UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from the USA — Evidence Guide
For American applicants applying to United Kingdom. Official source: UK Visas and Immigration (via VFS Global).
Applicable visa categories
- Spouse or Civil Partner Visa (Family visa) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually decided within 12 weeks for applications from outside the UK, counted from when you prove your identity; varies by case — check current UKVI processing times
- Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner Visa (Family visa) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually decided within 12 weeks for applications from outside the UK, counted from when you prove your identity; varies by case — check current UKVI processing times
- Unmarried Partner Visa (Family visa) (Appendix FM) — GOV.UK: usually decided within 12 weeks for applications from outside the UK, counted from when you prove your identity; varies by case — check current UKVI processing times
What is different for American applicants
- No English test for US nationals: Appendix FM lists the United States as a majority English-speaking country, so a valid US passport is the specified evidence for the English language requirement (Appendix FM GEN.1.6; Appendix FM-SE paragraph 28).
- British partner moving back from the US: if they rely on their US job, that income can count towards the £29,000 minimum income requirement, but they also need a confirmed UK job offer starting within 3 months of their return. Dollar income and savings are converted at the OANDA closing spot rate on the application date, and in an application from outside the UK your own US earnings do not count.
- Visitors cannot switch into this route: US citizens visit the UK with an ETA (required for travel on or after 8 January 2025), but Appendix FM bars partner applications from people in the UK as visitors. Coming as a visitor to give notice of marriage or to marry in the UK needs a Marriage Visitor visa first, unless you are a “relevant national” — for example, also an Irish citizen, or someone with EU Settlement Scheme status.
Document authentication (United States)
The United States has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1981. State-issued documents such as birth and marriage certificates are apostilled by the competent authority of the issuing state (generally the Secretary of State's office), while federal documents such as an FBI Identity History Summary are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications.
Issuing authority: U.S. Department of State — Office of Authentications.
Civil documents commonly required
- Certified birth certificate from the vital records office of the state or territory of birth
- Certified marriage certificate and, if previously married, divorce record from the state or territory where the event took place
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad, for U.S. citizens born overseas
- U.S. passport
- FBI Identity History Summary (federal criminal-record check)
Official form guides
Common refusal grounds at UK Visas and Immigration (via VFS Global)
- Financial requirement not met with the specified evidence (Appendix FM E-ECP.3.1 and Appendix FM-SE) — for example, a returning British partner relying on US employment without a UK job offer starting within 3 months of return, or dollar income that falls below £29,000 at the exchange rate on the application date.
- Not satisfied that the couple have met in person (E-ECP.2.5) — Home Office guidance says this can be the sole ground for refusal, and that a mere sighting followed only by phone or written contact does not count.
- Relationship not shown to be genuine and subsisting, or no shared intention to live together permanently in the UK (E-ECP.2.6 and E-ECP.2.10).
- Earlier marriage or civil partnership of either partner not shown to have ended (Appendix FM E-ECP.2.7 and E-ECP.2.9; GOV.UK asks for evidence such as a divorce certificate). Home Office guidance on the Family Law Act 1986 treats each US state as a separate country when recognising an overseas divorce, so a court divorce needs to be valid in the state where it was granted.
- Adequate accommodation in the UK, without recourse to public funds, not evidenced (E-ECP.3.4).
What officers scrutinize on this corridor
- Tier 1 relationship documents: Home Office family-life caseworker guidance ranks marriage certificates, joint bank statements, tenancy agreements and utility bills among the most valued evidence. GOV.UK asks for relationship evidence from the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider or medical professional that is less than 4 years old.
- Returning-partner income bundle: US payslips, bank statements and an employer letter as the “reasonable equivalent” of the UK specified evidence, plus a UK employer’s letter confirming the job offer, gross annual salary and a start date within 3 months of return, or a signed contract with that start date (Appendix FM-SE paragraphs 2 to 4).
- Savings, if used: bank statements showing the amount relied on was held throughout the 6 months before the application, with a declaration of where the money came from (Appendix FM-SE paragraph 11).
- In-person meeting and time-together evidence: flight tickets, holiday booking confirmations and photos (Tier 3 in the caseworker guidance) showing when and where you met.
- Message transcripts (also Tier 3) as supporting evidence of regular contact while apart — alongside, not instead of, Tier 1 documents — plus divorce or dissolution papers for any earlier marriage or civil partnership of either partner.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to take an English test if I am a US citizen?
No. The USA is on GOV.UK’s list of countries whose nationals do not need to prove their knowledge of English for a family visa, and Appendix FM names the United States as a majority English-speaking country. The specified evidence is a valid US passport (Appendix FM-SE paragraph 28), and a dual national can rely on either nationality.
