UK Spouse Visa Guide for UK Sponsor and Portuguese national applicant written by UK Immigration and Family Lawyer Mr Saleh Begh
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1. Your nationality and residence : British (United Kingdom)2. Your partner nationality and residence : Portuguese (Portugal)
The information below is for you, if you are
a British citizen (or holding UK permanent residence) and your partner is a Portuguese national.
You currently reside in United Kingdom whereas your partner resides in Portugal .
As a Portuguese national you should note that, your local UK Visa Office is changing from TLS Contact to VFS Global on 14 January 2025.
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Must have documents for UK spouse visa for Portuguese nationals
Click the links below for direct FREE downloads or documents sent to you via email after purchase (tailored to your situation)!
Spouse Visa Update 25 June 2024 (PDF) Home Office fees increase and new salary requirements. Spouse Visa Checklist - Portugal (PDF) (Free basic Checklist). UK Spouse Visa Fees, Income and Savings required information (PDF). UK Approved English language test centres (1,451 in total ) (PDF). Approved English language test centres in UK (76 in total ) (PDF). UK Spouse Visa (Genuine Relationship Evidence) (PDF). UK Spouse Visa Guide Contents 
UK Spouse Visa Key Considerations
UK Partner Visa from Lisbon, Portugal EU Settlement Scheme family permit from Lisbon, Portugal UK Home Office Approved English Tests Centres in Portugal Top 10 Reasons for UK Family Visa Refusal (British and Portuguese) UK spouse visa processing time in Dec 2024 from Lisbon, Portugal UK Spouse Visa Key Requirements
Finance and accommodation (UK Spouse Visa British and Portuguese) Earned income (Employment Salary / Wages / Self Employed / Business profits) Self-employed or deemed self-employed Receiving UK government benefits Accommodation in the UK Relationship evidence UK Spouse Visa Key requirements
Lets have a chat ✉ | ☎ 00442071933939 | Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm UK time. The Immigration Rules state that :
UK family Visa
Now let's look into the various aspects of the requirements listed above when you are British and your partner is Portuguese and you reside in United Kingdom and your partner resides in Portugal.You are a British citizen, thus you do not need any documents to live and work in the UK. However, your partner is a Portuguese national. They would need to have UK immigration status documents.
Your partner is a Portuguese national thus not exempt from the English language requirements for a Spouse / Partner visa, they would need to take the A1 / A2 (extension) or provide other English language evidence unless they qualify and apply under the EUSS Scheme.
UK Visa English Language Guide video Lisbon
UK Home Office Approved English Test Centres in Portugal
Get help Booking your test with an UK Approved test centre [Call us ☎] | . You must take your test with an UK Approved test provider. If you are outside of the UK i.e in Portugal you can only take a SELT (English Test) with one of the following providers: IELTS SELT Consortium British Council | LanguageCert | Pearson | PSI Services (UK) Ltd
Top 10 Reasons for Family Visa Refusal (Portuguese and British)
UK spouse visa processing time in Dec 2024 Lisbon, Portugal
The standard spouse visa UK processing time in Dec 2024 is 3 to 5 months (on average 14 weeks) if you are making the application from outside the UK. Priority service is back and you could get a decision faster say 3 to 6 weeks. If you are making the application from inside the UK the wait time is 8 to 12 weeks (on average 10 weeks). For human rights applications it is 11 months or longer. The relevant location is where the applicant is based as ALL applications are done online.Portuguese and British UK Spouse Visa Requirements
Finance and accommodation (UK Spouse Visa Portuguese and British)
Earned incomeUsually, for a spouse visa, the sponsor (British or another nationality but holding ILR / Refugee Status) would need to show that they earn £29,000 per year (before tax) (£34,500 from Sept 2024, £38,700 from Jan 2025) . Sponsors in the UK who receive certain benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Carer Allowance (CA) etc are not required to show earned income in the same way. Please also note that only the income of the British sponsor is usually counted even if the applicant abroad ( in Portugal ) seeking the visa is also working there. UK earned income of both spouses can be used, not relevant in your case, this is provided that both are working in the UK and have the right to work for the period claimed. The simplest way to meet this requirement is by having a salaried job for over 6 months on a fixed monthly income.
Go to the guide index sectionSelf-employed or Deemed as self-employed (Portuguese and British documents bundle in 2024)
If the British sponsor is the Director or related to the Director of the company that is paying the sponsor salary then the sponsor would be deemed as self-employed. Therefore, minimum one-year payslips (pay advice and dividend certificates or equivalent) and bank statements must be submitted, and currently, this would fall within the company’s financial year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024). If a previous year also had income above the required levels that too should be provided. In the event the most recent financial year is below the required level it is possible to provide two years and seek to present an average over two years to show the British sponsor does indeed meet the financial requirements.
Below is the list of documents that usually need to be submitted as part of the UK spouse visa application financial bundle (Portuguese and British) and also the period it should cover:
- CT600 Corporate Tax Return - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Certificate of Incorporation and Current Appointment Record from Companies House
- Unaudited Business accounts - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Business bank statements - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Current appointment report from companies house - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Business premises lease/Certificate of VAT registration/ PAYE as an employer - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Dividend vouchers - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
- Payslips showing gross income (For British sponsor from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024)
- Personal bank statements – all payments and dividends are shown being paid (For British Sponsor from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024
Since you are applying in May 2024 you may need to include April 2022 to March 2023 and of course, April 2023 to April 2024 documents to show what your income was last year and is continuing at the same or at a higher level this year. This area is very complex and you should seek help to get results first time!
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Receiving Benefits
If is exempt from meeting the standard financial requirements of £29,000 / £34,500 because receives certain benefits as listed below:
- Carers Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
To evidence this you will need Official documentation from the Department for Work and Pensions or relevant Agency confirming the current entitlement and the amount currently received together with a bank statement issued within the last 12 months showing benefits.
UK Accommodation
As regards accommodation, as a couple you will normally need a minimum of studio flat and anyone with children would need to secure at least one bedroom flat. Children count as half in UK Housing Act overcrowding calculations. A two bedroom flat with a sitting room / lounge would be enough for 5 people.
Relationship evidence plus where and how to apply (UK Spouse visa)
Need to establish your relationshipIt has to be a genuine, subsisting and durable relationship.
You would need to provide sufficient evidence to establish your connections. Since you would be considered as the sponsor . This would normally include, marriage certificate, evidence of cohabitation, joint bills, bank statements, birth certificate of any children you have together, joint travel, visitation and on-going communication and shared or common financial commitments. A wide selection of joint photographs of weddings, engagements and outings together. This requirement is one of the top reasons for refusal so seek guidance and make sure you have this covered well. This is a must with the recent announcement on the increase in income requirements to £29,000 / £38,700 (more than double of previous £18,600) ☎ | ✉