UK UK family visa (partner, parent & other routes)

Who is this route for?

• Spouses, unmarried partners and civil partners of a UK-based person
• Parents of a UK-based child
• Children joining a UK-based family member
• Adult dependent relatives who need care
• People joining family on other qualifying routes

Requirements

• Show that the family relationship is genuine and subsisting
• Provide marriage or birth certificates and other relationship evidence
• Provide evidence of communication, cohabitation or time spent together
• Provide a sponsorship letter from your UK-based family member where required
• Your sponsor must be a British citizen, settled in the UK, or hold valid immigration status
• Applies where you are joining family for longer than six months

What you can do

• Live, work and study in the UK with your family
• Access the NHS and other public services

Documents you will need

• Marriage or birth certificates
• Photographic and relationship evidence
• Evidence of communication and cohabitation
• Sponsorship letter from your UK family member — where applicable
• Evidence of your sponsor’s immigration status

Financial requirement (partner route)

Partner and spouse applicants must normally meet a minimum income requirement. This is the single most common reason family applications are refused, so check it carefully. The figures below were checked on gov.uk in August 2026.

• Minimum income — at least £29,000 a year (for applications made on or after 11 April 2024)
• Children — add £3,800 a year for the first non-British child and £2,400 a year for each additional child (this does not apply to a child who is British, Irish or settled)
• Transitional rule — if you first applied as a partner (or fiancé(e)/proposed civil partner) before 11 April 2024 and are extending, the earlier £18,600 threshold and per-child amounts continue to apply
• Savings — you may be able to use cash savings held for a set period instead of, or combined with, income
• The parent, child and adult dependent relative routes have their own “adequate maintenance” tests rather than this income figure

English language requirement

Partners must show a required level of English. The level rises over time — a basic level for the first application, a higher level to extend, and a higher level again to settle. You can meet it with an approved test, a degree taught in English, or by being a national of a majority-English-speaking country; some applicants are exempt (for example on grounds of age or a long-term condition). Check the current levels and exemptions on gov.uk.

How long you get, and settlement

On the 5-year partner route, the first grant is usually 2 years and 9 months (or 33 months) if applying from outside the UK, then an extension of a further 2 years and 6 months. After 5 years of continuous residence as a partner you can normally apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

Where you cannot meet all the standard requirements but refusal would breach your family or private life rights, permission may instead be granted on a 10-year route to settlement.

Costs

A family application typically involves an application fee (which differs for applications made outside vs inside the UK), the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year of the visa, and the cost of meeting the financial and evidential requirements. Confirm the current application fee for your route on gov.uk before you apply.

Processing time

Applications from outside the UK typically get a decision within about 24 weeks; inside the UK the Home Office often decides within about 8 weeks. A super-priority service can give a decision by the end of the next working day (two working days over a weekend). Complex cases can take longer.