This Same-Sex Marriage Visa UK allows the partner of a British citizen or a person settled in the UK to live and work in the UK if they can prove a genuine and subsisting relationship, meet the financial and English language requirements, and have adequate accommodation. Unmarried and same‑sex partners are treated equally under UK law.
Every one of these tracks still wants the same four things: proof the relationship is legit, enough financial support in the bank, English proficiency, and a accommodation that meets the Home Office requirements.
Being apart is hard. With an Unmarried Partner Visa UK or Same-Sex Partner Visa, you can live together in the UK and build your future with confidence. The UK Partner Visa allows unmarried and same sex couples to live together in the UK if they can prove a genuine and subsisting relationship and meet financial and language requirements.
Initial eligibility checks:
We’ll help you prove your relationship is real and ongoing, pull together the right proof that you live together, tick the financial and English requirement boxes, and hand the caseworker an application that’s so clean that you have the best chance of visa success. Check out the latest statistics on entry clearance visas granted outside the UK.
Below are the exact Unmarried Partner Visa UK requirements that the UK Visas & Immigration assess for every application.
Provide joint documents, photos and third party statements that confirm you share life as a committed couple.
Submit official post, tenancy agreements or utility bills covering the same address for at least twenty four months.
The UK based partner must show salaried, self employed or savings income meeting this threshold, alone or combined.
Present a secure English language test certificate or a recognised degree taught in English unless you are exempt by nationality.
Offer proof of exclusive, non overcrowded property that meets public health standards, such as a tenancy contract or title deed.
Demonstrate future plans to share a UK address through correspondence, job offers or joint financial arrangements.
Satisfying every requirement above places your application within the Home Office approval criteria.
Follow the sequence below to avoid delays and keep your Unmarried Partner Visa on track.
Answer every question, pay the £1,846 fee and IHS surcharge; you will receive an automatic confirmation email.
Scan all evidence into the Home Office portal within 5 working days of submission to prevent cancellation.
Book at a UKVCAS (applying inside the UK) or VFS centre (outside the UK).Fingerprints and a photo are taken on the same day.
Pay an extra £500 for a 5-working-day decision or £1,000 for next-working-day review where available.
For Unmarried Partner Visa UK, application processing takes 12 weeks if applying from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK. This is unless priority or super-priority is selected.
Collect your passport with a vignette or await BRP delivery; you now have 30 days to enter the UK if applying abroad.
With complete documents and timely biometrics, most applicants receive a decision in 8–12 weeks, and faster if priority services are available and selected. Our Unmarried Partner Visa UK success rate shows that careful, complete preparation makes the difference.
Prepare clear scans and organise them by category so a caseworker can follow your story at a glance.
Provide consistent, well dated evidence across the relationship and financial periods and include a short note wherever you need to clarify gaps or sensitive situations. Proper documentation is crucial when you apply for Unmarried Partner Visa or same-sex partner routes.
At A Y & J Solicitors in London, we help partners reunite in the UK via the Same-Sex Marriage Visa UK route, with unmarried and same-sex partners treated equally under UK law.
At A Y & J Solicitors, we pick the visa route that fits you, prepare the paperwork to the essentials, and hand the caseworker a genuine relationship proof they can approve in one read. If your home country won’t recognise your same-sex relationship or you need to stay under the radar, we use safe alternative evidence without risking your safety. Most applications take 8–12 weeks after biometrics, and the Home Office also offers Priority or Super Priority to reduce the wait time. Book a call, and we'll prepare and submit your Unmarried Partner Visa application with the strongest evidence.
Here is how long each stage lasts and how it leads to indefinite leave to remain.
You normally receive 33 months if you apply from abroad, 30 months if you switch inside the UK.
Another 30 months, taking you to 60 months (five years) on the standard partner track, assuming you still satisfy every rule.
