Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
Unmarried partner visa is for a partner of a UK sponsor who has been living together with the UK partner for at least 2 years in a relationship akin to marriage. You can apply for unmarried partner visa to join or stay with your UK partner if you are an unmarried partner of a relevant qualifying UK partner. If you meet all the rquirements of the rules including the English language and Financial requirements, you can apply for unmarried partner visa under the 5 years route.
To succeed in an unmarried partner visa, the applicant must meet the requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. Unmarried partner route is also known as settlement visa or Appendix FM Partner visa. As a result of an application for entry clearance for unmarried partner visa, the applicant is granted initial leave for a period of 33 months. In case of an in-country application for switching into unmarried partner visa, the applicant is granted an initial leave for 2.5 years (30 months) and a further extension is granted for another 2.5 years (30 months). You can apply for ILR as an unmarried partner under 5 years route upon completion of 5 years on unmarried partner visa.
To apply as an unmarried partner, you and your partner both need to be 18 or over.
Your UK sponsor must also either:
- be a British or Irish citizen; or
- have settled in the UK – for example, they have indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settled status or proof of permanent residence in the UK; or
- be from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and have pre-settled status – they must have started living in the UK before 1 January 2021; or
- have a Turkish Businessperson visa or Turkish Worker visa; or
- have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
Our specialist team of unmarried partner visa solicitors based in London, have wealth of knowledge and experience of successfully dealing with unmarried partner visa applications under 5 years partner route. Our expert unmarried partner visa solicitors will provide you with fast, friendly, reliable and fixed fee immigration services for your unmarried partner visa application under 5 years route. We can provide Super Priority Service (decision within 24 hours) for all in-country applications for unmarried partner visa under 5 years partner route including application for switching into unmarried partner visa (5 Years Route), renewal unmarried partner visa (5 Years Route) and ILR as unmarried partner (5 Years Route).
Ask a question to our unmarried partner visa specialists for free advice online by completing our enquiry form and one of our unmarried partner visa experts will answer your question as soon as possible.
Our Services For Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
As specialist unmarried partner visa solicitors, we can provide expert immigration advice and representations for the following applications for unmarried partner visa:
Eligibility for the Unmarried Partner Visa
This visa is applicable for couples who are in a committed relationship. However, UKVI has defined the eligibility criteria:
- The age of both partners must be 18 or above
- The relationship must be subsisting and genuine
- Both partners intend to live together in the UK
- The partners lived together for at least 2 years in a relationship akin to a marriage
- The applicant has the required level of English language proficiency
- Any previous relationship of the applicant or their partner must have broken down permanently
- Meet the financial requirement of £29000 per annum if applied after 11 April 2024
- Meet the financial requirement £ 18600 if applied before 11 April 2024
- The applicant must show that their partner can support them financially in the UK without accessing public funds.
What if financial requirements are not met?
If you cannot meet the financial requirements, there is still a way for you to apply for a visa or extend your stay in the UK.
You can still qualify if:
- You have a child in the UK who is British, Irish or has lived here for at least 7 years. It wouldn’t be reasonable to expect them to leave the country.
- Asking you to leave, or stopping you from coming to the UK, would go against your human rights.
Unmarried Partner Visa Cost
The cost of an unmarried partner visa is listed below:
- If applying outside the UK, the cost is £1,938
- If applying within the UK, the cost is £1,321
Moreover, the IHS (immigration health surcharge) is £1,035 per adult per year.
Visa Process Time & Duration
| Location of Application
|
Time Required |
| Application within the UK | Up to 8 weeks |
| Application made from outside the UK | Up to 12 weeks |
The charges for priority service are £500 from the date the applicant attended the biometric appointment. The time for the priority service is 5 working days.
The charges for super priority service are £1,000. The super priority services will reduce the time to 24 hours. This is for applications made within the UK. No priority services are possible for the applicants applying from outside the UK. Check the local Visa application centers for the offers.
What happens if the visa is refused?
When the unmarried visa application is rejected, the applicant has the right to appeal against the decision. The appeal is made on human rights grounds or if the Home Office has failed to exercise its discretion, considering the exceptional circumstances.
The applicant can’t go for administrative review in the unmarried partner route. Judicial review is another legal option to challenge procedural unfairness, negligence, or if no other remedy is available. The judicial review process includes sending a Pre-Action protocol letter to the Home Office. Filing for JR in the Upper Tribunal happens when the matter is still unresolved. Judicial Review emphasizes the legality of the decision-making process and the merits of the case. However, it is considered a last resort as there is no remedy left. Sunrise Solicitors can help with visa refusal, making sure that you get the best possible outcome.
Challenging The Refusal Of Unmarried Partner Visa With Sunrise Solicitors
If your application for unmarried partner route is refused by the Home Office, UKVI, our expert team of immigration appeals solicitors can provide following legal help and support to challenge the refusal of your unmarried partner visa refusal:
Why Choose Us?
Sunrise Solicitors offers expert guidance in the unmarried partner route. We have a team of expert legal professionals who offer clear and honest advice throughout the process. With a focus on a client-first approach and open communication, Sunrise Solicitors provides the best possible outcome to its clients. Contact us today for trusted legal support.