Apply Entry Clearance for Civil Partner Visa UK - Priority Service for a Decision Within 30 Working Days

You can apply for entry clearance for a civil partner visa from outside the UK if you are resident abroad and you are a civil partner of a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee / humanitarian protection status holder, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder or a Turkish Worker visa holder.

You can apply for a civil partner visa entry clearance UK online if you meet all the civil partner visa 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. If the applicant meets the requirements for entry clearance as a civil partner, the applicant will be granted entry clearance for an initial period not exceeding 33 months, and subject to a condition of no recourse to public funds. Before the expiry of an initial 33-month civil partner visa, the applicant can apply for an extension/renewal of a civil partner visa under the 5-year route so that the applicant can complete 5 years on a civil partner visa and apply for ILR as a civil partner under the 5-year route.

Free Immigration Advice for Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance

Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide one-off 5-minute free immigration advice online in relation to your entry clearance application for a civil partner visa UK from outside the UK. 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 entry clearance application for a civil partner visa UK.

Specialist Solicitors for Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance

Our family visa solicitors are specialists in civil partner visa entry clearance applications from outside the UK. As one of the best family visa solicitors, we have successfully helped thousands of clients with their civil partner visa entry clearance applications. Our highly experienced and fully qualified family visa solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee immigration advice and legal representation for your civil partner visa entry clearance application from outside the UK. 

Meet Our Team of Family Visa Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our family visa solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the civil partner visa process with professionalism and care. 

Our team comprises a diverse group of family visa solicitors with extensive experience and knowledge. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.

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How To Apply for a Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance?

The step-by-step process to apply for a civil partner visa UK from outside the UK is as follows:

1. Complete the online application form for a civil partner visa UK on the UKVI website.
2. Submit your completed application form for a civil partner visa online by paying the application fee for a civil partner visa. You must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for the civil partner visa entry clearance application.
3. Book an appointment with the UK visa application centre to enrol your biometrics and hand over your passport for the processing of your civil partner visa in the UK.
4. Upload all supporting documents online in PDF format to be considered in support of the civil partner visa application before you attend your biometrics enrolment appointment.
5. Wait for a decision on your civil partner visa entry clearance application, which will be made within 30 working days if you apply through Priority Service or within 60 working days if you apply through standard service.

Requirements For Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance

The requirements to be met for a civil partner visa entry clearance include the following:

Valid application: The applicant must submit a valid entry clearance application for a civil partner visa in accordance with the requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

Relationship requirement: The applicant must be a civil partner of a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee / humanitarian protection status holder, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder or a Turkish Worker visa holder. The applicant's relationship with the UK sponsor must be genuine and subsisting, and appropriate evidence of the genuineness and subsistence of the civil partnership should be provided in support of the civil partner visa entry clearance application.

Age requirement: Both the applicant and the UK civil partner must be aged 18 or over.

Suitability Requirement: The applicant should meet the suitability requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules.

Financial requirement: The applicant should meet the financial requirement for the grant of a civil partner visa entry clearance. The financial requirement can be met through

• income of the UK sponsor (£29,000 gross per year) from employment or self-employment; and/or
• savings of the applicant and/or the sponsor; or
• through the rental income of the applicant and/or the sponsor.

Accommodation requirement: The applicant must provide evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, which the family owns or occupies exclusively.

English Language Requirement: The applicant must meet the English language requirement to demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level A1, as required by the UK Immigration Rules.

Tuberculosis Test Certificate: The applicant should provide a Tuberculosis test certificate if required under Appendix Tuberculosis of the Immigration Rules.

Relationship Requirement for Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance

The applicant’s UK partner must:

• be a British Citizen; or
• have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Settled Status in the UK; or
• be an EAA national with pre-settled status in the UK; or
• have a Turkish Businessperson or Turkish Worker visa in the UK; or
• have leave to remain as a refugee or a person with Humanitarian Protection (HP).

The applicant and their partner must not be within the prohibited degree of relationship. The applicant and their partner must have met in person. The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting. If the applicant and partner are married, the marriage must be valid, as specified. Any previous relationship of the applicant or their partner must have broken down permanently, unless it falls within paragraph 278(i) of the Immigration Rules. The applicant and partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK.

New 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 the income requirement of more than £29,000 gross per annum if you have any dependent children applying simultaneously along with the lead applicant, and the threshold will remain at £29,000 gross per annum.

To satisfy the financial requirement for a civil partner visa, the applicant's UK partner must be working and earning at least £29,000 gross per year. If the sponsor's employment income is less than £29,000 gross per annum, the applicant can combine the employment income under Category A with savings. 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. 

The applicant's own overseas salary income does not count towards meeting the financial requirement. However, the applicant's savings, rental income, or pension income (if applicable) does count towards meeting the financial requirement and the UK partner's income.

