Can I apply for a UK Spouse visa from any country or do I have to apply from the country of my nationality? Can I travel to France (Spain etc) and apply from there?
We are often asked this
question, especially by those who do not wish to leave the UK for too long and be
apart from their British spouse. Here we are covering a situation where a foreign
spouse is in the UK in the capacity of a visitor (on a visitor visa or just
with an airport stamp for 6 months). Also, a situation where the couple are
travelling and are looking to apply for a Spouse visa at the end of their
travel, say in Spain.
(Here we are not covering
a situation where a foreign spouse is in the UK on a visa like Tier 4 student,
this is a different matter).
So, to start with,
visitors cannot switch to a Spouse status inside the UK. Instead they have to
apply from outside the UK, but where? Such an application must be made either
in the country of your nationality or in the country where you have a valid
resident-type visa, such as a work visa or permanent visa or a family visa etc
(but NOT a visitor status). For example, if you are Australian, travelling around
Europe for pleasure, you have to return to Australia and apply for a Spouse
visa from there. If you are Australian with a work (or work dependant) visa in
Dubai, you can apply in Dubai.
The good news is that
there is a faster service now available in almost every country, where for
extra government fee your application can be considered within approx 3 weeks,
as opposed to the standard 3 months.
For
an individual advice or to make an application please contact us: info@1st4immigration.com
or visit our website www.1st4immigration.com
, or read testimonials on http://www.1st4immigration.com/testimonials.php
If
you are an Immigration Adviser or a Solicitor please visit our immigration
Training and CPD website: www.1st4immigration.com/training We
have a weekend OISC Level 1 course as well as a Points-Based System course and
we also have online training courses, including Online OISC Level 1 course and
courses focusing on Spouse/Partner visas. All our training courses are
CPD-accredited with CPD credit accepted by OISC.