You can apply for a proposed civil partner visa for the UK if you are a proposed 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. An application for a proposed civil partner visa can only be made from outside the UK. An entry clearance application for the proposed civil partner visa application is made in accordance with the requirements of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
As a result of a successful application for the proposed civil partner visa, the applicant is granted entry clearance for 6 months so that the applicant can come to the UK to register his/her marriage or civil partnership with the UK partner and then switch to a civil partner visa or spouse visa from inside the UK. Once married to or in a registered civil partnership with a UK sponsor, the applicant can switch from the proposed civil partner visa to a civil partner visa from inside the UK.
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Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide one-off 5-minute free immigration advice concerning your application for entry clearance as a proposed civil partner from outside the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of family visa solicitors for free immigration advice online or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist family visa solicitors concerning your entry clearance application for a proposed civil partner visa.
Specialist Family Visa Lawyers UK
Our specialist team of family visa solicitors has a wealth of knowledge and experience in successfully handling proposed civil partner visa applications. Our team of highly experienced family visa solicitors provides expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed-fee basis for proposed civil partner visa entry clearance applications.
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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 proposed 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.
Arshad Mahmood
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Tushita Scalzullo
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Nargis Khodadady
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Asad Malik
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Alina Rizvi
Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor
Victoria Gbenoba
Specialist UK Immigration SolicitorOur team of expert family visa solicitors and lawyers is proficient in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Marathi, Farsi, Italian, and German, enabling us to communicate effectively with you regarding your immigration matters.
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How To Apply for a Proposed Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance?
The step-by-step process to apply for a proposed civil partner visa is as follows:
- Complete the online application form for the proposed civil partner visa on the UKVI website.
- Submit your completed application form for the proposed civil partner visa in the UK online by paying the application fee. You do not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for the proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application.
- Book an appointment with the UK visa application centre to enrol your biometrics and hand in your passport for the processing of your proposed civil partner visa in the UK.
- Upload all supporting documents online in PDF format before you attend your biometrics enrolment appointment so that they can be considered in support of the proposed civil partner visa application.
- Wait for a decision on your proposed 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 a Proposed Civil Partner Visa
The requirements to be met for the proposed civil partner visa entry clearance include the following:
Valid application: The applicant must submit a valid entry clearance application for a proposed civil partner visa in accordance with the requirements of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
Relationship requirement: The applicant must be the proposed 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 marriage should be provided in support of the proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application.
Age requirement: Both the applicant and the UK proposed civil partner of the applicant must be aged 18 or over;
Intention to get married or register a civil partnership in the UK: The applicant should be seeking entry as a proposed civil partner to enable registration of his/her marriage or civil partnership with the UK partner and should demonstrate an intention to get married to or register a civil partnership with the UK partner in the UK.
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 proposed 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 and who own or occupy the household 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 where required under Appendix Tuberculosis (TB) of the Immigration Rules.
Relationship Requirement for Proposed 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 UK partner must have met in person. The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting. 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 marry and 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 proposed 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 sponsor's 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 sponsor's gross annual income and £29,000.
The applicant's 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 Meeting The 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.
What Is The Formula For Calculating Adequate Maintenance?
The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for your proposed 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.
What Is Adequate Accommodation Requirement For Proposed Civil Partner Visa UK?
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-
- it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
- it contravenes public health regulations.
English Language Requirement for the Proposed Civil Partner Visa UK
The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:
- is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
- 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
- has an academic qualification recognised by UK NARIC 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
- 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.
Switching from the Proposed Civil Partner Visa to a Civil Partner Visa
A person in the UK on a proposed civil partner visa can switch from a proposed civil partner visa to a civil partner visa from inside the UK as soon as he/she has registered his/her civil partnership with his/her partner. An application to switch from a proposed civil partner visa to a civil partner visa is made online using the FLR (M) application form before the expiry of the proposed civil partner visa. As specialist family visa solicitors, we can provide Super Priority Service for switching from a proposed civil partner visa to a civil partner visa, and we can get a decision on your application within 24 hours of the biometrics enrolment date.
Appeal Against the Refusal of the Proposed Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance
If your proposed 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 an appeal against the refusal of your proposed civil partner visa.
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 proposed civil partner visa. Our fixed fee for your entry clearance application for the proposed civil partner visa will cover all the work of our family visa solicitors on your entry clearance application until a decision is made by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) on your application. The casework to be carried out by our family visa solicitors in relation to your entry clearance application for the proposed civil partner visa will entail the following:
Advice on requirements: Our family visa solicitors will advise you on the requirements you must meet for your proposed 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 entry clearance application for the proposed civil partner visa.
