Family Visa Solicitors

Expert legal support for UK family visa applications

Blake Morgan’s family visa solicitors provide expert advice to individuals and families navigating family‑based immigration routes under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules and the Points‑Based System (PBS) dependant routes. We advise on all aspects of these applications, including personal and family circumstances, relationship evidence, financial and accommodation requirements, maintenance and suitability criteria, offering tailored, end‑to‑end support throughout the application process and any related immigration matters.

Whether you are applying as a partner, parent or child under Appendix FM, or as the dependant of a Skilled Worker or other PBS migrant, our family visa lawyers take a personalised and strategic approach. We guide clients through every stage, from assessing eligibility and preparing robust supporting evidence to advising on visa conditions, work and study rights, and onward immigration options, including settlement. Our comprehensive support ensures individuals and families can navigate the UK Immigration Rules with clarity and confidence.

Main Areas Of Practice

UK family visa routes enable individuals to join or remain in the UK with close family members, including a partner, spouse, children, or, in certain circumstances, parents. These visas are intended to support family unity by allowing families to live together in the UK on a long term basis, provided the relevant eligibility requirements are met.

Spouse/Partner visa

This route allows partners or spouses of British citizens or settled persons to live in the UK. Applicants must meet requirements relating to their relationship, financial circumstances, accommodation, and English language ability under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

Fiancé(e)/proposed civil partner visa

This visa enables individuals to enter the UK to marry or form a civil partnership. It is granted for a temporary period and requires evidence of a genuine intention to marry, alongside financial, accommodation, and English language requirements.

Bereaved partner visa

This route allows individuals whose partner has died to remain in the UK, provided certain conditions are met. It applies where leave was previously granted as a partner under the Immigration Rules.

Victim of domestic abuse visa

This route provides an independent basis to remain in the UK for individuals whose immigration status was dependent on a partner and who have experienced domestic abuse. It is designed to protect vulnerable applicants and enable lawful residence without reliance on the abusive partner.

Child joining or accompanying a parent

Children may be eligible to join or remain with a parent in the UK under specific immigration routes. Eligibility depends on factors such as the child’s age, dependency, family circumstances, and the parent’s immigration status.

Parent of a child visa

This route enables a parent to join or remain in the UK on the basis of their relationship with a child who is settled or British. Strict criteria apply, including requirements relating to parental responsibility and the child’s residence.

Partner or Child Dependant visa

Dependants of Skilled Workers and other Points Based System migrants may apply to accompany or join the main visa holder. Applicants must meet relationship and financial requirements in line with the Immigration Rules.

Adult Dependant Relative (ADR) visa

The ADR route allows elderly or dependent adult relatives to join a family member in the UK in limited circumstances. It is subject to stringent requirements, including evidence of long term care needs that cannot be met or funded in the applicant’s home country.

Our Clients

Our immigration team supports individuals seeking UK family visas, providing discreet, tailored guidance through complex circumstances and delivering clear, practical solutions to help families secure long‑term stability within the UK’s evolving immigration system.

Highlights

Assisting a multinational company, registered Tier 2 Sponsor, whose licence had become invalidated following the company acquisition – our immigration lawyers advised regarding the compliance issues and the position of the existing sponsored employees. The assistance covered managing risks involving the breach of the sponsor duties due to failure to report as well as advising and managing the application for the new sponsor licence simultaneously.


Assisting an EU national with a permanent residence card application (going forward falling within the scope of the EU Settlement Scheme) – this included advising on the break in residence continuity. The application was successful as the issue was fully addressed in the application submitted to the Home Office.


Advising an EU National who had been resident in the UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain status for over 30 years on a successful application for naturalisation as a British citizen to include advice on evidencing UK residence.


Frequently asked questions

To qualify, you must prove your relationship meets one of the recognised categories: married, civil partners, unmarried partners who have been in a relationship for at least 2 years, or fiancé(e)/proposed civil partners intending to marry within 6 months. You must also meet the financial, accommodation, English‑language and suitability requirements.

Applicants making their first partner‑route application on or after 11 April 2024 must show a minimum gross annual income of £29,000 or savings of £88,500. Those who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are now extending under the transitional rules must meet a £18,600 income requirement or hold £62,500 in savings.

The standard route is a 5‑year pathway to settlement:

  • Entry clearance is typically granted for 33 months, or 30 months if applying from within the UK.
  • A further extension of 30 months is required before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

You must continue meeting the relationship, financial, and English‑language criteria at each stage. If you fail to meet all the requirements the Home Office may either refuse your application or place you on the 10 year route to settlement.

Under Appendix FM, a spouse/partner visa is for couples who are already married, in a civil partnership, or in a durable relationship and allows immediate long‑term residence in the UK with full work rights, whereas a fiancé(e)/proposed civil partner visa is a short‑term 6‑month route solely for entering the UK to marry or register a civil partnership, does not permit work, and requires the applicant to switch into the partner route (FLR(M)) after the marriage to begin the standard 5‑year settlement pathway.

No. Although both visas allow a person to come to the UK to marry or enter a civil partnership, they are fundamentally different routes under the Immigration Rules.

A fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa under Appendix FM is a family‑based route. It is granted for six months, allows the holder to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK, and then switch into the partner route from within the UK, leading to long‑term residence and settlement.

A marriage visit visa under Appendix V (Visitor Rules) is a short‑term visitor route. It permits entry to the UK solely to marry or form a civil partnership, after which the individual must leave the UK. Holders cannot work, cannot extend or switch to another visa category from within the UK, and the route does not lead to settlement.

No. You should apply as soon as possible after the relationship breaks down and do not wait for your visa to expire. Applications can be made from inside or, in limited cases, outside the UK if you were abandoned overseas.

A partner (spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner in a genuine and subsisting relationship for at least 2 years) or a child under 18 can apply as a dependant of a main visa holder under routes such as the Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility categories. You must show a qualifying relationship in line with the Immigration Rules.
Not all visa routes allow dependants, and some job roles restrict dependants entirely.

The requirements for ADR applications are exceptionally strict. Applicants must provide detailed evidence proving:

  • They require long‑term personal care to perform daily activities (e.g., washing, dressing, eating).
  • The required care is not available or affordable in their home country.
  • That the sponsoring relative in the UK can adequately maintain, accommodate, and care for them without recourse to public funds.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Our Experts

Lisa
Parsons
Senior Associate

London

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Yasmeen
Hamza
Legal Director

London

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Nisha
Patel
Legal Director

London

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Inderpal
Singh Kallah
Associate

London

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David Maximilian
Barra
Solicitor

London

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Tatiana
Young
Immigration Caseworker

London

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Kawther
Al-Aaraji
Senior Associate

London

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