Various Sources of Income to Meet the Financial Requirements

Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income threshold, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following five ways:

• Income from salaried or non-salaried employment of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category A or Category B, depending on the employment history.
• Non-employment income, e.g. income from property rental or dividends from shares. This is referred to as Category C.
• Cash savings of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant, above £16,000, held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months and under their control. This is referred to as Category D.
• State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant. This is referred to as Category E.
• Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category F or Category G, depending on which financial year(s) is or are being relied upon.

When Does Exemption From Financial Requirement Apply?

Where the applicant’s partner is in receipt of any of the following benefits or allowances in the UK, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement at that application stage by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance” rather than meeting an income threshold of £29,000:

• Carer’s Allowance.
• Disability Living Allowance.
• Severe Disablement Allowance.
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
• Attendance Allowance.
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
• Police Injury Pension.

If the applicant’s partner is receiving one of the above benefits or allowances on behalf of their child, the applicant will be able to qualify by meeting the financial requirement through “adequate maintenance.” The evidence required to demonstrate that the applicant’s partner is in receipt of a specified benefit or allowance is specified in Appendix FM-SE.

How to Calculate Adequate Maintenance?

The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for your civil partner visa entry clearance application:

A – B ≥ C (A minus B is greater than or equal to C)
Where:
A is the net income (after deduction of income tax and National Insurance contributions);
B is housing costs (Rent and Council Tax); and
C is the amount of Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive.

Adequate Accommodation Requirement

The applicant must provide specified evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, which the family owns or occupies exclusively: accommodation will not be regarded as adequate if-

1. it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
2. it contravenes public health regulations.

English Language Requirement

The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:

1. is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
2. has passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages with a provider approved by the Home Office, UKVI; or
3. has an academic qualification recognised by UK Ecctis to be equivalent to the standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught in English; or
4. is exempt from the English language requirement because at the date of application:
   • the applicant is aged 65 or over;
   • the applicant has a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement; or
   • there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the applicant from being able to meet the requirements prior to entry to the UK.

Appeal Against the Refusal of Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance

If your civil partner visa entry clearance has been refused and you believe that the reasons for refusal are unjustified and not in accordance with relevant laws and facts, you can file an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) within 28 days of the refusal decision. Our specialist team of immigration appeal lawyers can represent you in your entry clearance appeal against the refusal of your civil partner visa entry clearance.

How Can We Help?

Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed fee basis in relation to your entry clearance application for a civil partner visa. Our fixed fee for your civil partner visa UK entry clearance application covers all the work of our family visa solicitors until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) issues a decision. The casework to be carried out by our family visa solicitors in relation to your entry clearance application for a civil partner visa UK will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our family visa solicitors will advise you on the requirements you need to meet for your civil partner visa entry clearance application to succeed.

Advice on documents: Our family visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your civil partner visa UK entry clearance application.

Assessment of documents: Our family visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all the documents you provide in support of your entry clearance application for a civil partner visa in the UK comply with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Completing the application form: Our family visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your civil partner visa entry clearance.

Submitting an application through Priority Service: Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your online entry clearance application through Priority Service to obtain a faster decision.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your entry clearance application online, our family visa solicitors will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.

Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist family visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of the entry clearance application to explain that all relevant legal requirements have been satisfied for the approval of a civil partner visa UK.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our family visa solicitors will upload all supporting documents online to support the entry clearance application for a civil partner visa to the UK.

Follow-up work: Our family visa solicitors will handle all follow-up until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) decides on the civil partner visa application.

Why Choose Us for Your Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance Application?

There are several reasons you can choose our civil partner visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your civil partner visa entry clearance application. The main reasons include the following:

High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best family visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for civil partner visa entry clearance applications. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services offered by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Remote Legal Services: Our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert civil partner visa advice and legal representation, remotely from our London offices. Using modern technology, our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your civil partner visa entry clearance application remotely, without you needing to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices if that is their preference, we are proud to offer our legal services for civil partner visa entry clearance applications remotely to save you time and travel costs.

Open 7 Days A Week: We pride ourselves on providing dedicated family visa advice and legal representation, available 7 days a week.

All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: Our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced family visa solicitors, who have extensive experience dealing with civil partner visa entry clearance applications, will carry out all the casework on your civil partner visa entry clearance application.

Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified family visa solicitors can prepare and submit your civil partner visa entry clearance application using the fast track process in the shortest possible time. Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your civil partner visa entry clearance application via the Priority Visa Service to obtain a faster decision.

Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online through our website enquiry form.

Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our family visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for civil partner visa entry clearance applications with the option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments, whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start our work on your civil partner visa entry clearance application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the civil partner visa entry clearance application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.

How Much Does Entry Clearance for a Civil Partner Visa UK Cost?

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an entry clearance application for a civil partner visa UK: