If Juliet lived in Manchester — UK visa options for online couples

Djamilla Hitchins examines the UK visa application process for couples who have met online. This article has been amended by John Donkersley.

Updated June 2024

What happens when the internet brings Romeo in Verona and Juliet in Manchester together? They might not have a deadly family feud to contend with, but they do have to navigate the UK visa system. As more and more people meet their life partners online this is an issue that is increasingly common.

A heads up from the start — Romeo must have met Juliet in person to get a partner visa on a route to settlement.

The meeting can be either in the UK or abroad and they don’t need to have spoken to each other. They must just be adults and in the same room. So if they can prove their eyes met at a friend’s wedding, and then they contacted each other on Facebook, that’s enough!

It will also be impossible for Romeo and Juliet — who have met on the internet and not spent much time together — to get a family visa as an unmarried couple as the requirement is that they must have lived together for 2 years.

For the purposes of this article, Juliet — the ‘sponsor’ — must be one of the following:

• a British citizen
• settled in the UK — with indefinite leave to remain (this includes Irish citizens ordinarily resident in the UK)
• in the UK with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement scheme (EUSS)
• a stateless person with permission to stay in the UK as such
• refugee status or humanitarian protection and the relationship was formed after the sponsor fled

All references to spouse or fiancé also include civil partner or proposed civil partner.

It’s worth remembering that EEA citizens like Romeo coming to the UK are now treated in the same way as any other foreign nationals. In the past they’d have been able to come to the UK under EU free movement rules to meet and live with a British partner; they must now navigate the immigration system. An EEA citizen with settled or pre-settled status can now only sponsor a partner using the EUSS route where, by 30 December 2020, they had either lived together for 2 years or were married.

Romeo’s visa options depend on the couple’s intentions. This article will go through them and give links to the relevant pages on GOV.UK. All of the applications are made online.

Standard Visitor — 6 month visa

A Standard Visitor visa would allow Romeo to come to the UK for up to 6 months, but no longer. He can’t switch to any other visa. He’d have to leave the UK and apply from abroad for any other type of visa.

Who needs this visa

All foreign nationals (apart from Irish citizens) need a visa to visit the UK. However, some nationalities (EEA, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the main ones) are known as non-visa nationals and don’t need to get this visa before they enter the UK. They will be issued with a 6-month visitor visa on arrival as long as the Border Force officials are sure the intention is only to visit. A client can check if they need a visa before they visit the UK on GOV.UK.

However, it is possible to get turned back at the border even if you are a non-visa national if there is any reason to suspect the purpose of entry is not just for a visit. If Romeo says to the border official that he is in love and he is hoping to get married he may be refused entry even though he is a non-visa national.

What they have to show to get this visa

To get a Standard Visitor visa Romeo must show all of the following:

• he intends to leave the UK at the end of his visit
• he has enough money to support himself or proof he can be supported
• he can pay for his return journey

He will need to show evidence to prove that he will not be staying in the UK and has enough money. This could be something like:

• a letter from an employer confirming employment in Italy and his period of leave
• proof of following a course of study in Italy
• bank statements & proof of earnings

What does it cost?

The current fee is £115 but you should always check visa fees on GOV.UK.

Non-visa nationals like Romeo asking to enter on a visit at the border don’t pay a fee.

What’s not allowed?

Once in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa Romeo can’t do any of the following:

• switch to any other visa
• get married
• work (unless as a volunteer for a registered charity for up to 30 days)
• make successive visits which suggest the UK is his main home

How long will it last?

This visa can only be extended beyond 6 months in very specific circumstances. Academic visitors and visitors for medical treatment may be able to extend — the current fee for this specific 6-month extension is £1,000.

If Romeo and Juliet meet up on a visit visa and decide they like each other and want to see each other again in the UK then Romeo must leave the UK and apply for a further visa to re-enter. The type of visa will depend on if he wants to stay in the UK or not.

Marriage Visitor — 6 month visa

This visa is very similar to the Standard Visitor visa except that Romeo could marry Juliet during his 6-month visit. He would then have to leave the UK and could not extend his stay. This visa would work if they wanted to get married in the UK and then go and live in Italy or if Romeo wanted to return to Italy after the marriage to sort things out with his parents before returning to the UK on a new visa.

