A Spouse visa allows those who are married to a British citizen, or someone who has Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the country, the opportunity to live in the UK with their spouse or civil partner. This is ideal when things are going well, but what happens when a marriage or civil partnership breaks down to those that are in the UK on a Spouse Visa? Well in this article we're going to look at the options for those who are in the UK on a Spouse Visa whose marriage or civil partnership is either about to end or already has.
The end of a marriage or civil partnership can be messy to say the least; there are financial and often familial concerns that need to be rectified as soon as possible. This situation can be significantly more complicated if one of the spouses or partners are living in the UK on a Spouse Visa. We can certainly understand the concern of those whose relationship is about to end but whose immigration status relies on that relationship. Although things seems bleak you must not fret. There are significant options available to those who are in the UK on a Spouse Visa whose relationship is about to end.
Our principal advice is to get in touch with an immigration specialist such as ourselves (unless there is domestic violence, in this instance your first contact should be with authorities that can help to make you safe). Our team can help to take a holistic view of your situation and help guide you in what your next move should be. In most cases, people who are in the UK on a Spouse Visa are entitled to switch to either an alternative visa route, or in some cases even gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) at short notice. By getting in touch you can ensure that you have an experienced and knowledgeable team working for you to ensure that you stand the best chance of remaining in the UK.
As we previously alluded to, it is vital that if you are in a relationship that has a domestic violence problem then you should leave immediately. There are many people out there who can help with your situation. These include: the police, your GP or one of the many charities that exist to help those in a violent relationship to escape.
Once you have escaped the relationship then you can set to work on cementing your immigration status. Fortunately the Home Office understands that in some cases domestic violence can be the cause of a relationship breakdown. Because of this, they have made exemptions in the immigration laws to allow those who are escaping a violent relationship and are in the UK on a Spouse Visa the option to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) at short notice. This is an ideal situation for those who are escaping a violent relationship and by getting in touch, we can help you to secure your future in the UK by helping you to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Many people are understandably concerned that the end of their relationship will also mean the end of their stay in the UK. In some situations there is some truth to this. If you do not replace your Spouse Visa with an alternative, you will of course then need to leave the country. Your ability to remain in the UK is going to depend largely on your circumstances. For some, if you have had children in the UK then you may be able to remain on a familial visa as the parent of a British citizen. Another option will be as described above in the situation where there is a violent end to the relationship - in this case you may be able to gain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
If you are unable to find an alternative route to stay in the UK then you will need to leave the country. Unfortunately Spouse Visa holders are not eligible to switch to other points based immigration visas in the UK (such as the Tier 2 General Visa). At this point you may wish to get in touch with immigration specialists such as ourselves. We can help take a deep look into your case to find out if you have any option of remaining in the UK. Our highly experienced team have helped many people at the end of their relationships to successfully remain in the UK. So if you are looking to remain in the UK at the end of your relationship, please get in touch with our team who will be more than happy to help look into your case and give you some options on what to do next.
If you need help with a Spouse Visa issue then please get in touch. Our experienced and qualified immigration specialists can help you to plot out your next move and help ensure that you are able to remain in the UK at the end of your marriage or civil partnership.
It is vital that if you are in any danger at all, you must inform the authorities. We appreciate that many people worry that because they're living in the UK on a visa, they will lose their ability to remain in the UK. Please know that there are protections in place to ensure that this does not happen. So please ensure your safety before you look into your immigration problems.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
Investing
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Indefinite Leave to remain - UK Settlement and
Naturalisation
I am glad that i instructed Reiss Edwards on my visa matter. It started with a 20 minutes free
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to me.A big thank you to Verusha and Foram. They were also very helpful. Brilliant and informative.
Their fee was fair and reasonable, especially if you compare them to other law firms and immigration
law firms in London; some of whom even told me that i would not be able to get an indefinte leave to
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The process was long but was worth it. In the end, a big thank you to Reiss Edwards.
Citizenship Application - UK Naturalisation
TI have just had British Citizenship application approved. Prior to making the application, i was not
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Spouse Visa - Appeals and visa refusals
Fantastic Solicitors!!!
My wife's spouse visa extension application was refused by the Home Office and they gave her 14 days
to leave the country.
We contacted Reiss Edwards and they said "OK don't worry we will sort this out". They put together the
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Immigration Visa - Citizen of United Kingdom
The team of lawyers at Reiss Edwards are very professional and friendly people. Their experience in
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UK Settlement Visa
I contacted Reiss Edwards to help me with my wife�s UK settlement visa. They acted with utmost
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Cheap Immigration Lawyers in London
I have been using Reiss Edwards for three years now for my family's immigration application. Both for
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Top Notch Immigration Service
Reiss Edwards is a top notch immigration service company. The way they handled our documentation and
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Best Immigration Solicitors
I used Reiss Edwards� immigration lawyers to assist with my immigration matter and that of my family.
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Indefinte Leave to remain - Individual Immigration - UK Settlement
visa
It's a shame that you dont have an 'Excellent' star rating on here, as my experience with Reiss
Edwards is nothing short
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and did my husband's one
very recently including my daughter. Every time i have approached them, they have continued to treat
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They gave me a free immigration advice when i called them, and the quality of the advice was something
other charge thousands for.
If you need a particular, name, Amar would be it. He exemplifies, for me, the true, professional
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He is a valuable asset to Reiss Edwards.
Tier 2 Visa application - UK Work Visas
This is the only firm that i spoke with that didn't ask for money before listening to me, will be
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I used Reiss Edwards for my Tier 2 visa application and it was successful. The team was ever present
and happy to answer my question. The caseworker that dealing with my case went on holiday yet by case
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over the case without any hassle.
Tier 1 Investor Visa - Business Immigration
My Tier 1 Investor Visa was dealt with quickly and without issue. Would recommend Reiss Edwards as an
Immigration law firm in London. Thank you to the team.