I did try to look for threads with similar facts as what I have, but I found none. Or it could be that I did not try harder, so please accept my apologies if this topic may have already been dealt with previously.
The facts are summarised below:
(1) My partner and I are nationals of the same country, and we are in a genuine relationship for a little over six years.
(2) I currently work and live in the UK on a Tier 2 General Visa (sponsored by my current employer) expiring in July 2020. On the other hand, my partner works and lives in our home country.
(3) We plan to enter into a civil partnership in the UK because it is impossible for us to get married or enter into a civil partnership in our home country due to certain constraints.
(4) In the course of our relationship, we have never lived together. We only see each other every December/January during the festive season (i.e. Christmas and New Year).
(5) We like travelling, and so early in our relationship, we invested in a timeshare scheme and we have ownership certificate to prove it. We jointly paid for it and we are still paying the annual fee. This is the only hard evidence I can think of in order to demonstrate that we are in a genuine relationship (if Facebook chats, photos, testimonies from friends and family are not considered hard evidence).
Based on the above facts, the key questions/confusions I have are the following:
(A) I have a confusion between a Family Visa and Marriage Visitor Visa in that it seems that both can been used for the plan to get married or enter into a civil partnership. Please advise.
(B) Under the route of a Family Visa, my understanding is that we need to enter into a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving into the UK, as the Family Visa will only be valid for six months for a proposed civil partner anyway (i.e. spouse will have a longer visa validity). Once we have successfully entered into a civil partnership, does this mean that my partner can apply for an extension of the Family Visa from within the UK?
(C) Under the route of a Marriage Visitor Visa, similarly, my understanding is that we need to enter into a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving into the UK, and my partner needs to return to our home country after the civil partnership and definitely on or before the expiry of the Marriage Visitor Visa. If want to live together after entering into a civil partnership, does this mean that my partner can only apply for a Family Visa from our home country (i.e. no longer as a proposed civil partner)?
(D) If the answer to both routes above is yes, which one is going to be more economical? My view is that there will not be much of a difference cost-wise. Under the route of a Family Visa, the total approximate cost is £4,657 (i.e. £1,464 for the initial application, £600 for the immigration health charge in respect of the initial application, £1,000 for the airfare, £993 for the extension and another £600 for the immigration health charge in respect of the extension). Under the route of a Marriage Visitor Visa, the total approximate is £4,651 (i.e. £87 for the initial application, £1,500 for the return airfare on the first trip to the UK, £1,464 for the application of a Family Visa after the civil partnership, £600 for the immigration health charge and £1,000 for the airfare on the second trip to the UK). However, there will be a huge difference in cost if the initial application is not successful, as losing £1,464 under the unsuccessful route of a Family Visa is definitely a lot of loss compared to £87 unsuccessful route under the route of a Marriage Visitor Visa.
(E) Based on the facts above, which of the routes is more likely to result in a successful application? My view is that the route of a Marriage Visitor Visa is more likely to be successful because it is easier to prove the plan to enter into a civil relationship than to prove that we are in a genuine relationship.
I appreciate that the above points are a lot to take, but I would really appreciate your thoughts and/or responses, as my partner and I are really keen to be together after all these years. We thought it is about time to do something to get our relationship into the next level and become truly, truly happy – six years of being in a long distance relationship is long enough.
Many thanks in advance for all your help.
Best regards
Jethro
