UK Spouse Visa Document Checklist

You must provide all the mandatory documents with your UK Spouse visa application as per the spouse visa documents checklist 2023 listed below.

You will find here a general document checklist required for the UK spouse visa application and you might need to provide additional documents depending on the type of UK visa application and your personal circumstances.

Table of Contents

• What documents are required for a Spouse visa?
• Proof of identity
• Evidence that you meet the financial requirements
• Proof that your relationship is genuine & subsisting
• Evidence of adequate accommodation
• Evidence of your knowledge of the English language
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Need legal advice or help from an immigration lawyer?

What documents are required for a Spouse visa?

The applicants will need to provide several documents in support of their Spouse visa application depending on their personal circumstances.

• Valid passport or other travel documents to prove your identity
• Proof that your relationship is genuine & subsisting
• Evidence that you meet the financial requirements
• Evidence of meeting the adequate accommodation requirement
• Evidence of your knowledge of the English language
• Proof of any dependent family members (if applicable)
• Tuberculosis (TB) test results (if applicable)

Proof of identity

Providing a passport, birth certificate, or travel document issued by the Home Office is the common way to prove your identity. However, you can also use other documents such as a driving licence to confirm your identity.

Evidence that you meet the financial requirements

To apply for a spouse visa in the UK, the sponsor (the person who is settled in the UK or a British citizen) must meet a minimum income threshold of £18,600 per year, or have sufficient savings to support their spouse/partner's stay in the UK. The required amount of savings depends on various factors, such as the duration of stay and the number of dependents.

If the sponsor is employed, they can provide payslips, bank statements, and a letter from their employer to show their income meets the minimum threshold. If the sponsor is self-employed, they may need to provide tax returns, business accounts, and evidence of ongoing contracts or projects. If the sponsor is using savings to meet the financial requirement, they will need to provide bank statements to show that they have had the required amount of savings for at least six months.

Proof that your relationship is genuine & subsisting

The UK Spouse visa applicant needs to be able to prove they are in a genuine relationship, such as a civil partnership, with their British citizen or settled partner. There are lots of different types of evidence you can send to the Home Office depending upon your personal circumstances, most common documents which you can provide to meet the genuine relationship test are:

• A joint mortgage or tenancy agreement, either in the UK or outside the UK.
• Evidence of any children you have together, such as a birth certificate.
• Photographs that show you have spent time together frequently.
• A shared bank account or savings.
• Text messages or social media chat logs.
• Travel documents that prove you have visited each other at least once before you got married or have met in person.
• Any documents which prove that you intend to live together in the UK.

Evidence of adequate accommodation

As part of your UK Spouse Visa application, you will need to provide proof of accommodation that meets UK living standards.

Your UK national partner, who acts as your sponsor, will need to show that he or she can provide adequate accommodation for themselves, the applicant, and any dependents who intend to live in the UK.

For proof of accommodation, the Home Office will ask you to provide:

• A description of the property where you intend to live with your spouse
• Proof that there are enough rooms in the property to accommodate everyone and that there are no overcrowding issues
• Evidence that you can afford to pay for your family’s accommodation

Evidence of your knowledge of the English language

When applying for a UK Spouse visa, you will generally be required to meet the English language requirements as part of the application process. The specific requirements will depend on your individual circumstances and the immigration category under which you are applying.

In general, to meet the English language requirement for a Spouse visa, you must provide evidence that you:

• Have a degree taught in English that is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree, master's degree, or PhD;
• Have passed a Home Office approved English language test at the required level (currently CEFR level A1 or above) with a recognized test provider; or
• Have obtained an academic qualification taught in English from an institution that is recognized by UK NARIC (the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom).

It's important to note that some categories of applicants, such as those aged 65 or over or those with a long residence in the UK, may be exempt from the English language requirement.

If you need to take an English language test, you can find a list of Home Office approved test providers on the UK government's website. You should ensure that you meet the required level of English language proficiency before taking the test, as failing the test can delay your ILR application.

If you have any questions or concerns about the English language requirements for your ILR application, it's advisable to seek guidance from an immigration lawyer.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Here are some commonly asked questions about UK Spouse visa: