Apply for Switching to a Spouse Visa - Expert Spouse Visa Solicitors

You can apply for a switch to a spouse visa UK online from inside the UK if you are a resident in the UK and you are married to a qualifying UK spouse. An application for switching into a spouse visa is made in accordance with the requirements set out in Appendix FM: Family Members and Appendix FM-SE: Family Members Specified Evidence of the Immigration Rules. An application for switching into a spouse visa 5-year route is made using the application form FLR (M). An application for switching into a spouse visa from inside the UK can be submitted to the Home Office UKVI through Super Priority Service for a decision on the spouse visa application within 24 hours.

Free Immigration Advice For Switching Into Spouse Visa (5-Year Route)

Our specialist spouse visa solicitors can provide free immigration advice online concerning your application to switch to a spouse visa from inside the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of spouse visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist spouse visa solicitors for your application for switching into a spouse visa (5-year route).

Specialist Spouse Visa Solicitors

Our spouse visa solicitors specialise in applications for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route) from within the UK. As one of the best spouse visa solicitors, we have successfully helped thousands of clients with their applications for switching to a spouse visa under the 5-year route. Our highly experienced and fully qualified spouse visa solicitors offer fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee advice and legal representation for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. 

Meet Our Team of Spouse Visa Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our spouse visa solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the spouse visa process with professionalism and care. 

Our team comprises a diverse group of spouse visa solicitors who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.

Our team of expert spouse visa solicitors and lawyers is proficient in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Marathi, Farsi, Italian, and German, ensuring that we can communicate effectively with you regarding your immigration matters.

Schedule Your Consultation With Our Spouse Visa Solicitors

Are you seeking expert immigration advice and consultation from our highly skilled team of spouse visa solicitors and lawyers in London? It's easy to secure an appointment with our dedicated spouse visa specialists. Our expert team of spouse visa solicitors and advisors can provide detailed immigration advice and consultation face-to-face in our offices in London or virtually over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or Phone. Book your appointment today using the appointment booking link provided below:

• Book An Appointment Online With Our Spouse Visa Solicitors in London

Our spouse visa experts are ready to assist you with your spouse visa concerns. Book your appointment today for personalised guidance and support.

Requirements for Switching to a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)

The requirements for switching to a spouse visa under the 5-year route from inside the UK include the following:

Valid application: The applicant must submit a valid application in accordance with the requirements for a valid application as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules;

Immigration status requirement: The applicant must not be in the UK

• as a visitor; or
• with valid leave granted for a period of 6 months or less, unless that leave is as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or was granted pending the outcome of family court or divorce proceedings;

Relationship requirement: The applicant must be the spouse of a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee / humanitarian protection status holder, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder, or a Turkish Worker visa holder. The relationship of the applicant with the UK sponsor must be genuine and subsisting, and the appropriate evidence of the genuineness and subsistence of the marriage should be provided in support of the application for switching to a spouse visa;

Age requirement: Both the applicant and the UK spouse must be aged 18 or over;

Suitability Requirement: The applicant should meet the suitability requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules;

Financial requirement: The applicant should meet the financial requirement for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route). The financial requirement can be met through

• income of the applicant and/or UK sponsor (£29,000 gross per year) from employment or self-employment; and/or
• savings of the applicant and/or the sponsor; or
• through the rental income of the applicant and/or the sponsor.

Accommodation requirement: The applicant must provide evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, that the family owns or occupies exclusively;

English Language Requirement: The applicant must meet the English language requirement to show that the applicant has English proficiency at CEFR level A1 as required by the UK Immigration Rules.

Super Priority Service for Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)

As specialist spouse visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI), and its commercial partners UKVCAS Sopra Steria to provide Super Priority Service for switching into spouse visa (5 years route) whereby a decision on your spouse visa application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your application through Super Priority Service.

Our spouse visa solicitors can prepare and submit your spouse visa application more quickly and secure a decision faster through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your application for months (sometimes years).

How To Apply for Switching to a Spouse Visa?

To apply for switching into a spouse visa (5-year route), you should take the following steps:

1. Complete the online application form FLR (M) on the UKVI website;
2. Submit the completed application online by paying the Home Office UKVI fees, which include the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS);
3. Book your biometrics appointments with TLSContact by creating an account on their web portal;
4. Upload all the supporting documents online before the biometrics enrolment appointment date;
5. Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment. You should take your BRP card, your passport, and your biometrics appointment letter with you when you attend your biometrics appointment;
6. Wait for a decision on the application, which will normally be made within 3 to 6 months if it is made through standard service and within 24 hours if it is made through Super Priority Service.

When Can I Apply For Switching Into a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?

