The UK Spouse Visa — an honest, plain-English guide (2026)

If you're planning to bring your husband, wife or partner to live with you in the UK, the spouse visa is the route most couples use. It works — but only if you meet every requirement and evidence it properly. Here is the whole picture in plain English.

What it actually is

The UK spouse visa lets the partner of a British citizen or settled person live in the UK. It's granted for 33 months at a time and forms the first step on a five-year journey to settlement (ILR), and — if you want — British citizenship after that.

The five-year journey at a glance

• Stage 1: initial visa, 33 months (entry clearance from outside the UK).
• Stage 2: extension (FLR-M), a further 30 months from inside the UK.
• Stage 3: settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) after 5 years.
• Optional Stage 4: British citizenship, usually 12 months after ILR.

Who can sponsor and who can apply

The sponsor must be a British citizen, someone with settled status (including ILR), or in certain refugee/humanitarian categories. The applicant must be 18+, in a genuine relationship with the sponsor, and meet the relationship, financial, English-language, suitability and accommodation requirements.

The relationship requirement

You must be legally married or in a civil partnership, and the relationship must be genuine and subsisting — real, ongoing, and not arranged for a visa. You also need to intend to live together permanently in the UK and have met in person.

The financial requirement — the £29,000 threshold

The UK sponsor generally needs a gross income of £29,000 a year. There are several ways to meet this — salaried employment held 6+ months (Category A), newer or variable income (Category B), self-employment (F/G), savings (D), pensions, and combinations of those.

Worked example: sponsor earns £26,000 — a £3,000 shortfall. Savings needed to bridge it: £16,000 + (£3,000 × 2.5) = £23,500, held for 6 months.

English language

Applicants usually need a Home Office–approved A1 English test, unless they're a national of a majority English-speaking country, hold an English-taught degree confirmed by Ecctis, or qualify for an age/disability exemption. The level rises to A2 at extension and B1 at settlement.

The other requirements

• Accommodation: adequate, non-overcrowded, lawfully occupied.
• Suitability: criminal record and immigration history declared honestly.
• TB test: required if you've lived in a listed country for 6+ months.

What it costs

The Home Office application fee is £2,064 (entry clearance) and the NHS surcharge is around £3,105 for the 33-month visa — about £5,169 in government fees for a single applicant before tests or extras. Across the whole five years, government fees come to about £12,389.50 per person.

How long it takes

From outside the UK the Home Office aims for around 12 weeks from your biometrics appointment. Priority and super-priority services can speed things up where available, for an extra fee. Your own document-gathering usually takes 4–8 weeks — start early.

The five reasons people get refused

• Financial evidence that doesn't quite match the rules.
• Thin or generic relationship evidence.
• Using income that doesn't count (e.g. applicant's overseas salary from outside the UK).
• Wrong English test, wrong test centre, or a missed exemption.
• Undisclosed immigration or criminal history.

Can you do it yourself?

If you're married, the sponsor is salaried comfortably over £29,000, the relationship is straightforward, and there's no awkward history — yes, plenty of couples manage it alone using the GOV.UK guidance. We'll tell you if that's your situation.

How we can help

When there's self-employment, savings, a previous refusal, a borderline income or any unusual feature, our fixed fee of £800–£1,200 buys a properly built application and a meaningfully lower chance of an expensive refusal. The first call is free — and if you don't need us, we'll say so.