A UK spouse or partner visa application from India is decided on two files at once: the sponsor's and the applicant's. The sponsor, a British or Irish citizen or a person settled in the UK, must show £29,000 of gross annual income or £88,500 in savings in the exact format set by Appendix FM-SE. The applicant must show a genuine and subsisting relationship, English at CEFR A1 and a TB certificate. The fee is £2,064 plus £3,105 in immigration health surcharge for the 33-month grant, and the published service standard from outside the UK is 12 weeks.
The compact version with the price card and checklist is on the UK spouse and partner visa route page. This article explains how each requirement is tested and where Indian applications fall down.
Who can sponsor a UK spouse visa, and who can apply?
The sponsor must be a British or Irish citizen, hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status, or have refugee or humanitarian protection status, and must be in the UK or returning with the applicant. The applicant must be 18 or over and either legally married (registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act or the applicable personal law; a religious ceremony alone is not enough), in a civil partnership, or an unmarried partner with two years of cohabitation evidence. Any previous marriage must have ended, with the decree or death certificate in the file. Fiancé(e)s apply for a six-month visa at the same fee without the health surcharge, cannot work, and must marry in the UK before switching.
How is the £29,000 financial requirement tested?
The threshold since 11 April 2024 is £29,000 gross a year with no additional amount for children. Applicants who first applied before that date keep the £18,600 route when extending.
| Category | What counts | Evidence period |
|---|---|---|
| A: salaried, same employer 6 months | Gross annual salary | 6 months of pay slips and matching bank statements, employer letter |
| B: salaried, less than 6 months or variable | Current salary at the threshold, plus £29,000 actually earned in the last 12 months | 12 months of pay slips and statements, employer letter |
| D: cash savings | £16,000 plus 2.5 times the shortfall; £88,500 if savings alone | Held 6 months in the sponsor's or applicant's name |
| F or G: self-employment | Last full tax year, or average of two years | SA302, tax year overview, business statements, accountant's letter |
| Pension and non-work income | Annualised | Statements covering 12 months |
Categories can be combined, except that savings cannot be combined with Category B. The applicant's income in India does not count for entry clearance, and a UK job offer for the applicant does not count either. A sponsor returning from India can use six months of overseas salary above £29,000 combined with a confirmed UK job starting within three months of arrival.
Appendix FM-SE: where most refusals happen
Appendix FM-SE lists the specified evidence word for word, and the officer applies it literally. Every pay slip must match a bank credit; a salary paid in cash is not counted. The employer letter must confirm the person is employed, the gross salary, the type of contract, the length of employment and that the pay slips are genuine. Bank statements must be on letterhead or stamped if printed. One missing month, or a letter missing one of the required statements, means the income is not counted even though it was earned. Work from the FM-SE checklist line by line before you upload.
Relationship, accommodation, English and health
The relationship must be genuine and subsisting. Officers read how you met, the wedding, time spent together since, communication, visits, remittances and joint finances, and check that both partners' accounts match. Arranged marriages are assessed on the same evidence; the file should explain the arrangement, the families' role and the timeline. Build a chronological bundle covering the whole relationship with a short index, and include a signed statement from each partner.
Accommodation must be adequate and not overcrowded: a tenancy or mortgage statement, a landlord's letter permitting the applicant to live there, and a property inspection report where the home is shared. English is tested at CEFR A1 speaking and listening with a SELT (IELTS Life Skills A1 or equivalent) or an Ecctis statement for a degree taught in English; the result is valid for two years. A TB certificate from an IOM-approved clinic in India is required.
Fees and timeline
| Item | GBP |
|---|---|
| Partner entry clearance | 2,064 per applicant |
| Immigration health surcharge (33 months) | 3,105 |
| Priority service, settlement routes | 500 extra, about 30 working days |
| Extension after 2 years 9 months (inside the UK) | 1,407 plus £1,035 a year surcharge |
| Indefinite leave to remain after 5 years | 3,226 plus Life in the UK test (£50) |
The six-month financial evidence window is the long pole: start collecting pay slips and statements before anything else. English and TB appointments take two to four weeks. The decision takes about 12 weeks from biometrics, and the visa starts on the date you choose; you can work from arrival.
Children under 18 apply at the same time on linked forms, each paying £2,064 and the surcharge, and need birth certificates, the other parent's consent or evidence of sole responsibility, and school records where relevant. The priority service for settlement routes (£500) is offered at most Indian centres for most of the year and brings the decision to about 30 working days; it does not change the evidence the officer requires.
After arrival: extension and settlement
A partner visa holder can work in any job, be self-employed and study, with no access to public funds. You must live together at the address given and report changes through the UKVI account. The extension after two years and nine months re-tests the financial requirement with English at A2. Indefinite leave to remain comes after five years on the route with English at B1 and the Life in the UK test; the UK settlement route page covers the test. British citizenship (£1,709) can follow immediately after settlement when the sponsor is a British citizen.
Why are UK spouse visas refused, and what fixes each reason?
Financial evidence not in FM-SE format. A missing pay slip, cash wages, or an employer letter without a required statement. Rebuild the bundle to the checklist; every pay slip matches a credit, and the letter covers all five points.
Relationship not genuine and subsisting. Few meetings, inconsistent accounts, no communication evidence over time. Build the chronological bundle with both partners' statements and explain the cultural context.
English evidence. A non-SELT test, an expired certificate or a degree without Ecctis. Book IELTS Life Skills A1 or another SELT.
Accommodation. No tenancy or landlord consent, or a shared house with no inspection report. Provide the tenancy, the landlord letter and a report from the council or a surveyor.
Deception. An undeclared refusal or an unverifiable document brings a suitability refusal and, for deception, a ban of up to ten years. Declare everything with the letters attached.
How Vistolane handles it
Family routes on Vistolane go to a licence-checked, OISC- or SRA-regulated partner chosen on the United Kingdom destination page, who checks the Appendix FM-SE evidence before filing. Start with the free eligibility check or the UK spouse and partner visa route page.
