Once you have obtained the initial tranche of Spouse Visa/Marriage Visa or Unmarried Partner visa the visa is granted to you for a 30 month period. You should apply for an extension 28 days before your visa expires. Once you have completed 60 months in the UK you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, provided that you meet the requirements under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules and also meet the English language and Life in the UK test requirement. If you are in the UK already on some other visa then also you can apply to switch to UK Spouse Visa. Once you are granted UK spouse visa you can stay with your married partner and you are allowed to work or study in the UK during your stay in the UK. You must apply for an extension before your current UK spouse visa expires, otherwise, you may have to leave the UK.

Requirements to be met for an extension

The applicant will need to meet certain requirements for the UK spouse visa to get a visa extension successfully. These requirements are the following:

1. Financial Requirement

You need to show that you and your partner can meet the financial requirements and would not require any access to public funds. As you are allowed to work in the UK on UK spouse visa, so you can surely use your income if you are working and adding to that your partner’s income will be sufficient to meet all your financial requirements. You can also add your savings and other incomes like rental income from properties or pension etc. You must provide documents as evidence to show all this.

2. Cohabitation Requirement

Apart from meeting financial requirements you also need to show with evidence to the Home Office – that you and your partner have been living together in the UK. To prove this you can provide documents like council tax bills, bank statements, utility bills etc. which are addressed to either jointly or items in each of your names. These supporting documents should be covering 2 years prior to your visa extension date.

3. Time period spent outside the UK during your existing stay

Though Home Office does not impose any time restriction that you must not spend outside the UK during your stay in the UK on current UK spouse visa, however, what they do want to be satisfied with the fact that you are your partner intend to live together. But if you want to apply for citizenship later on then you should avoid spending more than 90 days on an average in 1 year. Please note requirements may change according to circumstances of the applicant and the requirements stated are not exhaustive. If you need expert help and advice for your UK Spouse Visa Extension contact Visa and Migration on 02034111261