Visa UK
Following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about a civil partner visa UK:
Civil partner visa UK is a visa granted by the Home Office UKVI based on a civil partnership of a foreign national with a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee, Turkish Businessperson visa holder or Turkish Worker visa holder. A civil partner visa is also known as a family settlement visa or Appendix FM partner visa.
Using the civil partner visa fast track service, you can get faster decisions on your civil partner visa application. Civil partner visa applications from outside the UK can be submitted through priority service for a faster decision on civil partner visa applications within 30 working days. Civil partner visa applications from inside the UK can be submitted through Super Priority Service to get a decision on civil partner visa applications within 24 hours.
There are two routes to settlement under civil partner visa UK which are as follows:
Civil Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
Under the civil partner visa route, you will become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a civil partner 28 days before completing 5 years in the UK under the civil partner visa 5 years route. Any time spent in the UK under the civil partner visa 10 years route cannot be counted towards 5 years for the purposes of applying for ILR as a civil partner.
Civil Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
Under civil partner visa (10 years route), you will become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a civil partner 28 days before either completing 10 years under civil partner visa (10 years route) or 10 years of continuous and lawful stay on all types of UK visa [ILR-10 Years Long Residence), whichever is earlier. In most cases, the applicants will complete 10 years under 10 years long residence earlier than 10 years under a civil partner visa (10 years route).
It is possible to switch from a civil partner visa (10 years route) to a civil partner visa (5 years route) to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) sooner under the 5 years route.
Yes, you can switch from a civil partner visa 10 years route to a civil partner visa 5 years route at any time during the validity of your leave to remain. It is better to switch to the 5-year route as soon as possible because your time for ILR under the spouse visa 5-year route will start from the date you are granted initial leave to remain under the 5-year route.
You can apply for a civil partner visa immediately after registering your civil partnership with your UK civil partner.
Under civil partner visa 5 years route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 years residence in the UK with leave to remain granted under 5 years route.
Under the civil partner visa 10 years route, you can apply for ILR once you have completed 10 years in the UK with leave to remain granted in the UK under the civil partner visa route. Time spent under 10 years route and 5 years route will all count towards completing 10 years to qualify for ILR as a civil partner under 10 years route.
An applicant applying for civil partner visa entry clearance, switching to a civil partner visa, extension of civil partner visa and ILR as a civil partner must meet either
- the financial requirement of earning not less than £18,600 (if applying with no non-British children); or
- adequate maintenance requirement if the applicant’s partner is in receipt of the listed benefits and thus exempt from meeting the income requirement of £18,600 gross per year.
Where the application's refusal can result in serious breaches of human rights laws, including Article 8 of the ECHR and Section 55 of BCIA 2009, the applicant may be able to rely on third-party support to meet the financial requirement.
No, you cannot submit an in-country application for a civil partner visa if you are a resident outside the UK. You must submit a civil partner visa entry clearance application if you are a resident outside the UK, which means you must be physically outside the UK at the time of online application submission. You must also attend the visa application centre in your country of nationality/residence to enrol your biometrics and handover your passport.
If the Home Office, UKVI, refuses your application for a civil partner visa in the UK and you believe that the decision is unlawful, you can challenge the refusal decision by appealing to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT). An immigration judge will determine your appeal and decide whether the decision is in accordance with relevant immigration and human rights laws.
You can submit a fresh spouse visa application if your application for a civil partner visa has been refused and you do not believe there are good chances of success in your appeal.