If you’ve landed here, the chances are you’re either applying for a UK Spouse Visa soon or, unfortunately, have already applied and faced a rejection. It’s frustrating, I get it. You’re in love, you’re building a life together, and all you want is to be with your partner. But then the Home Office throws a wrench in your plans. Rest assured, refusals aren’t always the end of the road. In fact, in most cases, they happen because of avoidable mistakes. That’s why I thought I would write this guide for you based on my vast experience — to help you understand why Spouse Visas get refused and, more importantly, how to ensure yours gets approved. I’ve spent the last 17 years helping thousands of couples get their Spouse Visas approved. Now, let me help you.
Out of the 40,000 UK Visa approvals we’ve secured, over 14,000 of the approvals have been UK Partner Visas. Many of these applications were a second attempt after the client, trying on their own, made mistakes that enabled UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to justify a refusal. While we have only secured approvals, our clients have brought us thousands of their own refusal letters/emails, enabling us to see every reason for refusal given since 2007. Once you know the reasons for refusal, you can always submit a perfect application (cover letter, online form, and most importantly, supporting documents).
According to the UKVI’s statistics, between 25-30% of UK Spouse Visa applications are refused. That’s nearly 1 in 4 couples who receive a rejection letter. The Home Office isn’t in the business of making things easy, and its decision-making process can be brutally strict. We’ve rarely had an issue as we only submit cases that satisfy the eligibility requirements (20% of refusals we have seen are due to eligibility) and with perfectly presented supporting documents in line with the rules and caseworker guidance (the other 80% of refusal excuses seen relate to supporting documents).
So, what are the most common reasons for refusal we have seen over the years in our consultations (and I have gone into great detail about each point further down the page with practical examples):
But here’s the good news: every single one of these reasons can be avoided if you know what you’re doing. Let’s go through each in detail so that you don’t make these mistakes.
One of the most common reasons for Spouse Visa refusals is failing to meet the minimum income threshold, which currently stands at £29,000 per year (for applicants that first applied for a Spouse Visa after April 2024). If you already have a Spouse Visa and are applying for an extension or ILR, you would remain under the old income requirement of £18,600 (plus an increased amount per dependent applying) if you applied for your initial Spouse Visa before April 2024.
Common mistakes that lead to refusal:
When it comes to the Appendix FM financial requirements, what do I recommend to our clients to ensure approval? Ensure your income is from an approved source, such as employment (Category A or B rules), non-employment income (Category C rules, e.g. property rental income), cash savings (Category D rules), pension (Category E rules), or self-employment (Category F & G rules). If relying on cash savings, you must have at least £88,500 minimum daily cash balance held for 6 months (or £62,500 under the old rules).
Make sure all documents are dated within 28 days of the date of application and match the amounts on your application form and financial documents. If you have any complications with satisfying the financial requirement or the supporting documents needed, consider taking legal advice from a UK Spouse Visa expert who can guide you to approval.
The Home Office wants to see hard evidence that your relationship is real. Just being married (and having children) isn’t enough nowadays — they need to be convinced that your relationship is ongoing (i.e. subsisting), committed, and legitimate.
Common reasons for refusal:
How to ensure approval: Imagine you are in the dock in court, and the prosecutor accuses you of faking your relationship with your partner. What evidence would you submit to the court to prove the prosecutor is wrong?
If I were in that hypothetical situation, I would ensure I submitted to the court plenty of photos covering different years and locations. I would submit call logs, chat transcripts, and email exchanges that span at least the last 6 months or longer, showing daily communication. I’d include travel itineraries and joint bookings as proof of time spent together. If I had joint bank account statements, I’d submit a quarterly bank statement for the past 2 years to show shared finances. If it were applicable, I’d provide joint tenancy agreements/land registry documents, bank accounts, or utility bills spread over as many years as possible (maximum 5 years back). To top it all off, the cherry on the cake, I would submit a detailed relationship history statement explaining how we met, our time together, and future plans.
You can imagine the dumbfounded look on the prosecutor’s face when he realised the sheer volume of evidence, spread over the years, from so many different sources I’d submitted, proving our relationship is not only genuine but subsisting!
A simple typo, an inconsistent date, or an unchecked box can cause your visa to be refused.
The worst mistake you can make regarding the online form is failing to declare any adverse immigration history or criminality when asked. This type of mistake can lead to a refusal and accusations of false representation or deception. That’s why it is vitally important for you to ensure the answers on the form are perfect and address any issues stated in your cover letter.