Assessment of documents: Our family visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all those you provide in support of your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application comply with the Immigration Rules.
Completing the application form: Our family visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your proposed 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 get a faster decision on your entry clearance application for the proposed civil partner visa.
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 proposed civil partner visa.
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 the proposed civil partner visa.
Follow-up work: Our family visa solicitors will handle all follow-up until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) decides on the proposed civil partner visa application.
Why Choose Us for a Proposed Civil Partner Visa Entry Clearance Application?
There are several reasons you can choose our family visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application. The main reasons include the following:
High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of London's best family visa solicitors provides high-quality legal services for proposed 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 family visa advice and legal representation, remotely from our London offices. Using modern technology, our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your proposed 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 proposed 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 proposed civil partner visa entry clearance applications, will carry out all the casework on your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application.
Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified family visa solicitors will prepare and submit your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application in the shortest possible time using the fast-track process. Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application through Priority Visa Service to get a faster decision on your proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application.
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 proposed civil partner visa entry clearance applications with an 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 proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.
How Much Does a Proposed Civil Partner Visa for the UK Cost?
The costs associated with your entry clearance application when applying from outside the UK are outlined below:
Our Fixed Fees for Your Entry Clearance Application
Our fixed fee for processing your entry clearance application ranges from £1,000 to £1,500 (VAT not applicable). The agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of your case and the volume of work involved in your application. You will make an initial payment of half our fee when we start working on your matter, and the remaining half is due once we have fully prepared the application and it is ready for submission.
UKVI Fees for Your Entry Clearance Application
In addition to our fixed fee for assisting you with your entry clearance application, you are also required to pay the Home Office UKVI fees for your UK visa. The UKVI fee for your UK visa entry clearance application is £2,064.
Additionally, to receive a decision on your application within 30 working days, you can pay an additional £500 as a Priority Service fee.
Get a Fixed Fee Quote for Your Immigration Matter
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Ready to get started? Use the link below to request a fixed-fee quote tailored to your needs.
How to Engage Us for Your Immigration Matter?
You can instruct immigration solicitors in London at Premium Solicitors for your immigration matter by getting in contact with us using one of the following means of contact:
Call Us: 0044 20 3930 3900
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Book an Appointment Online: You can book an appointment with one of our specialist immigration solicitors in London for detailed immigration advice and consultation on your immigration matter.
What Are Our Other Civil Partner Visa-Related Services?
- Civil Partner Visa UK
- Entry Clearance for a Civil Partner Visa
- Switching to a Civil Partner Visa UK (5 Years Route)
- Switching to a Civil Partner Visa UK (10 Years Route)
- Extension of a Civil Partner Visa UK (5 Years Route)
- Extension of a Civil Partner Visa UK (10 Years Route)
- ILR as a Civil Partner (5 Years Route)
- ILR as a Civil Partner (10 Years Route)
- Family Visa UK
- Entry Clearance Appeal Against Refusal of Proposed Civil Partner Visa
- Naturalisation as a British Citizen After ILR Grant
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an application for proposed civil partner visa entry clearance application:
The Proposed Civil Partner Visa UK allows a non-UK national to enter the UK to form a civil partnership with their British or settled partner within 6 months of arrival. After registering the civil partnership, the applicant can switch to a Civil Partner Visa (partner route) from inside the UK.
You can apply for a Proposed Civil Partner Visa if:
- Your partner is a British citizen or has Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or settled/pre-settled status
- You both intend to form a civil partnership within 6 months
- You have met each other in person
- Your relationship is genuine and subsisting
- You intend to live together permanently in the UK
- You meet the English language proficiency requirement
The UK sponsor must meet the minimum income requirement, which is generally:
- £29,000 per year (subject to current Home Office rules)
Alternatively, savings can be used to meet the financial requirement if income alone is insufficient.
Yes, the applicant must meet the English language requirement by:
- Passing an approved English language test at CEFR A1 level or higher; or
- Holding a degree taught in English; or
- Being a national of a majority English-speaking country
The visa is granted for 6 months. During this period, you must register your civil partnership in the UK.
No, you are not permitted to work while on a Proposed Civil Partner Visa. You can only start working after switching to a Civil Partner Visa.
No, this visa cannot normally be extended. You must:
- Register your civil partnership within 6 months; and
- Apply to switch to a Civil Partner Visa before the visa expires
After you have registered your civil partnership with your UK partner, you can switch to a civil partner visa from inside the UK. You must apply before your current visa expires.
The documents required for a proposed civil partner visa application may vary depending on the applicant's circumstances. Typical documents may include:
- Valid passport
- Immigration status or nationality requirement of the UK partner
- Evidence of being free to marry, if applicable
- Proof of relationship (photos, messages, travel history)
- Evidence of meeting in person
- Financial documents (payslips, bank statements, letter from employer, etc.)
