Understanding Unmarried Partner Visas. Essential Insights for Retail Professionals

There are two reasons for retail professionals to consider the Unmarried Partner visa. Either they are in a long-term relationship with one of the 3 million retail workers in the UK, or they want to join the 10% of non-EEA migrants currently working in the retail sector. Regardless of which category you fall into, this article will help you understand what the Unmarried Partner visa is and how you can apply for it.

Obtaining an Unmarried Partner visa is a challenge for anyone trying to immigrate to the UK, requiring you to complete an application to a high standard. It is recommended to get professional help from an immigration lawyer or adviser to ensure a high chance of success.

 

Defining the Unmarried Partner Visa

It is not only married partners that can join a British citizen or migrant with settled status like indefinite leave to remain in the UK. This visa allows those that can prove they are in a committed, long-term and genuine relationship with a British person or settled migrant without having to be married.

If your application is successful, you will be allowed to remain in the UK for 33 months initially and a further 30 months if you renew it. Having remained in the UK for this time, you will have been in the UK for five years and meet the requirements for indefinite leave to remain, meaning you will no longer need the visa.

While on this visa, you are not totally reliant on your partner. The visa comes with the right to paid, unpaid, and voluntary work. This will allow you to seek a range of opportunities within Britain’s retail sector as soon as your visa is granted.

Financial Requirements

Consistent with UK immigration rules, you must be able to support yourself once you are in the country. This is defined by the minimum income threshold for the individual with British citizenship or settled status, raised to £29,000 in April 2024. The Conservative Party had planned to raise this requirement further still in late 2024 and early 2025, and it is not yet clear if the Labour Party will diverge from these plans at the time of writing in July 2024.

Even if the requirement doesn’t go up, it could be difficult for some applicants, considering that the average salary in the UK’s retail sector is £28,950. However, there are other finances you can include in your application, including the following:

• Savings above £16,000 that the partner in the UK has had for over six months.
• Non-work income, such as rental income on a property or trust funds.
• Income from a second job or self-employed work.
• Active work benefits such as maternity or paternity leave and sick pay.
• Pension payments.

Relationship Requirements

British immigration authorities are also keen to ensure that anybody coming to the UK on an Unmarried Partner visa is in a genuine relationship. You must provide documents to show that you have lived together within the last four years. Any legitimate document showing proof of this will be eligible, but examples include the following:

• A tenancy agreement.
• Utility or council tax bills.
• Bank statements, either for a shared bank account for which both of you are named or separate accounts showing you both were registered for bank accounts from the same address at the same time.
• Doctor or medical professionals’ letters with the same address.

If you have not lived together within this time period, it can be hard to prove that your relationship is genuine. However, it is still possible for you to provide evidence of a long-term and ongoing commitment to each other. Examples include evidence of time spent together, shared childcare duties, shared financial support, and regular communication consistent with being in a long-term relationship.

The final thing to note is that this visa is not compatible with polygamous relationships. Rather, the partner in the UK can only help one partner to come to the UK. The applicants will also need to show evidence that any recent relationships have come to an end.

Applying for an Unmarried Partner Visa UK

Once you have ensured you meet the application requirements for the Unmarried Partner visa, you can submit your application. There is an online form that retail workers can find on the Home Office website, where you will also submit your documents and pay the application fee. The standard fee applicable is £1,846 for applications made from outside the UK and £1,048 if you are a retail worker applying from inside the UK.

The foreign partner will then need to attend a visa application centre or consulate in their country for a biometric appointment. Their fingerprints and a photograph will be taken and information conveyed in the application will be checked.

Once the application process has been completed, you will need to wait for a decision from the Home Office. This takes 12 weeks for applications made outside the UK and eight weeks for those made inside the UK.

Joining Your Partner in the UK’s Retail Sector with the Unmarried Partner Visa

It is clear that this visa provides a great opportunity to start a new life in the UK, earning a living in the retail sector, with a British partner or immigrant with settled status. The visa comes with the right to remain for long enough, after renewal, to get indefinite leave to remain, a crucial precursor to British citizenship.

Yet, obtaining any British visa is difficult. This is made harder by the below average wages in the retail sector which can make it difficult to fulfil the salary requirements. To get help completing the application and assess whether you and your partner fit the application requirements, it is sensible to get in touch with an immigration lawyer or adviser.