You can apply to switch to a spouse visa under 5 years of age any time after you are married to your UK-qualifying spouse. There is no need to wait until 28 days before the expiry of your current leave to remain. To apply for switching to a spouse visa under 5 years of age, you must meet all the relevant requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

New Financial Requirement Of £29,000 Gross Per Year From 11 April 2024

As a result of changes to Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules effective from 11 April 2024, the new financial requirement of £29,000 gross per annum applies to an applicant who is applying for switching to a spouse visa on or after 11 April 2024. You will not have to meet income requirements of higher than £29,000 gross per annum if you have any dependent children applying simultaneously along with the lead applicant, and the threshold will remain at £29,000 gross per annum.

To satisfy the financial requirement for a spouse visa, the applicant and/or the applicant's UK partner must be working and earning not less than £29,000 gross per year.  The Applicant can combine the employment income under Category A with savings if the employment income is less than £29,000 gross per annum. The savings must be £16,000 plus additional savings equivalent to 2.5 times the difference between the applicant's and/or sponsor's gross annual income and £29,000. 

What Are the Various Sources Of Meeting Financial Requirements?

Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income threshold, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following five ways:

• Income from salaried or non-salaried employment of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). Depending on the employment history, this is referred to as Category A or Category B.
• Non-employment income, such as income from property rental or dividends from shares, is referred to as Category C.
• Cash savings of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant, above £16,000, held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months and under their control. This is referred to as Category D.
• State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant. This is referred to as Category E.
• Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category F or Category G, depending on which financial year(s) is or are being relied upon.

Adequate Maintenance Requirement for Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)

Where the applicant’s partner receives any of the following benefits or allowances in the UK, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement at that application stage by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance” rather than meeting an income threshold of £29,000:

• Carer’s Allowance.
• Disability Living Allowance.
• Severe Disablement Allowance.
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
• Attendance Allowance.
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
• Police Injury Pension.

If the applicant’s partner is receiving one of the above benefits or allowances on behalf of their child, the applicant will be able to qualify by meeting the financial requirement through “adequate maintenance.” The evidence required to demonstrate that the applicant’s partner is in receipt of a specified benefit or allowance is specified in Appendix FM-SE.

How to Calculate Adequate Maintenance?

The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for switching to a spouse visa from inside the UK:

A – B ≥ C (A minus B is greater than or equal to C)
Where:
A is the net income (after deduction of income tax and National Insurance contributions);
B is housing costs (Rent and Council Tax); and
C is the amount of Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive.

What Is The Immigration Status Requirement For Switching Into a Spouse Visa (5-year route)?

The immigration rules require that the applicant must meet the immigration status requirement to successfully switch to a spouse visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. For an application for switching into a spouse visa under the 5-year route to succeed, the applicant must not be in the UK-

• as a visitor; or
• with valid leave granted for a period of 6 months or less, unless that leave is as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or was granted pending the outcome of family court or divorce proceedings

English Language Requirement for Switching to a Spouse Visa (5-year route)

The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:

1. is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
2. has passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages with a provider approved by the Home Office, UKVI; or
3. has an academic qualification recognised by UK Ecctis to be equivalent to the standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught in English; or
4. is exempt from the English language requirement because at the date of application:
   • the applicant is aged 65 or over;
   • the applicant has a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement; or
   • there are exceptional circumstances that prevent the applicant from being able to meet the requirements prior to entry to the UK.

Can I Switch From a Spouse Visa 10 Years Route to a Spouse Visa 5 Years Route?

If you are in the UK under a spouse visa (10-year route), you can apply for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route) at any time during the validity of your leave under the 10-year route. You should ideally switch to the 5-year route as soon as you meet both the financial and English language requirements. Your time for ILR under the 5-year route will start from the date you are granted initial leave under the 5-year route, and all the time you spent under the 10-year route cannot be combined with time spent under the 5-year route. We can prepare and submit your application through Super Priority Service, ensuring you receive a decision within 24 hours.

Can I Switch From a Fiancé Visa To a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?

A person who is in the UK on a fiancé visa can apply for switching to a spouse visa under the 5-year route soon after the applicant's marriage registration with the UK-qualifying partner. An application for switching from a fiancé visa to a spouse visa can be made through Super Priority Service to get a decision within 24 hours, so that the applicant can get the right to work in the UK as soon as the Home Office UKVI approves the spouse visa application. Any time spent in the UK on a fiancé visa does not count towards the qualifying period of 5 years to apply for ILR after 5 years under the spouse visa 5 years route.

Can I Switch From a Student Visa To a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?

A person who is in the UK on a student visa can apply for switching to a spouse visa (5-year route) after getting married to a UK partner. The applicant can combine his/her part-time employment income with the income of the UK spouse to meet the financial requirement for switching from a student visa to a spouse visa from inside the UK. The student can rely on the English language requirement previously met as part of the student visa application to satisfy the English language requirement for switching from a student visa to a spouse visa from inside the UK.