Once you've clocked up five years, kept the relationship and income evidence intact, and cleared the B1 English plus Life-in-the-UK tests, you can apply for ILR through the Unmarried Partner Visa to ILR UK pathway—time spent on a fiancé(e) visa doesn't count toward this total.
Staying on top of dates and evidence helps you maintain status and progress smoothly to ILR. The Unmarried Partner Visa to ILR UK opens a straightforward route from temporary leave to permanent settlement in the United Kingdom.
Identify these risk areas early and address them with clear, dated evidence and concise explanations. Knowing the usual stumbling blocks makes it far easier to successfully apply for Unmarried Partner Visa routes.
Send official documents for both partners across the full two years. If joint mail is limited, include single-name bills at the same address, travel bookings, and a short note explaining any time apart.
Combine allowed income types or include qualifying savings. Use the exact payslip, bank statement, and employer letter periods required by UKVI, and correct any mismatched figures before applying.
List each rule alongside the document that proves it, label files clearly, and include certified translations when necessary. Follow the exact date ranges and formats stated by UKVI.
Take an approved SELT at the correct level while the certificate remains valid. If relying on a degree, attach the ECCTIS letter. If exempt, state the reason and provide proof.
Ensure all dates match across forms, passports, leases, and photos. Include a short note clarifying any gaps, such as work trips or short relocations.
Provide the tenancy or title deed, landlord letter if required, and ensure the property is not overcrowded. The name and address must match the rest of your documentation.
Attach the sponsor’s British passport, ILR stamp, or EUSS share code. Check that names and details are consistent across all documents.
Book your biometric appointment early, upload all documents in advance, and keep every receipt. If unsure about the portal, use the scanning service. Submitting early helps keep the UK Unmarried Partner Visa process on schedule.
If you cannot satisfy the unmarried partner rules, three main options remain. Each one restarts or extends the five-year clock to Indefinite Leave to Remain, offering alternative pathways similar to the Same-Sex Marriage Visa UK route.
Come to the UK for six months to marry or enter a civil partnership. Once the ceremony is complete, you must switch to a Spouse Visa from inside the UK. Time on the fiancé(e) visa does not count toward the five-year ILR period.
Marry or form a civil partnership first, then apply from overseas. You receive 33 months’ leave, can extend for a further 30 months, then qualify for ILR after five continuous years. This route accepts the same £29,000 financial evidence and English test as the Unmarried Partner Visa route.
If you fail to meet the income or English requirement but can show exceptional circumstances, you may be granted leave in ten-year increments. Each extension adds 30 months. ILR is possible only after ten years of continuous residence.
Choose the route that matches your circumstances, and remember that any change of visa category will reset or lengthen your journey to settlement. Get guidance from UK Unmarried Partner Visa solicitors like A Y & J Solicitors. We will steer you toward the safest route and keep the evidence in line with Home Office expectations.
Applicants who live in, or have recently left, countries that criminalise or fail to recognise same-sex relationships often struggle to obtain the standard evidence UK Visas & Immigration expects for the Same-Sex Marriage Visa UK or Unmarried Same-Sex Partner Visa UK.
Joint tenancy agreements or bank accounts may be impossible if local banks or landlords refuse to serve same-sex couples. In these cases, retain chat logs, flight confirmations and third-country utility bills that show the same address.
Police certificates, employer letters or medical records can force an applicant to reveal their sexual orientation to hostile authorities. Where disclosure creates danger, obtain sworn statements from friends, relatives or NGOs and lodge a concise risk assessment with the application.
Formal recognition of your relationship through a same-sex marriage or civil partnership in a qualifying jurisdiction supplies robust evidence and enables you to apply immediately under the spouse route, eliminating the standard two-year cohabitation requirement.
If your Unmarried Same-Sex Partner Visa UK application is refused despite genuine evidence and contextual explanations, you may appeal on Article 8 grounds (right to private and family life), particularly where refusal would cause unjustifiable interference with your established relationship and where no alternative route is available.
