Length of a relationship
What length of a relationship suit the Home Office to get a fiancé visa or a spouse visa approved?
It all depends on the type of visa and what your plans are.
As for the Marriage Visitor visa or the Fiancé visa, no relationship length is officially formalized in the rules, but it must be reasonable so that the applicants’ intentions to register the marriage in Great Britain aren't deemed fictitious. For instance, if a couple has been dating for nearly a year, this time period is totally acceptable. Meanwhile, the couple's first meeting in person is recognized as the date that the relationship actually began. As of the moment that the visa data is processed, there must have been at least three in-person meetings.
Online dating is not considered a relationship! The number of meetings matters as well.
As of the moment that the visa data is processed, there must have been at least three in-person meetings.
As for spouse visas, one can apply for one right after the marriage is registered. The only thing that will matter will be the time period over which the relationship developed from the first meeting up to the registration of the marriage. Here, everything is described as above. The time period of the relationship and the number of total meetings matter. In the event that a couple has spent three years dating online and then goes on a date in person for the first time and registers a marriage a week later, there's a greater likelihood of being refused a visa. This is because only the first in-person meeting is considered to make the beginning of the relationship.
Accommodation requirements:
Is the spouse's parents' home eligible for a visa? What if other relatives are living with the parents? How many people can reside in a particular home?
Read our Accommodation requirements guidance!
There are a couple things worth mentioning about a special type of spousal visa known as the Unmarried Partner visa. This visa is intended for partners that have not officially registered their relationship and have no plans to do so yet in fact live together as spouses. If a couple has lived together at the same address for at least two years, it is eligible to apply for this type of visa. This is more suitable for couples that live together outside Great Britain but decide to permanently move to Great Britain. But what are couples to do that live in different countries yet consider themselves spouses, even though they haven't made it official? It’s not enough to consider themselves spouses. The Home Office must also consider this couple spouses. This couple must prove that they've been together for at least two years (starting at the date when they first met in person, of course). And the relationship must resemble that of a spousal relationship. In other words, the couple must have dated and periodically lived together so often that that it's beyond the point that they could be considered just boyfriend and girlfriend. In other words, if you apply for an Unmarried Partner visa, suppose you've even been acquainted for many, many years, but you only meet up several times a year, it is highly likely that you will be refused the visa.
Accommodation requirements:
Is the spouse's parents' home eligible for a visa? What if other relatives are living with the parents? How many people can reside in a particular home?
Read our Accommodation requirements guidance!
What do you do if you're not sure whether your situation will work to have a specific type of spousal visa processed? Get in touch with us and we will analyze your relationship and tell you precisely what you’ll need to do to obtain the visa. Fortunately, that conversation will come free of charge for you! It’s important for us to only work with couples who we are certain will be able to receive a visa.
Contact us now and get professional visa support!
Since 2006, we’ve been successfully securing UK visas for people, just like you!