Can I Switch From a Work Visa To a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?

A person who is in the UK on any work visa can apply for switching into a spouse visa from inside the UK if the applicant gets married to a UK partner while on a UK work visa. Time spent by the applicant on a work visa will not count towards the qualifying period of 5 years when applying for ILR as a spouse under the 5-year route. It is very common for those on a T5 Temporary Work visa to switch to a spouse visa after getting married to their British partner. The applicant can meet the financial requirement either through his/her sole income or in combination with the income of his/her UK partner to qualify for switching to a spouse visa from inside the UK.

Can I Reapply to Switch to a Spouse Visa After a Previous Refusal?

You may be able to reapply for switching into a spouse visa under the 5-year route if your application for switching into a spouse visa has been refused by the Home Office UKVI, and you do not believe you can successfully challenge the refusal of your application. Any such fresh application should meet the requirements as set out in paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules. Also, any such fresh application should ideally be made through Super Priority Service to ensure a decision within 24 hours.

Appeal Against the Refusal of Spouse Visa Refusal

If the Home Office UKVI has refused your application for switching to a spouse visa and you have been given the right to appeal against the refusal decision, you should file an appeal with the First Tier Tribunal within 14 days of the refusal decision. The appeal against the refusal decision can be successful on the grounds that the decision to refuse is not in accordance with rules or in contravention of your right to private and family life as envisaged under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). An Immigration Judge at the First Tier Tribunal will hear and determine the appeal. Our specialist spouse visa solicitors can provide the required legal services to represent you in your spouse visa appeal to challenge the refusal decision.

How Can Our Spouse Visa Solicitors Help?

Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation for your application to switch to a spouse visa on a fixed fee basis. Our family visa solicitors can legally represent you in your application for switching to a spouse visa and carry out all the work on your application until a decision by the Home Office UKVI on your spouse visa application. The immigration casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your application for switching to a spouse visa will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our family visa solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your application for switching to a spouse visa to be successful;

Documentary advice: Our family visa lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your application for switching to a spouse visa;

Assessing documents: Our immigration lawyers will assess your documents to make sure that all the documents you provide in support of your application for switching to a spouse visa are in accordance with the requirements of the immigration rules;

Completing the application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application Form online for your application for switching to a spouse visa;

Submitting an application through Super Priority Service: If required, our immigration lawyers will submit your application for switching into a spouse visa online through Super Priority Service to get a decision on your application for switching into a spouse visa within 24 hours;

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After the online submission of your application for switching to a spouse visa, our immigration lawyers will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics;

Detailed cover letter: Our specialist immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your application for switching to a spouse visa to explain all the relevant legal requirements for your application to be approved by the Home Office UKVI;

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our immigration lawyers will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of your application for switching to a spouse visa;

Follow-up work: Our immigration lawyers will carry out all the follow-up work until a decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application for switching to a spouse visa.

Why Choose Us For Switching Into a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)?

There are several reasons why you can choose our experienced spouse visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your application for switching to a spouse visa from inside the UK. The main reasons include the following:

High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best spouse visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for switching into a spouse visa from inside the UK. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Remote Legal Services: Our specialist spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert spouse visa advice and legal representation remotely from our offices in London. Using modern technology, our specialist spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your application to switch to a spouse visa remotely without the need for you to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices, if this is their preference, we are proud to be able to offer our legal services for spouse visa applications remotely to save your time and travel costs.

Open 7 Days A Week: We are open seven days a week and pride ourselves on providing dedicated spouse visa advice and legal representation.

All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: Our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced spouse visa solicitors, who have extensive experience dealing with spouse visa applications, will carry out all the casework on your application for switching into a spouse visa in the UK.

Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified spouse visa solicitors can prepare and submit your application to switch to a spouse visa in the shortest possible time using the fast track process. Where possible, our spouse visa solicitors will submit your spouse visa application through the Super Priority Visa Service to get a faster decision within 24 hours.

Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of spouse visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online for switching into a spouse visa UK through our website enquiry form.

Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our spouse visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for an application to switch to a spouse visa. You have the option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments, whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start working on your spouse visa application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the spouse visa application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.

How Much Does Switching to a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route) Cost?

What Are Our Other Spouse Visa-Related Services?

• Spouse Visa UK
• Entry Clearance For Spouse Visa UK
• Switching Into Spouse Visa UK (10 Years Route)
• Extension Of Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)
• Extension Of Spouse Visa (10 Years Route)
• ILR As A Spouse (5 Years Route)
• ILR As A Spouse (10 Years Route)
• Family Visa UK
• In-Country Immigration Appeals

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) For Switching to a Spouse Visa (5 Years Route)

The following are the various frequently asked questions (FAQs) about an application for switching into a spouse visa under the 5-year route: