Spousal Visa or a UK marriage visa allows spouses (married partners) of UK citizens or permanent residents to apply to enter or stay in the UK on the basis that they are married to a person who is present and ‘settled in the UK’. ‘Settled in the UK’ means that you are ordinarily resident in the UK with no immigration restrictions on the length of your stay. Immigration Lawyers 17 Hanover Square, Mayfair, London, W1S 1HT

To qualify for a UK spouse / marriage visa you must satisfy the following requirements:

You and your spouse with settled status in the UK must be 18 years of age or over.
You and your spouse must have met each other and you must be legally married. This is to prevent situations that can occur as a result of arranged marriages.
You and your spouse must intend to live together on a permanent basis.
You and your spouse must have sufficient funds to support yourselves (and any dependents) without claiming public funds.
Your sponsoring partner must be earning a minimum of £18,600 per annum or have sufficient savings to be able to sponsor you. The minimum financial requirement will increase if they are also sponsoring dependant children.
You must have suitable accommodation available for you, your spouse and any dependants.
You must satisfy the English language requirements.
How to apply for a tier 2 visa Chancery House, 53-64 Chancery Ln, London WC2A 1QS
You can apply for a spouse visa from overseas or from within the UK. If you are already in the UK on a fiance visa, or a work visa or student visa valid for more than six months you may be eligible to switch your visa status to that of a spouse visa holder. The typical processing time for a spouse visa application is 2 – 12 weeks from the time we submit your application to the UKBA. The processing time varies depending on which country you make your application from.

If applying from overseas a spouse visa will initially be issued for a period of 33 months. If applying from within the UK a spouse visa will be issued for 30 months. You can also apply for a spouse visa extension for an additional 30 months. This can take your total time in the UK on this visa up to 5 years. At this point you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK provided that you are still married and living in the UK with your spouse and can continue to meet the maintenance requirements. Once you have been granted ILR you may also be eligible to apply for British Naturalisation (also known as British Citizenship).

Can I work on a spouse visa?
As the holder of a spouse visa you are eligible to work or study in the UK as soon as your visa has been granted.

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