Marriage Visitor Visa Guide

Assessing your personal circumstances

The following factors will help to assess if you are a genuine visitor:

• previous immigration history, including visits to the UK and other countries,
• the duration of previous visits and whether this was significantly longer than you originally stated on your visa application or on arrival,
• your financial circumstances as well as your family, social and economic background,
• your personal and economic ties to your country of residence,
• the cumulative period of time you have visited the UK and your pattern of travel over the last 12-month period, and whether this amounts to ‘de-facto’ residence in the UK. 
• whether, on the balance of probabilities, the information and the reasons for the visit or for extending your stay you’ve provided are credible and correspond to your personal, family, social and economic background.

Travel/ immigration history

The Home Office will consider your travel history in your passport or travel document and a pattern of travel that shows that you have previously complied with UK immigration law may indicate that you are likely to be a genuine visitor, in the same way if you’ve also travelled to other countries, especially the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Schengen countries or Switzerland.

If you have previously failed to comply with another country’s immigration law, for example if you have been removed from another country, or if you have been refused entry to another country, this may suggest that you are not likely to be a genuine visitor (depending on the circumstances).

However, it should be noted that your travel history will not be the only consideration to take into account in deciding whether you are a genuine visitor or not as there may have been a change in circumstances since your previous travel. This is the reason why they will consider all relevant information for each application including any social and economic factors and any locally held information.

Maintenance and accommodation

The Home Office will check if you have access to sufficient resources to maintain and accommodate yourself adequately for the whole of your planned visit to the UK or for the period of any application for permission to stay.

There is no set level of funds required for an applicant to show this.

At the border you may be asked where you will be staying and for evidence that you have access to funds to cover the costs you are likely to incur during your visit. They will also consider the likely cost of your stay and assess any sources of revenue that will continue to be available to you whilst you are visiting the UK.

They will also take into account any ongoing financial commitments you may have in your country of residence such as rent/ mortgage payments and any dependants who you support financially, including those who are not travelling with you.

Your income or savings, minus your financial commitments, must be sufficient to meet the likely costs you will incur in the UK and be reasonable expenditure in light of your financial situation.

Maintenance and accommodation provided by a third party

Maintenance and accommodation support can be provided by a third party, including family members, friends and other people with whom you have a genuine personal or professional relationship. If the third party is in the UK, they must not be in breach of immigration law.

In order to assess whether the relationship with the third party is genuine and whether the third party intends to provide support, the HO will consider:

• the third party’s previous history of ‘sponsoring’ visitors – for example, previous

failures to support visitors may call into question their intention and ability to do so for this application,

• the relationship between you and the third party 
• where and how you met
• how often and by what method you communicate

If the third party is an individual such as a friend or family member providing financial support to you, they must demonstrate that they have enough funds available to adequately support themselves and anyone normally dependent on them, as well as yourself.