The requirements for UK spouse visa are set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. The requirements for the application include the following:

For the UK spouse visa to be granted, the applicant must:

• meet the suitability criteria under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules;
• have been married to the UK spouse and both the applicant and the UK sponsor must have been free to marry before entering into marriage, if either of them was previously married;
• prove the genuineness of the relationship of the applicant with the UK sponsor;
• prove that the UK sponsor satisfies the financial requirement of earning £18,600 gross per annum (or above if there are non-British Children)
• prove that the UK sponsor has adequate accommodation to accommodate the applicant without recourse to public funds;
• prove that the applicant has passed the English language test at CEFR level A1 in listening and speaking only;
• must present at the time of application a valid medical certificate issued by a medical practitioner approved by the Secretary of State for these purposes, as listed on the Gov.uk website, confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that such tuberculosis is not present in the applicant.

Entry clearance as a spouse is granted for 33 months. You will be initially granted 30 days entry clearance endorsement on your passport to enable your entry in the UK and within 10 working days of your entry in the UK, you can collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from the designated post office which will be valid for 33 months.

If you have spouse visa under 5 years partner route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) upon completion of 5 years starting from the date of your first entry in the UK on spouse visa.

If your application for entry clearance or leave to remain as a spouse has been refused by the Home Office UKVI, you can challenge the refusal by way of an immigration appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

You should use application form FLR (M) for switching into spouse visa under 5 years route from inside the UK.

You should use application form FLR (M) for extension or renewal of your spouse visa under 5 years route.

You should use application form SET (M) to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a spouse under 5 years route.

The following requirements apply for spouse visa applications under 5 years route:

• Initial application for entry clearance as a spouse or switching into spouse visa: English proficiency at level A1 of CEFR in listening and speaking only
• Extension of spouse visa (spouse visa renewal): English proficiency at level A2 of CEFR in listening and speaking only
• ILR as a spouse: English proficiency at level B1 of CEFR in listening and speaking only