How to complete the UK Spouse Visa application form, section by section

The UK Spouse Visa application form is the online form completed by a partner applying from outside the UK to join their spouse.

Each question on the form relates to a specific requirement of the Immigration Rules, and the evidence provided must support every answer. An inaccurate or unsupported answer may lead to a refusal, and the application fee is not refunded. This post provides an overview of each section of the online application form for a UK Spouse Visa made from outside the UK.

Key overviews

• The form is one online application, called “Apply to enter the UK as a partner”. Spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners and fiancé(e)s outside the UK use the same form.
• Each section of the form tests a named requirement. The relationship questions map to Appendix FM’s relationship rules, the property questions to the accommodation rule, and the income questions to the financial requirement.
• The history and character questions are assessed under Part Suitability. A false or incomplete answer is a separate ground for refusal from the underlying fact.
• The documents are uploaded after the form is submitted. They are assessed under Appendix FM-SE, which sets the format and dates each document must meet.

Contents

• Where is the UK Spouse Visa application form?
• What to prepare before starting the spouse visa application form
• Personal details, passport and family background
• Sponsor details and the partner’s immigration status
• Relationship questions on the UK Spouse Visa application form
• Marriage details and previous relationships
• Accommodation section: the property and who lives there
• Immigration and travel history questions
• Criminal convictions and character questions
• English language section of the spouse visa form
• Financial requirement section: income questions and categories
• How the evidence uploads are assessed
• Payment, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the declaration
• What happens after the spouse visa application form is submitted
• Frequently asked questions

Where is the UK Spouse Visa application form?

The UK Spouse Visa application form is an online form on the Home Office’s visa system. It is reached from the GOV.UK page on how to apply as a partner or spouse. There is no paper version for an application from outside the UK. The system titles the form “Apply to enter the UK as a partner”.

Every partner applying from outside the UK uses the same online form. A spouse, a civil partner, an unmarried partner and a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner all start from the same link. The Home Office places the applicant in the correct category from the answers given in the relationship section. An applicant already in the UK uses a separate in-country form for the extension or switch stage. This post therefore covers the entry clearance form only.

The requirements behind the form sit in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. Paragraph EC-P.1.1 requires the applicant to be outside the UK and to make a valid application. It also requires that the applicant does not fall for refusal on suitability grounds and meets every eligibility requirement in Section E-ECP. The UK Spouse Visa guide sets out the visa category as a whole.

What to prepare before starting the spouse visa application form

Personal details and documents must be ready before the form is submitted. GOV.UK lists the information every family visa applicant must provide:

• all names used, and the date of birth;
• the current passport or other valid travel document, plus copies of the photo page and any visa or entry stamps in previous passports;
• details of any previous immigration applications;
• details of any criminal convictions;
• a National Insurance number, where the applicant has one;
• the parents’ dates of birth and nationality, for an application made from outside the UK;
• tuberculosis test results, where the applicant is from a country where the test is required; and
• a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.

Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team can check the information and documents before the form is filled out. Call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.

Personal details, passport and family background

The opening section collects the applicant’s identity, contact details and family background. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.A1.1 requires the applicant to provide a passport or other document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality.

The form asks for:

• every given name and family name ever used, including a maiden name or a name changed at marriage;
• sex as shown in the passport, relationship status, nationality, and country and place of birth;
• whether the applicant holds or has held any other nationality;
• passport details and, where the applicant has one, national identity card details;
• the current address, how long the applicant has lived there and the ownership status of the home;
• who the applicant lives with, where the home is not owned or rented by the applicant;
• what permission the applicant holds to be in the country they live in, where it is not their country of nationality;
• each parent’s name, date of birth and nationality, and whether each parent has always held the same nationality; and
• any dependent children, whether or not they are travelling.

Where the applicant lives outside their country of nationality, the documents list generated at the end asks for evidence of their permission to be there. The rules on children on a spouse or partner visa apply to that child.

Sponsor details and the partner’s immigration status

The sponsor section confirms who the UK partner is and why they can sponsor. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.2.1 requires the partner to be a British citizen in the UK, or present and settled in the UK. The partner may instead be in the UK with protection status, or under one of the other listed permissions. Under paragraph E-ECP.2.3, the partner must also be aged 18 or over at the date of application.

The form asks for:

• the sponsor’s names, date of birth and nationality;
• the sponsor’s passport details, UK address, email, telephone number and National Insurance number;
• whether the sponsor lives with the applicant now, and whether the sponsor will travel with them to the UK;
• whether the sponsor has been married or in a civil partnership before;
• whether the sponsor has children; and
• whether the sponsor holds any Home Office reference numbers.

Relationship questions on the UK Spouse Visa application form

The relationship questions test whether the couple have met, whether the relationship is genuine and subsisting, and whether they plan to live together. Three requirements in Appendix FM sit behind them. Paragraph E-ECP.2.5 requires the applicant and their partner to have met in person. The relationship must be genuine and subsisting under paragraph E-ECP.2.6. Paragraph E-ECP.2.10 requires the couple to intend to live together permanently in the UK.

The form asks:

• whether they have met the sponsor, when they first met and when the relationship began;
• which languages the couple use to communicate with each other;
• whether the couple have any shared financial responsibilities;
• how often the couple usually see each other, and when they last met;
• why the couple do not live together at present; and
• whether the couple have ever lived together, and if so when and where.

Each answer is a statement of fact the decision-maker can test against the evidence uploaded. Where the couple live apart, the explanation given in the form should match the reason shown by the documents. Examples are work in another country or living with family after the marriage. The proof of relationship documents for a spouse visa are chosen to support these answers.

Marriage details and previous relationships

The marriage questions confirm that the marriage is legally valid and that neither partner is still bound by an earlier relationship. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.2.7 requires a marriage or civil partnership to be valid, as specified. Paragraph E-ECP.2.4 prohibits a relationship within the prohibited degree. Paragraph E-ECP.2.9 requires any previous relationship of the applicant or the partner to have broken down permanently.

The form asks:

• the date, town and country of the marriage;
• the type of ceremony, and whether both partners attended it in person;
• whether the marriage is or was an arranged marriage;
• whether the couple were related to each other before they became partners;
• whether the applicant has been married or in a civil partnership before; and
• whether the applicant is currently married to, or in a civil partnership with, anyone else.

The attendance question identifies a proxy or remote ceremony. That ceremony is assessed against the validity requirement and against paragraph E-ECP.2.5, which requires the couple to have met in person. An arranged marriage is not a ground for refusal under Appendix FM, and the question is answered as a matter of fact.

Appendix FM-SE paragraph 26 covers a marriage that took place outside the UK. It requires evidence by a reasonable equivalent of a UK marriage certificate, valid under the law in force in that country. Paragraph 23 sets the evidence of a UK divorce. In England and Wales it is a decree absolute or final order. In Scotland it is a decree of divorce, and in Northern Ireland it is a decree absolute.

Accommodation section: the property and who lives there

The accommodation section records where the couple will live and who else lives there. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.3.4 requires evidence of adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, which the family own or occupy exclusively. As set out in Appendix FM, accommodation will not be regarded as adequate if:

• it is, or will be, overcrowded; or
• it contravenes public health regulations.

The form asks:

• the UK address where the couple will live;
• whether the sponsor owns the property and, if not, whether they rent it or live there with someone else;
• how many bedrooms and how many other rooms the property has;
• the name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and relationship to the sponsor of every other resident, including children; and
• in a later question, whether the property is the home of a family member, friend or someone else the applicant knows.

These answers are the basis of the room count. The decision-maker compares the number of rooms against the number of occupants, including the residents listed, to test the overcrowding limb. A couple living in a relative’s home can meet the requirement where the room count is met. The household must also be able to show that the couple will have exclusive use of a part of it. How the room count is applied, and which documents prove it, is set out in the rules on accommodation for a UK Spouse Visa.

The answers to the two address questions should describe the same property in the same terms.

Immigration and travel history questions

The history section records every past application, visit and immigration issues in the UK and abroad. These answers are assessed under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules, which Appendix FM paragraph S-EC.1.1 applies to a partner application. The form’s breach questions use largely the same terms as Part Suitability paragraph SUI 11.4, which defines a breach of immigration laws.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant has applied for leave to remain in the UK in the past 10 years;
• how many times they have been to the UK in the past 10 years, with the reason, arrival date and length of each stay;
• whether they have ever entered the UK illegally, overstayed or breached a condition of their leave;
• whether they have ever given false information in an application, or breached UK immigration law in any other way;
• whether they have ever been refused a visa, refused entry at the border or refused permission to stay, in the UK or any other country;
• whether they have ever been deported, removed, required to leave or excluded;
• the country, the date and what happened, for each refusal or other immigration problem; and
• visits to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, Switzerland, the European Economic Area and any other country in the past 10 years, with dates of entry and exit.

The refusal question covers refusals under any scheme, including a family permit, and is not limited to the route now being applied for. A previous refusal must be disclosed on the form. Whytecroft Ford can advise on how a refusal history is presented in a fresh application.

