Family and partner visas

Where applications usually need most care

The financial requirement is the most common area of difficulty, particularly where income comes from self-employment, more than one job, or a combination of salary and savings. Relationship evidence over time and accommodation evidence also need to be assembled deliberately rather than gathered at the end.

What we do

A solicitor reviews your circumstances against the route you intend to use, sets out what evidence is required, identifies gaps early, and prepares the application and supporting submissions. Where an application has already been refused, we review the refusal notice and advise on the options and their deadlines.

Who this page is for

• Couples applying for a partner or spouse visa for the first time, from inside or outside the UK
• Applicants extending existing leave as a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner
• Sponsors who are self-employed, on variable hours, or relying on more than one source of income
• Families including children or other dependent relatives in an application
• Applicants whose family application has been refused and who want the refusal reviewed

How the process works

• Initial consultation: a solicitor establishes the facts and identifies the route that fits them
• Written advice on the requirements that apply and the evidence each one calls for
• An evidence plan, so documents are gathered in the right form and covering the right period
• Review of the documents provided, with gaps and inconsistencies raised early
• Preparation of the application and the written submissions that accompany it, approved by a solicitor
• After submission, we keep a record of the position and tell you when something changes

Evidence and document preparation

Family applications are decided on documents. Relationship evidence works best when it covers the whole history rather than a single moment; financial evidence has to be in the specified form and cover the specified period; and accommodation evidence needs to show the property, who lives there and the right to live there. English language and, where relevant, tuberculosis testing requirements are dealt with separately and early, because they can take time to arrange.

Where applications most often run into difficulty

• Financial evidence that is incomplete, out of date, or does not match the source of income relied on
• Self-employed or combined-income cases documented as if they were straightforward salaried employment
• Third-party support or gifted funds appearing in bank statements without explanation
• Inconsistencies between the accounts given by each partner
• Applying close to the expiry of existing leave, leaving no time to correct a problem

Fees

We agree fees in writing before substantive work begins, and we confirm what is included in the scope of work. How we charge, and the Home Office fees that are payable in addition to our professional fees, are explained on our fees page.

If you would like the position on your own facts reviewed, make an enquiry and we will confirm the next step in writing. An enquiry is a request for a consultation; it is not advice, and it does not create a solicitor-client relationship.