- Proof of accommodation
- English language certificate
- Intent to register civil partnership
- Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, if applicable
Yes. After registering your civil partnership in the UK, you can switch to a Civil Partner Visa (Spouse Visa equivalent) from within the UK before your 6-month visa expires.
The time spent on a proposed civil partner visa does not count towards the 5-year qualifying period to apply for ILR as a civil partner. The qualifying time for ILR starts from the date the initial leave to remain as a civil partner is granted, following a successful application to switch from a proposed civil partner visa to a civil partner visa.
If you fail to register your civil partnership within the visa validity:
- You may need to leave the UK
- Your immigration status may be affected
It is crucial to plan your civil partnership registration well in advance.
Yes, the Proposed Civil Partner Visa is available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples intending to form a civil partnership in the UK.
Yes, dependent children are permitted under this route. Where children of the applicant are from a previous relationship, the sole responsibility requirements for the children's upbringing must be met for the children's application to be successful.
In an application as a proposed civil partner, the ‘sponsor’ is the person with whom the applicant intends to register a civil partnership.
Both the applicant and the UK proposed civil partner of the applicant must be aged 18 or over for the proposed civil partner visa application to succeed. In cases where the applicant is within a couple of months of their 18th birthday, and the other party is 18 or over, the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) has discretion to issue UK visa entry clearance, but it is valid only from the date the person under 18 reaches their 18th birthday.
Intention to live permanently with the other means an intention to live together, evidenced by a clear commitment from both parties that they will live together permanently in the UK immediately following the outcome of the application in question or as soon as circumstances permit.
In a case considered in the High Court in November 1996, Keen J held that:
‘The concept of intention is no doubt a complex one, but it appears to me that one can indeed have a genuine intention, notwithstanding that the carrying out of that intention is dependent on, or could be frustrated by, some extraneous event.’
He went on to conclude that the Rules' requirement regarding the parties' intention to marry could be met where the British citizen (or legally resident foreign national) spouse insisted on remaining in the UK. In other words, a conditional intention to live together could be sufficient to meet the ‘intention to live together permanently’ requirement.
Yes, the Immigration Rules for a proposed civil partner visa application require that both the applicant and the UK sponsor have met in person; otherwise, the application can be refused by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) for this reason.
In the case of Abdulmajid Esmail Jaffer, the Tribunal held that ‘to have met’ meant something more than a mutual sighting. They also felt that a mere face-to-face followed by telephone or written contact would be insufficient to satisfy the rule, as would a family background together with such a face-to-face meeting. In their view, the essential test of whether the rule had been satisfied was whether the couple had had a face-to-face meeting, which in itself had resulted in the making of mutual acquaintance.
A relationship that has developed over the Internet would not satisfy the ‘to have met’ requirement unless it included a personal face-to-face meeting between the couple concerned. Evidence of a face-to-face meeting might include travel history, relevant email exchanges, and other records.
For single adults, the Registrar normally accepts the parties’ declaration that they are free to marry. The ECO may, therefore, accept a similar verbal statement by an applicant, together with any supporting correspondence from the person he/she is going to marry. This is unless there are strong grounds to believe that one of the parties is still married/in a civil partnership or has been married / in a civil partnership previously and is concealing this fact. In such cases, the ECO may make whatever enquiries seem appropriate.
Where the ECO has doubts about an applicant’s intention to marry, the ECO may ask to see evidence of freedom to marry before issuing an entry clearance, which may include:
- Widowed person: death certificate of the late spouse.
- Surviving civil partner: death certificate of the deceased civil partner.
- Divorced person: evidence of divorce, e.g. a divorce certificate.
- Dissolved civil partnership: evidence of the dissolution, for example, a dissolution certificate.
The proposed civil partner visa UK fee is paid to the Home Office UKVI at the time of online submission of the proposed civil partner visa application.
Applicants for the proposed civil partner visa in the UK do not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for their proposed civil partner visa application.
If a proposed civil partner visa application is refused, the applicant will lose their UK visa fee, as it will not be refunded. It is therefore important to have proper legal assistance with the preparation and submission of the proposed civil partner visa application.
At Premium Solicitors, our specialist immigration solicitors in London can:
- Assess your eligibility and provide a fixed-fee quote
- Advice on financial and relationship requirements
- Prepare and submit your visa application
- Maximise your chances of a successful decision
- Assist with switching to a Civil Partner Visa and ILR
- SRA-regulated fully qualified specialist family visa solicitors
- Available 7 days a week, 365 days a year