To avoid issues with the online application form, take your time before applying to review the answers stated on the form one at a time while cross-referencing them to the supporting documents you will submit. In particular, ensure that all dates match across your documents, as consistency is key. Finally, nothing beats a fresh pair of eyes that have no expectations of what they will see to review your application before submitting the online form (and consider our Expert Checking Service if this appeals to you).
If I received £100 every time, I’ve read this excuse being used by a UKVI caseworker to justify a refusal (when a client tried applying on their own), I’d have retired by now. 😊 In all seriousness, though, most refusals I have personally seen are due to this reason. To avoid this issue, ensure you read all the caseworker guidance documents and document checklist at the end of the online form (or we can provide our custom document list used to secure our approvals as part of our services).
It is also important to ensure every document is 100% accurate, up-to-date, and formatted correctly. The Home Office typically won’t chase you for missing documents—they’ll consider refusing your application.
You can use the official Home Office document checklist when submitting your PDF documents online to ensure you have not missed any documents. I also recommend to our client’s that they make sure all translations are certified and formatted correctly. Finally, you MUST ALWAYS ENSURE all financial documents are dated (or end) within 28 days of submission.
When applying for a UK Spouse Visa, you must pass (and submit) an approved A1 English test in Speaking and Listening (only) at a UKVI-approved test centre (unless you are exempt because you come from a majority English-speaking country, or you can submit a degree taught in English (with ECCTIS statements if required).
A common mistake is that applicants think any English test taken at level A1 (or higher) will be accepted by the Home Office. Sadly, this is not the case, and you MUST submit (1) an approved test (2) taken at an approved test centre. This mistake is easily avoided by reading through the UKVI’s Approved English Test webpage and ensuring your English test and test centre are listed when the Home Office caseworker checks!
Oh, and do not forget to upload the English test approval certificate with the rest of your documents! After all the effort you will put into getting this requirement right, nothing would be worse than falling at the finish line due to an oversight like this.
Once you secure your initial Spouse Visa, be warned that applicants are commonly refused the Spouse Visa extension as they unwittingly submit the Level A1 certificate used in their first application. The UKVI rules require you to show your English speaking and listening ability is improving over time. As such, the English language requirement for a Spouse Visa extension increases to level A2, and for the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Visa increases again to level B1. This is why I have always recommended to my clients that they should try and take the Level B1 test when they apply for the initial Spouse Visa.
I am pleased to confirm that there is a provision in the rules that states although English tests are only valid for 2 years, you do not have to take another English test when applying for the Spouse Visa extension or ILR if:
I have not seen this mistake that often during my career, but I have seen it occasionally over the years. The main mistakes made were that applicants were not aware that they were required to submit a TB certificate (or forgot to submit it), the clinic was not approved, or the certificate had expired (as only valid for 6 months from the date of issue).
If you are applying for the initial Spouse Visa outside the UK from a country listed, you must submit a valid Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate from an approved clinic (listed on the UKVIs TB Certificate website – and ensure you check out all three links at the top of the page).
Whenever I am submitting a client’s online application form, these two sections always instil fear in me, and I make my clients aware. Failing to declare any issues from the applicant’s past (criminality or adverse immigration history) on the online form is the quickest way to be refused for using deception or false representation. God forbid this happens; there can also be a visa ban applied. That’s why I always triple-check that clients have answered any questions of this nature correctly on the online application form. If there are any issues, we always address them clearly in our legal cover letter and submit any additional evidence that could support the claims we have made to address the issues. While you can never guarantee any issues of this nature will not impact the outcome, we have had immense success in navigating around these issues and still securing the approval.
If you’ve already been refused, my heart goes out to you as you are living through this situation, but don’t panic — you have options:
A UK Spouse Visa refusal can be devastating, but with proper preparation, you can avoid the common pitfalls that lead to rejection. I’ve helped thousands of couples secure their UK Spouse Visas, and I can tell you this: when done right, a Spouse Visa is winnable every single time you apply. Our record on Trustpilot over the past decade stands as testimony to this fact.
If you ever want my PERSONAL expert guidance to ensure your UK Spouse Visa is approved without drama, get in touch with me via the Contact Form on this page (and name-drop me in the comments section). As long as you can satisfy the eligibility requirements, I’d be honoured to represent your case to ensure it is approved. Your future together in the UK is worth doing the application process properly and working together; we can make it happen.
