Family Settlement Visas

This visa applies if you are a non-EU national and you are married to or in civil partnership with a UK National. If you, as a couple, want to settle in the UK you need to apply under this visa category. The visa will allow you to settle in the UK with your spouse/partner and is initially issued for a period of 2.5 years during which you can work unrestrictedly.  This visa holds a financial threshold requirement depending on family members applying as well as the English Language requirement.

You need a Returning Resident visa to come back to live in the UK if you were previously settled (given ‘indefinite leave to enter or remain’) and you have either:

• lost your documentation
• been away for more than 2 years

You don’t need a visa if you have your original documentation confirming your settled status and you’ve been away for less than 2 years.

You may still need to apply for a visa if you’ve been asked to confirm you can travel to the UK, for example by the airline you’re travelling with.

You must:

• plan to return to live in the UK permanently
• have been settled in the UK before you last left
• not have been given public funds to help you leave the UK

You won’t get a Returning Resident visa unless you’re also able to show what exceptional personal circumstances have led to you being out of the country for this long.

You must provide enough evidence to show:

• your strong family ties to the UK
• you lived in the UK most of your life
• your current circumstances and why you’ve lived outside the UK