UK Unmarried Partner Visa for South Africans

The Unmarried Partner Visa enables you to emigrate to the UK on the basis of your relationship with your UK-resident partner.

You must prove that you are in a genuine relationship with your partner which is akin to a marriage/civil partnership which has lasted for at least two years.

One of the following must apply to the applicant’s partner:

• They are a British citizen
• They are a person with settled status in the UK, such as Indefinite Leave to Remain
• They have been given humanitarian protection or refugee status in the UK

If you apply for this visa in South Africa, you can stay in the UK for up to 33 months if your application is successful. If, on the other hand, your partner in the UK applies for the visa on your behalf, the visa will be valid for 30 months.

In order to be eligible for this immigration permission, you will need to fulfil a number of requirements and provide substantial evidence to prove your eligibility.

The main requirements for this immigration permission are as follows:

• Both you and your partner must be at least 18-years-old
• You must have met your partner in-person and been in a relationship with them for at least two years
• Your partner must be a resident in the UK and they will act as your sponsor
• You must be able to demonstrate that your relationship is genuine and that any previous relationships have broken down. (You will need to provide substantial evidence in your portfolio of evidence to prove this)
• Your must have suitable accommodation which you intend to live in with your partner in the UK
• You and your partner must meet certain financial requirements (explained below)

The genuine relationship test is a key part of all partner visa applications. As an Unmarried Partner Visa applicant, you will need to provide substantial evidence to prove that your relationship is genuine. Indeed, the genuine relationship requirement is perhaps the most significant of all with Partner Visa applications.

Ultimately, the UK Home Office needs to see evidence that the relationship between you and your partner is genuine and akin to marriage/civil partnership.

You will need to provide certain information and documents to prove your relationship is genuine. That being said, there is no specific checklist for the required documents. The documents and information which you need to provide will depend on the nature of your circumstances.

Some of the information which you may need to provide in your portfolio of evidence includes:

• Photographs of you and your partner together
• Birth certificates of any children you have together
• Tenancy or property letters from previous accommodation which you lived in together. You could provide utility bills or council tax bills
• Emails, text messages and letters you have shared with each other
• Receipts from gifts you have bought together and/or tickets of events you have attended together
• Written testimonies from family, friends or professional people

Unmarried Partner Visa applications need to meet certain financial requirements. You will not be eligible for this immigration permission if you cannot meet this condition.

As of 2025, the financial requirement is as follows:

• Your partner must have an income of at least £29,000 per annum in order to be able to sponsor you

Your partner may be able to satisfy the minimum income requirement through employment, self-employment and through other means such as savings, investments, bonds, trust funds and stocks and shares.

Also, you could satisfy the financial requirement through paternity, adoption, pension and sick pay or through property rented income.

It is important to note that you cannot access full welfare support as an Unmarried Partner Visa holder. Also, if your UK-based partner is in receipt of certain benefits, the financial requirement may apply differently to you.

You no longer have to show proof of additional funds if you are bringing children with you to the UK.

Whilst English is widely spoken in South Africa, you will still need to take an English language test to prove your knowledge of English.

You will need to be able to demonstrate that your English language ability is at the level of A1 in speaking and listening as set by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Your test must be one of the following:

• IELTS Life Skills A1 Speaking and Listening – provided by IELTS SELT Consortium
• LanguageCert International ESOL SELT A1 (Speaking & Listening) – provided by LanguageCert
• PTE Home A1 – provided by Pearson
• Skills for English UKVI A1 (2 component) – provided by PSI Service (UK) Ltd

You will be exempt from this requirement if you have completed a degree or higher qualification which was taught in English at an approved educational institution. Also, you will be exempt if are aged 65 or over or if you have a mental or physical condition which prevents you from sitting the test.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you have suitable accommodation to live in in the UK.

It is not acceptable for large families to live in a small house without adequate room space. The accommodation which you intend to live in must have adequate room for you, your partner and any dependents. The accommodation must have an additional room for each dependent who will be joining you in in the UK.

Also, the accommodation must meet the appropriate UK living standards. You might need to provide photographs and other information which show details of the accommodation throughout.

If you would like more information on the accommodation requirement and whether your accommodation is suitable, please do not hesitate to call us on 0333 305 3612.

We are here to provide expert assistance with Unmarried Partner Visa applications.

As we mentioned above, you will need to provide certain information to prove you meet the genuine relationship requirement.

As well as this information, you will need to include a number of documents and other information in your portfolio of evidence to prove your eligibility.

These documents are as follows:

• Copy of passport
• Copy of partner’s passport and immigration status in the UK
• Proof that previous relationships have broken down (if applicable)
• Details of your accommodation plans
• English language test pass certificate/result (if applicable)
• Bank statements or payslips which prove that you meet the financial requirements
• Details of where you have previously lived
• Information of any dependents who will be joining you

As of February 2025, the cost of an Unmarried Partner Visa is £1,938. If your application is completed and submitted from inside the UK, the cost is £1,321.

You also need to take into account the cost of the English language test, as well as the cost of having your biometrics taken.

As you will be residing in the UK for over 6 months, you will need to provide biometric information (fingerprints and a photo). In most cases, you will be able to provide this information at a visa application centre in South Africa. The biometrics cost an additional £19.20.

You will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee of £1,035 for adults and £776 for under 18s.

Also, another cost to bear in mind is translation fees. If any of your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be translated by an official translator. (You will need to include both the translated and original versions in the portfolio of evidence).

In most cases, Unmarried Partner Visa applications are processed within twelve weeks. Bear in mind that if there are problems with your application, such as missing documents or information, the processing of the application will be delayed.

If your application is accepted, you will be free to move from South Africa to the UK on the basis of your relationship to your partner.

You can stay in the UK for up to 30 months if your partner applied for the visa on your behalf in the UK, or 33 months if the application was made in South Africa.

You can apply for an extension to your immigration permission before your current permission expires, which will be valid for the same period of time.

You will be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain status after you have spent five years living in the UK under the Unmarried Partner Visa. Indefinite Leave to Remain is a form of permanent residence, which means you can stay in the UK without any conditions imposed as an ILR holder.

After you have lived in the UK for twelve months under ILR, you will be eligible for full British citizenship (or dual citizenship).

The first step is to understand why your application was rejected. On your visa refusal letter, the reason/s for the refusal will be highlighted.

If there is a clear reason for the refusal, the best option is to resubmit the application with the mistakes rectified.

However, if you believe your application was unfairly rejected, you could choose to challenge the Home Office’s decision.

If you think a clear mistake was made when your application was submitted, such as a key piece of information not being taken into account, you could choose to go ahead with an administrative review. With this option, your application will be reconsidered by a different immigration official.

If you want to challenge the Home Office’s decision, we can help you every step of the way with our specialist appeal package.

Call us now on 0333 305 3612 to find out more.