You can apply for an unmarried partner visa in the UK after you have lived with your qualifying UK partner for at least two years in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership. An unmarried partner visa UK is granted on the basis of 2 years cohabiting relationship 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, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder or Turkish Worker visa holder. Unmarried partner visa applications are made according to requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. An unmarried partner visa is also known as a settlement or Appendix FM Partner visa.
As a result of an application for entry clearance for an unmarried partner visa, the applicant is granted initial leave for a period of 33 months. In case of an in-country application for switching to an unmarried 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 unmarried partner visa 5 years route can apply for ILR as an unmarried partner 28 days before completing 5 years. A person who holds an unmarried partner visa under the unmarried partner visa 10 years route will qualify for ILR 28 days before completing 10 years under the unmarried partner visa 10 years route or 28 days before completing 10 years of continuous and lawful residence on all types of UK visas.
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Free Immigration Advice For Unmarried Partner Visa UK
Our family visa solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice online concerning your application for an unmarried partner visa in the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of immigration solicitors for free immigration advice online or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist immigration solicitors concerning your application as an unmarried partner.
Applications For Unmarried Partner Visa UK
As specialist family visa solicitors, we can provide fast, friendly and reliable fixed-fee immigration advice and legal representations for the following applications under the unmarried partner visa category:
- Entry Clearance For Unmarried Partner Visa
- Switching Into Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
- Switching Into Unmarried Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
- Extension Of Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
- Extension Of Unmarried Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
- ILR As Unmarried Partner (5 Years Route)
- ILR As Unmarried Partner (10 Years Route)
- Naturalisation As A British Citizen After ILR Grant
- Appeal Against Refusal Of Unmarried Partner Visa UK
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 Unmarried Partner Partner Visa Applications
The Home Office UKVI fees for various stages of unmarried 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 unmarried partner visa from outside the UK | £1846 per applicant | £3105 for partner [£2328 for each child applicant] | £500 per applicant for Priority Service |
| Switching into an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
| Extension of unmarried partner visa from inside the UK | £1048 per applicant | £2587.50 for partner [£1940 for each child applicant] | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
| ILR as an Unmarried Partner | £2885 per applicant | IHS is not payable for ILR applications | £1,000 per applicant for Super Priority Service |
FAQs - Unmarried Partner Visa UK
Following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an unmarried partner visa UK:
An unmarried partner visa is granted based on the applicant's two-year cohabiting relationship with a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder, or Turkish Worker visa holder. Unmarried partner visa applications are made according to the requirements set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. An unmarried partner visa is also known as a settlement visa or Appendix FM Partner visa.
Yes, you will have permission to work in the UK under an unmarried partner visa UK.
Yes, you can apply for ILR under a partner visa either after spending 5 years continuously under the 5-year partner route or after spending 10 years in the UK under the 10-year partner route.
You can apply for an unmarried partner visa in the UK online through the Home Office UKVI website.
If you are applying for an unmarried partner visa in the UK under the 5-year route, you must meet the English language requirement. The English proficiency level required under the 5-year route is level A1 at the time of initial application, level A2 at the time of extension application, and level B1 at the time of ILR application.
You do not need to meet the English language requirement for the initial application, extension application, or ILR application as an unmarried partner under the 10-year route.
You can apply for your unmarried partner visa using the fast-track visa service. Unmarried partner visa applications from outside the UK can be submitted through priority service for a faster decision within 30 working days. Unmarried partner visa applications from inside the UK can be submitted through Super Priority Service to get a decision within 24 hours.
There are two routes to settlement under an unmarried partner visa UK which are as follows:
Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
Under the unmarried partner visa route, you will become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as an unmarried partner 28 days before completing 5 years in the UK under the unmarried partner visa 5 years route. Any time spent in the UK under the unmarried partner visa 10 years route cannot be counted towards 5 years for the purposes of applying for ILR as an unmarried partner.
Unmarried Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
Under an unmarried partner visa (10 years route), you will become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as an unmarried partner 28 days before either completing 10 years under an unmarried 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 an unmarried partner visa (10 years route).
It is possible to switch from an unmarried partner visa (10 years route) to an unmarried partner visa (5 years route) to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) sooner under the 5 years route.
Yes, you can switch from an unmarried partner visa 10 years route to an unmarried 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 unmarried partner 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 an unmarried partner visa in the UK after two years of living with your qualifying UK partner. You should also meet all other requirements of the Immigration Rules, including financial, accommodation, and English language requirements.
An applicant applying for unmarried partner visa entry clearance, switching to an unmarried partner visa, extension of unmarried partner visa and ILR as an unmarried partner under 5 years route 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 refusal of the application 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.
If the Home Office, UKVI, refuses your application for an unmarried 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.
If your unmarried partner's visa application has been refused and you do not believe that your appeal has a good chance of success, you can submit a fresh application.