Criminal convictions and character questions

The character section asks about criminal convictions, penalties and conduct, in the UK and abroad. These answers are also assessed under Part Suitability. As per Part Suitability, an application for entry clearance must be refused where the applicant:

• has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more;
• is a persistent offender who shows a particular disregard for the law; or
• has committed a criminal offence, or offences, which caused serious harm.

A shorter custodial or suspended sentence is a discretionary ground under SUI 5.3. So is a non-custodial sentence or an out-of-court disposal recorded on the criminal record. In each case the application may be refused. A wider non-conducive ground under SUI 3.1 covers conduct, character and associations.

The form asks whether the applicant has ever had:

• a criminal conviction;
• a penalty for a driving offence;
• an arrest or charge for which they are on, or awaiting, trial;
• a caution, warning, reprimand or other out-of-court penalty;
• a civil court judgment, such as for debt or bankruptcy; or
• a civil penalty under UK immigration law.

Where a category applies, the applicant selects it and gives details. Separate questions then ask about involvement in war crimes, terrorism and extremism, and activity for a foreign government dangerous to the UK’s interests. These relate to the non-conducive ground. A final question asks for any other information about character or behaviour the applicant wishes to disclose. The Part Suitability grounds for a UK Spouse Visa are covered in more detail separately.

English language section of the spouse visa form

The English section records how the applicant meets the English language requirement. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.4.1 requires the applicant to provide specified evidence that they:

• are a national of a majority English speaking country listed in paragraph GEN.1.6;
• have passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, with a provider approved by the Secretary of State;
• have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD taught or researched in English, confirmed by the qualification and language assessments provider where it was awarded outside the UK; or
• are exempt from the requirement under paragraph E-ECP.4.2.

Exemptions at E-ECP.4.2 include an applicant aged 65 or over and an applicant with a disability which prevents them meeting the requirement.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant has a degree taught in English;
• whether they are exempt from the English language requirement;
• whether they have passed an approved English language test and, if so, the awarding body and test reference number; and
• which language they would prefer to use if the Home Office needs to speak to them about the application.

Appendix FM-SE paragraph 27 sets the evidence rule for the test. That test must have been taken no more than two years before the date of application, at an approved test centre. A language preference is a contact preference and does not affect the English requirement. The English language requirement for UK partner and spouse visas sets out which tests and providers are accepted.

Financial requirement section: income questions and categories

The financial section records how the couple meet the financial requirement, and which category of income is relied on. Appendix FM paragraph E-ECP.3.1 requires specified evidence of a gross annual income of at least £29,000. Alternatively, it accepts specified savings of £16,000 plus 2.5 times any shortfall, or the requirements of paragraph E-ECP.3.3 being met. For an entry clearance application, paragraph E-ECP.3.2 counts employment or self-employment income of the partner only, not the applicant. It also counts pension, other specified income and savings of either.

The form asks:

• whether the sponsor receives any of a listed set of disability and carer’s benefits;
• whether the applicant can meet the financial requirement, and which types of income will be relied on;
• the sponsor’s job title, type of employment, start date and employer’s details;
• whether the sponsor has been employed by the same employer for the 6 months before the date of application;
• whether the sponsor earns the same amount continuously or a varying amount;
• the sponsor’s annual income before tax; and
• whether to add a previous job from the last 12 months.

The benefits question identifies an application assessed under E-ECP.3.3. Where the sponsor receives none of them, the applicant answers no and the income requirement applies.

The employment questions decide the category. Category A, under Appendix FM-SE paragraph 13(a), applies where the sponsor has been with the current employer for at least 6 months. The sponsor must also have been paid at or above the salary relied on throughout that period. Category B, under paragraph 13(b), applies where the sponsor has been with the current employer for less than 6 months. It applies as well where the sponsor does not rely on 13(a). That category adds a second test over the previous 12 months.

The category chosen sets which documents are needed. Under Appendix FM-SE paragraph 2, Category A needs payslips covering the 6 months before the date of application. Category B needs payslips for any period of salaried employment in the previous 12 months. The annual income typed into the form should be the exact figure shown on the payslips and the employer letter. Every income source is covered in the UK Spouse Visa financial requirement guide. The pages on Category A employment income and Category B variable income set out each calculation.

Every income figure in the financial section has to be matched by evidence. Whytecroft Ford’s team can confirm the category and the income figure before the form is completed.