Can I enter the UK with an ETA and then apply for a spouse visa or get married there?
Not as a visitor. Appendix FM says a partner applicant must not be in the UK as a visitor, and an entry clearance application as a partner must be made from outside the UK. To give notice of marriage or marry in the UK and then leave, Appendix V requires a Marriage Visitor visa before you travel unless you are a “relevant national” (for example, also an Irish citizen, or someone with EU Settlement Scheme status), and a Marriage Visitor cannot extend or switch to another visa. If you want to marry in the UK and then live there, the fiancé(e) visa covers this: you must plan to marry within 6 months of arriving, cannot work or study during the engagement, and then apply to extend your stay.
My British partner lives and works in the US. Can their US salary count towards the £29,000 requirement?
Yes, if they are returning to the UK with you: Appendix FM treats a British citizen coming to the UK with you as a British citizen in the UK, and lets a returning partner count overseas employment. If they rely on that job, they also need a confirmed UK job offer starting within 3 months of their return. With at least 6 months at their current employer, both the current salary and the UK starting salary must meet the threshold (other permitted income or savings can be added); otherwise the UK offer must meet it and, in the 12 months before you apply, their overseas earnings plus any non-employment or pension income must have reached it too. Dollar amounts are converted at the OANDA closing spot rate on the application date. Cash savings held by either or both of you can also count (£16,000 plus 2.5 times any shortfall, held for 6 months), but not towards that 12-month test.
How much weight does UKVI give to WhatsApp history?
It counts, but it is not the strongest evidence. Home Office family-life caseworker guidance puts message transcripts in Tier 3, the least-valued tier alongside photos and flight tickets, while Tier 1 includes marriage certificates, joint bank statements, tenancy agreements and utility bills. Separate Home Office guidance on relationships with a partner says applicants are not encouraged to send email, WhatsApp or social-media evidence because it can be falsified and is hard to verify, although that does not mean it has no weight. If you include chat history, a dated, chronological PDF (PartnerProof can produce one formatted for UKVI) can help show regular contact while apart — alongside official documents, not instead of them.
How long does a UK spouse visa take if I apply from the US?
GOV.UK says partner applications made from outside the UK usually get a decision within 12 weeks. Processing starts once you have proved your identity, either at your visa application centre appointment or, if you are told you can, with the UK Immigration: ID Check app. It can take longer, for example if documents need verifying or you are asked to attend an interview. You will be told when you apply if a priority service is available; priority family applications from outside the UK usually take 30 working days. Check the current UKVI processing-times page before making travel plans.
Do I need a TB test if I live in the US?
The United States is not on GOV.UK’s list of countries where a tuberculosis test is required for a UK visa. You would need one only if you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more and were living in a listed country within the last 6 months.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Family visa: apply as a partner or spouse
- GOV.UK — Family visa: financial requirements for partners
- GOV.UK — Family visa: knowledge of English
- GOV.UK — Family visa: information and evidence you must provide
- Immigration Rules — Appendix FM: family members
- Immigration Rules — Appendix FM-SE: specified evidence
- Immigration Rules — Appendix Finance (currency conversion)
- Home Office — Family life (as a partner or parent) caseworker guidance
- Home Office — Appendix FM caseworker guidance, incl. minimum income requirement
- Home Office — Appendix FM and Appendix HM Armed Forces: minimum income requirement (PDF)
- Home Office — Relationship with a partner caseworker guidance
- Home Office — Partners, divorce and dissolution caseworker guidance
- Immigration Rules — Appendix V: Visitor
- legislation.gov.uk — Immigration Act 2014, section 62 (“relevant national”)
- GOV.UK — Marriage Visitor visa
- Immigration Rules — Appendix ETA National List
- GOV.UK — Visa processing times: applications outside the UK
- GOV.UK — Faster decisions: applying from outside the UK
- GOV.UK — Find a visa application centre
- GOV.UK — Countries where you need a TB test
- British Embassy Washington
- British Embassy Washington — office services (visa enquiries)
Related corridors
- UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from the Philippines — UK spouse, partner and fiancé(e) family-visa evidence guide for Filipino applicants — financial requirement, English test, CFO certificate, PSA documents.
- UK Spouse Visa from India — UK Spouse Visa evidence guide for Indian applicants — VFS Global VACs, TB test, translations, financial requirement.
- UK Spouse Visa from Pakistan — UK Spouse Visa evidence guide for Pakistani applicants — Union Council MRC, VFS Global VAC, TB test, £29,000 financial requirement.
- UK Spouse & Fiancé Visa from Bangladesh — UK partner-visa evidence guide for Bangladeshi applicants — TB certificate, A1 English test, £29,000 financial requirement, translated Nikah Registrar marriage records.
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