Who needs this visa?

Unlike the Standard Visitor visa, Romeo must apply for this specific visa before arriving in the UK. Even though he is a non-visa national this visa cannot be applied for at the border. It‘s both for people:

• living outside the UK and marrying a UK resident, and
• couples who both live in other countries and want to get married in the UK

If the intention is to have a ceremony that is not recognised by the UK, such as an Islamic only ceremony, you do not need this special visa.

What they have to show to get this visa

To get a Marriage Visitor visa Romeo must show all of the following:

• that they are both over 18 (they may fall at this first hurdle)
• a genuine relationship with Juliet
• an intention to leave the UK at the end of his visit
• enough money to support himself and pay for his return journey
• evidence that both of them are either divorced or their former partner has died, if they’ve previously been married

He will also need to comply with the legal requirements to give notice in person for a UK wedding. This will be at least 28 days before the ceremony.

Romeo will need the same evidence of returning to his home country and of his finances as for a Standard Visitor visa.

In addition, he’ll need evidence of the planned marriage. This could be something like:

• details of the wedding and proof that money has been paid for some of the costs
• confirmation or emails between them and the venue
• a provisional appointment to give notice of the marriage at the register office or church

What the visa costs

The current fee is £115 but you should always check visa fees on GOV.UK.

What’s not allowed

Once in the UK with a Marriage Visitor visa Romeo can’t do any of the following:

• switch to another visa
• work
• study

How long it will last

This visa lasts for 6 months and can’t be extended.

Family visa as a fiancé — 6 month visa

This visa would allow Romeo to come to the UK for 6 months, get married, and then, unlike the Marriage Visit visa, to then apply for a family visa as a spouse and stay on in the UK. But he’d have to have met Juliet before he could apply for it and if he was already in the UK on a visitor visa he couldn’t switch to this visa.

Who needs this visa

Anyone who has already met their British sponsor and wants to come to the UK to get married or form a civil partnership and then switch to a family visa. Any children under 18 of the overseas partner can also apply with their parent.

If Romeo is already in the UK on another type of work or study visa he would usually be able to marry Juliet and then apply for a spouse family visa without the need for this additional visa.

What they have to show to be get this visa

This visa has the same strict requirements as the family visa as a spouse. Romeo must be able to prove all of the following:

• they are both over 18
• they have met in person
• they have a genuine relationship and intend to live permanently in the UK
• they intend to marry within 6 months of his arrival in the UK
• Romeo must pass an English language test at a required level (if he was from a specified English speaking country, or had a degree taught in Enlish, he would not need to do this)
• he meets the financial requirement
• they have adequate accommodation

Details of how the financial and genuine relationship requirements can be met are in the spouse visa section.

Some nationalities also have to provide a TB test. At present this does not include Italy.

What the visa costs

Applications must be made from outside the UK and the current fee is £1,846. This is only for a 6 month visa. When the application for a spouse visa is made after the ceremony, there will be another fee to pay of £1,048, plus two and a half years of the immigration health surcharge. Children will each pay the same application fee as their parent, but a lower annual health surcharge.

The major downside for Romeo of this visa — as opposed to getting married outside the UK and entering as a spouse — is this extra fee for a 6-month visa.

What’s not allowed

Once in the UK with a Family visa as a fiancé Romeo can’t do any of the following:

• work
• study

How long it will last

The visa is for 6 months and cannot normally be extended. However if the ceremony was not able to take place within 6 months due to Covid-19 then you can apply for an extension.

Family visa as a spouse — 2.5 year visa

If Romeo wants to live in the UK with Juliet this is the visa he will ultimately need. It can be extended after 30 months and leads to settlement after 5 years. It is also available to civil partners and unmarried partners. However it has many requirements and is expensive.

Romeo must apply from abroad. He can only apply from the UK if he is either:

• on a fiancé visa and has married in the UK or
• on another visa that was for 12 months or more — such as a worker or student

What if they don’t want to get married?