Entry-clearance officers are trained to treat same-sex couples fairly, but applicants may still face detailed questions. Prepare a clear timeline of the relationship, backed by photos, travel evidence and consistent statements.
By anticipating these hurdles and supplying alternative evidence, same-sex couples can satisfy the same eligibility criteria as opposite-sex applicants and secure their Unmarried Partner Visa without unnecessary delay. The UK Same-Sex Partner Visa route ensures equal treatment under UK immigration law.
Priority charges: Five-working-day service costs £573. Next-working-day service costs £1,000 where available.
Third-party costs: Some visa centres add a user-pays fee of £76.50. Paying in local currency can raise the bill by around 4% due to exchange-rate loading.
Legal fees: Most reputable firms charge between £1,500 and £2,000 plus VAT for a standard partner visa, which covers advice, document review, and full representation.
The Home Office will check whether the caseworker made a case-working error. You cannot send new evidence. The fee is £80 and most decisions are returned within 28 days.
You can file an appeal on human rights grounds if the refusal breaches your right to private and family life under Article 8. You may submit fresh evidence and attend a hearing before an independent judge. The fee is £140 for an oral hearing and you normally receive a hearing date within 6 to 9 months.
Seek immediate help if the refusal raises complex Article 8 issues, questions the genuineness of your relationship or states that your evidence is fabricated. An experienced UK Unmarried Partner Visa solicitor can draft grounds of appeal, instruct counsel, and ensure every document is disclosed in the correct format. Remember, the time limit starts from the date on the refusal letter. Act promptly to protect your right to remain and your path to settlement.
Ms H came to A Y & J Solicitors with weeks left on her visa and her right to work about to expire. She had lived with her British partner for years but had no idea how to turn that history into a valid Unmarried Partner application.
Solution:
We reviewed every detail of her eligibility and finances, confirming that Ms H could rely on her partner’s non-employment income to satisfy the £29,000 rule. We helped her build a comprehensive Unmarried Partner Visa UK case:
Thanks to our fast and meticulous approach, Ms. H's Unmarried Partner Visa was approved within six weeks, letting her carry on with life and work in the UK without a break. This success demonstrates our strong Unmarried Partner Visa UK success rate.
We later successfully guided a same-sex couple in a similar situation, using joint tenancy agreements and shared finances to prove their genuine relationship, and secured their Same-Sex Partner Visa UK just as smoothly.
With over 1,200 positive reviews on Google and Trustpilot and a 95% Unmarried Partner Visa UK success rate in family visa cases, your case is in safe hands.
Given the strict Home Office scrutiny on relationship evidence, professional guidance is more critical than ever — especially for same-sex and unmarried partner visa applicants, where proving a “genuine and subsisting relationship” can be more complex. Our immigration experts understand these sensitivities and prepare detailed relationship evidence bundles that meet Home Office requirements with precision and care.
Tell us your goals and we will confirm the best visa route for you and your partner.
Your dedicated Immigration Associate will guide you through our proven 10-step process so every document and deadline is covered.
Relax knowing your application is built to succeed and monitored by Legal 500 recognised lawyers from start to finish.
Our experienced UK Unmarried Partner Visa solicitor team is ready to guide you through every step. Contact our team today and move closer to life together in the UK.
To apply for Unmarried Partner Visa or Same-Sex Partner Visa, you must meet the following criteria:
You meet the English language requirements
From 11 April 2024, the minimum income requirement for a UK Unmarried Partner Visa or Same-Sex Partner Visa increased to £29,000 per year (gross), replacing the previous £18,600 threshold. This amount now applies regardless of whether children are included, and there are no longer separate child add-ons. However, if your first partner visa was granted before 11 April 2024 and you're applying to extend or settle with the same partner, the previous thresholds — £18,600 for the partner, plus £3,800 for the first child and £2,400 for each additional child — may still apply under transitional arrangements.
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