UK unmarried partner visas: explain your relationship

Do we need two years at the same address?

Current partner guidance includes a relationship of at least two years where the couple cannot live together, for example because of work, study or cultural reasons. Two years of cohabitation is therefore not the only possible evidence picture. A relationship of the required duration still needs to be shown as genuine and continuing.

How do we explain living apart?

Set out when the relationship began, when you lived together, when you were apart and why. Link that account to records of visits, regular contact, shared commitments and any financial support. Explain the practical reason for separate homes rather than asking a relationship label to do the work.

Where you do share a home, tenancy records, joint financial records or correspondence to the same address may support the history. The strongest set of documents is the one that matches your actual life; do not create a shared-address story that the records cannot support.

What if we are both in South Africa?

A British partner may be planning to return with you. Record that joint plan and read the returning-sponsor financial guidance. The unmarried relationship question and the financial category are separate checks; satisfying one does not remove the other.

Is marriage a substitute for the evidence?

Marriage changes the relationship category, but it does not remove the financial, accommodation or other application requirements. If either of you was previously married or in a civil partnership, record how and when that relationship legally ended. Compare the spouse route.

Family partner visa or dependant partner visa?

Use family partner guidance for an eligible British, settled or other qualifying sponsor. If the main applicant holds a work or study visa, use that route’s dependant provisions instead. Do not transfer the partner financial threshold or settlement timetable between these categories. Understand the distinction.

What should we bring to an initial review?

• A dated relationship and address history for both partners.
• The UK partner’s nationality or exact permission and whether you will move together.
• Existing evidence of shared life and a clear explanation of any periods apart.
• Previous marriages, children, refusals and the dates that affect your plan.