The real problem for couples who meet on the internet is that if they don’t want to get married it will be very difficult for the overseas partner to come to the UK on a family visa. Unmarried couples have to live together for 2 years to be eligible for this visa, so couples who have only met recently and aren’t married can’t use it.

Who needs this visa

Anybody who needs a visa to enter or stay in the UK and who wants to live in the UK permanently as the partner of their UK sponsor. If the overseas partner has children under 18 they can be included in the application.

What they have to show to be get this visa

This visa has strict requirements. Romeo must be able to prove all of the following:

• they are both over 18
• they have met in person
• they have a genuine relationship and intend to live permanently in the UK
• Romeo must pass an English language test at a required level (If he was from a specified English speaking country he would not need to do this)
• he meets the financial requirement
• they have adequate accommodation

Some nationalities also have to provide a TB test. At present this does not include Italy.

Financial requirement

This is a high bar and a lot of evidence will be required. The minimum income requirement is either:

• income of £29,000 per annum or
• savings to a certain level (on a sliding scale up to £88,500 depending on their level of income) or
• a combination of income and savings

The income of the overseas partner is not taken into account.

For sponsors receiving disability or carer’s benefits there is no minimum income requirement, but all couples must show adequate support and accommodation without recourse to public funds.

If Juliet is not working and not receiving disability or carer’s benefits it is going to be very difficult for her to sponsor Romeo on this visa. A third party (her parents?) could only help if they were able to give her the level of cash savings required at least 6 months before the application.

Genuine relationship

In many online relationships the couple won’t have spent much actual time together outside of video calls. They won’t be able to show that they have been living together, that they have children together or that they share financial responsibilities. They’ll need to find inventive ways to prove to the Home Office that they have a genuine relationship.

Proof of the extent of their communication will be important. This could be things like:

• screenshots of video calls — showing dates and duration if possible
• Whatsapp logs & emails
• phone bills showing calls to each other
• proof of presents or letters sent to each other
• visiting each other’s family — unlikely for this couple
• definite plans to live together
• photographs of them together, passport stamps and travel tickets of when they did meet

Although the Home Office doesn’t want huge amounts of paperwork, they will need to provide sufficient evidence of their contact to prove that their relationship is genuine. Romeo could possibly include the fictional account of their relationship by a renowned playwright.

What the visa costs

• £1,846 if apply from outside the or £1,048 if applying from within the UK
• £1,035 per year for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). That’s £2,587.50 up front for the 30-month length of this visa

In addition:

• any dependent child will also pay the application fee and £776 per year IHS
• for some for specified nationalities there’s also the cost of a TB test and an English language certificate

What’s not allowed

Once in the UK with a Family visa as a spouse Romeo can’t:

• claim any of the benefits that count as public funds

How long will it last

• the visa is for 33 months if applying from outside the UK and for 30 months if applying from within the UK
• it can then be extended for a further 30 months as long as all the requirements are still met. The same fee and IHS will be payable again
• after 5 years Romeo can apply for indefinite leave to remain

What if the relationship breaks down?

If Romeo and Juliet find that their online romance is not translating into real life harmony, and they separate or divorce, then Romeo would no longer have a right to stay in the UK. Once the Home Office is informed, his visa would be curtailed and he’d be given a date by which he must leave the UK.

However, if the relationship breaks down due to the sponsor’s domestic abuse or if the sponsor dies then the overseas partner can apply immediately for settlement.

Conclusion

It’s not straightforward for anyone settled in the UK to bring their partner to live with them; there are many hurdles and costs. For couples who meet online it is even harder — they have to find a way to meet before they can even think about applying for a family visa and then they must convince the Home Office that their online romance is genuine. Even Romeo and Juliet could find the difficulties too great to surmount.

You can find information on Check if your partner and children can get visas to live in the UK on Citizens Advice public site.

Djamilla Hitchins was an immigration expert in the Expert Advice team at Citizens Advice.

John Donkersley is a senior immigration in the Expert Advice team at Citizens Advice.

The information in this article is correct as of the date of publication.

This article was updated on 27 November 2023 and 6 JUne 2024 with the levels of fees and minimum income requirements.

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