How long do we need to be married?

Hi everyone,

I have tried different search combinations, but cannot seem to find an answer to my question...

I'm wondering if there is a minimum time you need to be married before applying for a dependency visa?

My partner and I have been together for almost 3 years. He is eligible for an ancestry visa, so I'd be applying for an Ancestry Dependency Visa.

We are not married yet and thought we'd try the unmarried partner visa. However, I believe this is very difficult to get...am I right? We have lived together for over 2 years, but have no proof of this. All bills are in his name, and all my correspondence with my name on it goes to my P.O. Box. We only have photos, emails, affidavits from family and friends, phone records during time apart, etc. I'm worried it's not enough.

We'd spoken about getting married anyway, so I was wondering if getting married now, before applying for the visa is a good idea? If we apply within say 3 months of marriage, will they look at the marriage date and think I married him just to get the visa? Should we provide a marriage certificate AND proof of our relationship having existed before this? I'd also want to keep my surname, so I hope this isn't a problem (though I read on other posts here that it's not).

Thank you very much for your input and advice!
Elaine

UPV is hard, and you need proof for the full 24 months I'm afraid. I;ve got the same issue with my move to CH, cept I think I need six years proof!

I'm wondering if there is a minimum time you need to be married before applying for a dependency visa?

There is a minimum time ..... one second .... no actually that is an exaggeration!

Seriously, there is no minimum length of time.