Unmarried Partner Visa – no 2 years’ cohabitation/relationship yet. Has anyone successfully applied in a similar situation?
Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from people who have applied for, or have experience with, the UK Unmarried Partner Visa under the current rules, particularly where there has been no 2 years’ cohabitation.
My partner and I (31&29) are considering applying, but I’m a little nervous because we have only known each other for around 18 months and have officially been together for 16 months. We have never lived together permanently, so I would really appreciate any advice from people who have been in a similar situation.
Here is our background:
We have known each other for around 18 months and have been officially dating for 16 months.
During the first 10 months of our relationship, my partner visited me in my home country almost every month (sometimes twice a month).
We have travelled extensively together, both within my home country and internationally.
I have visited him in Australia twice in Sydney and twice in Melbourne, and we are currently staying together in Melbourne.
I have stayed with him in Australia for several weeks, always within the conditions of my Visitor Visa (subclass 600).
We have met each other’s families. I have met his family twice — once in Sydney last year and again this July when I visited England. He has also met my family twice.
We have lots of photos, flight bookings, hotel/accommodation records, messages, travel records and other evidence showing our relationship over the entire period.
We have discussed our future together and have plans to get married and start a family in the future.
My partner is currently working in Australia on a work visa, although his Australian visa is due to expire in January. We are hoping to eventually settle together in the UK.
He has good savings and employment/income. He doesn’t currently own a house in the UK, but he is considering buying one before we apply, partly because he feels it would provide additional evidence of our plans to establish our life in the UK.
The main thing worrying me is that we haven’t reached two years together and haven’t had two years of continuous cohabitation.
We genuinely want to build our life together, and we are trying to find a way to be together without having to spend another years in LDR. I understand that having lots of relationship evidence doesn’t automatically mean an application will be successful, and we are trying to be realistic about our chances.
Another concern is finances. My partner is financially stable and has good savings, but I personally don’t have significant savings. Unfortunately, nurses in my country aren’t exactly paid very generously 😂. So most of the financial strength would come from my partner as the sponsor.
For anyone who has applied under the no-cohabitation route, especially with less than two years together, I would really appreciate your experience and advice.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and successfully obtained the Unmarried Partner Visa?
How important was the length of your relationship compared with the overall evidence of a genuine and subsisting relationship?
What evidence did you provide to demonstrate that you were in a committed relationship despite not having lived together for two years?
Is there anything you think we should strengthen before applying?
Would buying a house in the UK actually help our application, or is it unnecessary from an immigration perspective?
We are considering getting professional immigration advice as well, but I’d really love to hear from people who have actually gone through this process. Thank you 💗✨