A successful UK Family Visa application depends entirely on the quality and completeness of your supporting documents. The Home Office has incredibly strict and specific requirements for the evidence you must provide. A single missing document, an incorrectly formatted bank statement, or insufficient proof of your relationship can lead to a costly and devastating refusal.
This comprehensive guide outlines the essential information and evidence you need to prepare. To ensure your application is flawless, our team of specialist immigration advisors offers a meticulous Document Checking Service, providing you with the peace of mind that your application is prepared to the highest possible standard for success.
Core Information and Documents for Every Applicant
Every person applying for a Family Visa must prepare the following personal information and documents:
- Personal Details: Your full name, date of birth, and nationality.
- Current Passport: Your valid passport or other travel ID.
- Previous Passports: Copies of the photo page and any pages with UK visas or entry stamps from all previous passports.
- Immigration History: Details of any previous UK immigration applications you have made.
- Criminal Convictions: You must declare any criminal convictions from any country.
- Identity in the UK: Either your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or your eVisa share code if you are applying from within the UK.
- Tuberculosis (TB) Test Certificate: A certificate from a Home Office-approved clinic if you are applying from a country where TB screening is mandatory.
- Certified Translations: A full, certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.
Proving the Financial Requirement: A Detailed Breakdown
This is the most complex part of the application and where most people make mistakes. You must prove you meet the specific financial requirement for your visa category, which is usually based on the income of the UK-based family member you are joining.
What Counts as Income?
The Home Office only accepts income from specific, prescribed sources:
- Employment Income: Gross salary (before tax and National Insurance) from UK-based employment.
- Self-Employment Income: Profit from self-employment or as a director of a limited company in the UK, evidenced by official tax documents.
- Cash Savings: Any savings above £16,000 can be used, but the rules on how they must be held and for how long are extremely strict.
- Pension Income: Gross annual income from a state or private pension.
- Non-Employment Income: Income from sources like property rentals or share dividends.
Essential Evidence for Employment Income
If you are relying on your or your partner’s salary, you must provide a specific set of documents, including:
- Payslips: Usually the last 6 months’ worth, dated up to the point of application.
- Bank Statements: Corresponding bank statements showing the deposit of each of those payslips.
- A Letter from the Employer: This is a crucial document and must be on headed paper, dated, and contain specific information, including the employee’s job title, salary, contract type, length of employment, and confirmation that the payslips are genuine.
The rules for proving self-employment income or combining different income sources are even more complex and require specialist guidance to navigate successfully.
Proving Your Relationship is Genuine and Subsisting
For partner and spouse applications, you must provide strong evidence that your relationship is real and ongoing. The Home Office wants to see official, third-party documents that link you together.
- How You Met and Your Relationship History: You will need to provide a detailed account of your relationship.
- Evidence of Living Together: Documents like council tax bills, utility bills, or a tenancy agreement in joint names are excellent proof.
- Shared Finances: Statements from a joint bank account are highly persuasive.
- Details of Previous Relationships: You must declare any previous marriages or civil partnerships and provide legal evidence that they have ended, such as a decree absolute (divorce certificate).
Providing Information About Children
You must provide details for all children involved, even if they are not applying for a visa with you. This includes:
- Their full name, date of birth, nationality, and passport details.
- Information on who the child normally lives with.
- Details of anyone else who holds parental responsibility for the child.
- A description of your involvement in their daily life and any formal access arrangements.
Why Professional Document Checking is Your Best Investment
The evidential requirements for a UK Family Visa are not just a checklist; they are a complex set of rules where the format, date, and content of every single document matters.
Our expert Document Checking Service will:
- Provide a Personalised Checklist: We give you a detailed list of the exact documents you need for your specific circumstances.
- Meticulously Review Every Page: We check every payslip, bank statement, and letter to ensure it meets the strict Home Office standards.
- Prevent Common Mistakes: We identify and rectify common errors that lead to automatic refusal, such as incorrect financial calculations or missing information in an employer’s letter.
- Give You Complete Confidence: Submit your application with the peace of mind that your evidence is flawless.
About the Author:
Farzad Ghods is an international lawyer specialising in UK immigration law. He is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Immigration Advisors Authority (IAA) in the United Kingdom, and is also a member of the Iran Bar Association. He brings over fourteen years of professional legal experience to his practice.