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Our Unmarried Partner Visa services help you live together in the UK with your long-term partner. We provide full assistance in proving your genuine relationship, preparing documents, and guiding you through every step of the visa process to ensure a smooth and successful application.
The UK Unmarried Partner Visa offers a pathway for committed couples who are not married or in a civil partnership to live together in the United Kingdom.
The UK Unmarried Partner Visa offers a pathway for committed couples who are not married or in a civil partnership to live together in the United Kingdom. This visa is designed for individuals in a long-term, genuine relationship with a British citizen or a person settled in the UK. It allows the applicant to join their partner in the UK for an initial period of 2 years and 9 months, with the right to work, study, and build a life together.
A key requirement for this visa is proving that you and your partner have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years. This makes it distinct from the Fiancé or Spouse Visa, as it officially recognises long-term cohabiting relationships. Successfully obtaining this visa hinges on providing strong evidence of your shared life, financial stability, and intention to live together permanently in the UK.
After the initial visa period, you can apply for an extension and, after five continuous years in the UK on this route, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), leading to permanent settlement.
This visa provides a clear and structured route for unmarried couples to formalise their life together in the UK.
Our expert team provides full guidance throughout the unmarried partner visa process, helping you prove a genuine long-term relationship. We assist with document preparation, verification, and timely submission. Our professionals simplify complex requirements, manage all formalities efficiently, and keep you updated at every step, ensuring a smooth, stress-free, and successful application.
Our experienced professionals provide end-to-end Unmarried Partner Visa guidance, ensuring a smooth, stress-free and successful application journey.
We carefully assess your eligibility and verify all required conditions.
Our experts review documents to meet Home Office standards.
We handle submissions and communicate with immigration authorities.
We guide you post-approval towards ILR and future steps.
To successfully apply for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa, both the applicant and their UK-based partner (the sponsor) must meet specific criteria established by the Home Office. These requirements are designed to validate the authenticity of your relationship and ensure you can support yourselves financially in the UK.
This is the most critical part of the application. You must prove that you and your partner have been in a genuine and subsisting relationship, living together in a way similar to marriage or a civil partnership, for at least two continuous years immediately before you apply.
You will also need to show that:
Evidence includes joint tenancy agreements, shared utility bills, joint bank statements, and official correspondence addressed to both partners over the two-year period.
The UK partner must demonstrate they meet the minimum income requirement to support both of you without relying on public funds. The current minimum income threshold is £29,000 per year.
You must have proof of adequate accommodation for both you and your partner (and any dependants) that you will live in without recourse to public funds. The home must:
The applicant must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the English language, typically by passing an approved English language test at a minimum of level A1 on the CEFR scale.
Meeting these requirements and providing clear, verifiable evidence of your relationship, income, accommodation, and English ability will greatly increase your chances of a successful UK Unmarried Partner Visa application.
We evaluate your profile, documents, and visa eligibility to choose the right pathway.
Our experts prepare and submit your visa application with complete accuracy.
We track your case, handle updates, and support you until final visa approval.
Expert guidance for visas, work permits, and settlement in the UK. Let us simplify your immigration journey with trusted legal support.
Call us: +44 (0) 203 146 0900
Answers That Make Things Easy
An Unmarried Partner Visa allows you to join your partner in the UK if you are in a long-term relationship equivalent to a marriage but are not legally married or in a civil partnership. It grants you the right to live, work, and study in the UK.
You must provide strong evidence that you have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two continuous years immediately before you apply. Short breaks for holidays or work are generally acceptable, but your main home must have been together.
You will need a comprehensive set of documents to prove your eligibility. Key evidence includes:
Your UK-based partner (the sponsor) must have a gross annual income of at least £29,000. This can be met through employment, self-employment, cash savings over £16,000, or other sources like pensions or rental income. If you are already in the UK with permission to work, your income can also be combined with your partner's.
Yes, dependent children under the age of 18 can be included in your application. While the financial income threshold of £29,000 does not increase for children, you must prove you have adequate accommodation and can support them without relying on public funds.
In many cases, yes. If you are in the UK on a long-term visa (such as a Skilled Worker or Student visa) and meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply to switch. However, you cannot switch from a short-term visa, like a Visitor visa. Your application to switch must be made before your current visa expires.
The two-year cohabitation rule is a strict requirement. If you have not lived together continuously, you may not be eligible. There can be exceptions for periods apart due to work or study, but you must prove you maintained your committed relationship throughout. If you do not meet this rule, you may need to consider other routes, such as the Fiancé Visa if you plan to marry.
Your initial visa will be granted for 2 years and 9 months if applying from outside the UK, or 2 years and 6 months if applying from within. Before it expires, you will need to apply for an extension. After completing a total of 5 years on this route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which is permanent settlement.
Common reasons for refusal include:
Yes, once your Unmarried Partner Visa is granted, you have the full right to work in the UK without restriction. This includes employment, self-employment, and voluntary work.