The Civil Partner Visa enables you to enter or stay in the UK provided they are in a civil partnership with a British citizen or an individual who holds UK settled status, meaning you are lawfully residing in the UK with no time limit on their stay. Prior to arrival, you must obtain entry clearance to be eligible for entry into the UK.
Settled status is defined as “free from any restriction on the period which one may remain in the UK, and ordinarily resident in the UK” in paragraph 6 of HC395. In other words, an individual who has ‘settled’ status has certain rights similar to a British Citizen. They usually hold Indefinite Leave to Remain; they have the right to work, remain in the UK and access healthcare and welfare.
Yes, there is a full right to appeal should the visa application be refused. The Visa Appeals’ process can be drawn-out and costly. A very strong case will be needed to make the home office reconsider their decision. It is best to work with qualified lawyers such as our team in order to minimise the likelihood of an appeal being needed.
Initially, those who would have pursued visas suited to civil partners would have been in same-sex relationships. That is no longer the case, with Civil Partner Visas now applying to a much wider demographic.On December 2nd of 2019, the Civil Partnership (Opposite-Sex Couples) Regulations 2019, came into force, amending the eligibility criteria in the Civil Partnership Act 2004. Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples were legally permitted to enter civil partnerships, opening up new visa options to those now applicable.
In a Proposed Civil Partner Visa application, the ‘sponsor’ is the person with whom the applicant intends to register a civil partnership with. This person must have settled status, meaning Indefinite Leave to Remain, or Irish or British Citizenship.
If you are applying from outside the UK, the application fee is £1,538 – otherwise, it is £1,048 if you are applying in the UK. Any dependant added to your application will incur the same fees per person. You may also have to consider additional costs such as legal help, biometric enrolment fee or any documents needing to be translated.
With an extension, this visa route can offer you 5 years of stay. After you have spent a period of 5 years on a Civil Partner Visa, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK, so long as you are still in a civil partnership.
Civil Partner Visas are initially issued for a period of 2 years and 9 months. A further extension may be sought for an additional 2 years and 6 months.
QC Immigration can help Increase your chances of your UK visa application being accepted with the help of our experienced immigration lawyers.