How the evidence uploads are assessed

The documents are uploaded after the form is submitted and paid, and the Home Office tells the applicant how to provide them. Appendix FM-SE sets the format and dating of each document relied on. Under paragraph 1(l), evidence relating to a period ending with the date of application must be dated within the 28 days before it.

The documents list generated at the end of the form names:

• mandatory documents, such as the applicant’s full passport and the sponsor’s passport bio data page; and
• other documents, such as the marriage certificate and evidence of the sponsor’s right to be in the UK.

This automatically generated list is generic and the documents required depend on the applicant’s circumstances.

GOV.UK requires a certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh. It also requires tuberculosis test results where the applicant is from a country where the test is required. The rules on foreign-language documents and translations set out what a certified translation must contain.

Payment, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the declaration

The final sections deal with the fee waiver question, the payment and the declaration.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant has applied for a fee waiver;
• whether the applicant plans to live in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man;
• for any extra information the applicant could not record elsewhere in the form;
• which service option is chosen, standard or priority where offered; and
• the Immigration Health Surcharge reference number, as the surcharge is paid first.

GOV.UK provides a separate fee waiver form for applicants outside the UK. A couple settling in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland answers no to the Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man question. Payment covers the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Each fee is set out in the guide to the total cost of a UK Spouse Visa.

The declaration confirms the information and supporting evidence are correct to the best of the applicant’s knowledge and belief. It states that the application fee will not be refunded if the application is refused. It also states that false information can lead to refusal, prosecution and a ban from the UK. A representative may submit the form on the applicant’s behalf, and the third-party declaration records the representative’s details.

The options for correcting a mistake on a UK visa application found after submission depend on the error and the stage reached.

What happens after the spouse visa application form is submitted

After the form is submitted and paid, the applicant books a biometric appointment at a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph. Part Suitability paragraph SUI 14.1 allows refusal where an applicant fails without reasonable excuse to provide biometrics or attend an interview when reasonably required. The documents are uploaded or scanned in line with the instructions given after payment.

GOV.UK states that an applicant outside the UK will usually get a decision within 12 weeks. A faster decision may be available for an additional fee. The UK Spouse Visa processing time explains when that period starts and what can extend it. Where the application is granted, Appendix FM paragraph D-ECP.1.1 provides for entry clearance of up to 33 months. That entry clearance is subject to a condition of no recourse to public funds and is the first stage of a 60-month route to settlement.

Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team can prepare and submit the full application. Call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.

Frequently asked questions

Can someone else fill in the UK Spouse Visa application form for me?

Yes. Someone acting for you, such as your partner or a regulated adviser, can complete and submit the form. The third-party declaration records who submitted it. The person submitting confirms they have discussed the contents with you and that you know the terms that apply.

Do unmarried partners and fiancé(e)s use the same application form?

Yes. Every partner applying from outside the UK uses the same online form, reached from the same GOV.UK link. Your answers in the relationship section place you in the correct category: spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, or fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner.

Is the application fee refunded if the spouse visa is refused?

No. The declaration you accept before submitting the form confirms that the application fee will not be refunded if the application is refused.

What if I made a mistake on the form after submitting it?

It depends on the mistake and the stage reached. The options are to explain the error with the supporting documents, or to withdraw and make a fresh application. A false answer may lead to refusal under Part Suitability even where it was not deliberate. The error should therefore be dealt with before a decision is made.

How can I get a faster decision on a spouse visa from outside the UK?

A priority service may be available for an additional fee, depending on the country you apply from. The UK Spouse Visa priority service explains what it covers and where it is offered.

How Whytecroft Ford can help

The UK Spouse Visa application form covers the couple’s identity, relationship, home, history and income. Each answer has to match documentary evidence the Home Office will assess. A mismatch on income, an undisclosed refusal or an incomplete list of residents may lead to a refusal and a lost fee. Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team prepares spouse visa applications from outside the UK, from the first eligibility check to the completed form and evidence bundle.

Our team is experienced, approachable and professional. To discuss your application, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.

Sources

• Apply as a partner or spouse (GOV.UK). Who can apply, how to apply from outside the UK, the fee waiver form and the usual decision time.
• Immigration Rules: Appendix FM (GOV.UK). The eligibility requirements for entry clearance as a partner, Section E-ECP.
• Immigration Rules: Appendix FM-SE (GOV.UK). The evidence rules, including the 28-day rule and paragraph D.

Disclaimer: The material in this article is provided for guidance and general information only and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice upon which you should rely. In particular, the information should not be used as a substitute for a full and proper consultation with a suitably qualified professional. UK Immigration Rules are subject to change. Please do contact the Whytecroft Ford team if you require further advice.