QueueCheckofficial waits, shared datesUK spouse and partner visa processing time
Visa topic12 weeks
The latest official timing. Reader reports below are separate and do not change it.
Last checked August 13, 2026.
This figure changed on July 18, 2026 and has read the same at every check since.
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Current wait at a glance
Official information beside reader reports, kept clearly separate.
Official wait
12 weeks
This is the current official timing. Reader reports are shown separately.
Updated Aug 13
The official figure is the only timing on this page so far. Reader comparisons appear here once people share their dates below.
Official updates over time
Official history chart
How the official wait has changed over time. When the official figure is a range, the chart plots its midpoint.
UK spouse and partner visas: 12-week service standard for applications made outside the UK
Updated Aug 13, 2026, 4:33 PM
12 weeks
UK spouse and partner visas: 12-week service standard for applications made outside the UK
Updated Jul 18, 2026, 7:36 PM
12 weeks
UK spouse and partner visas: 24-week service standard for family applications made outside the UK
Updated Jul 18, 2026, 10:04 AM
24 weeks
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Reading the UK spouse and partner visa figure
Granted in stages, not as settlement
The partner route allows the spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner of a British citizen or settled person to live in the UK. It is granted in stages rather than as settlement, and applicants extend before eventually qualifying for Indefinite Leave to Remain, so the first grant is the start of a longer sequence.
Inside and outside the UK are separate standards
The Home Office publishes an expectation for straightforward applications, which differs depending on whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK. Priority services, where offered, describe a separate commitment. The figure does not include the wait for a biometrics appointment.
The financial requirement, evidenced in a prescribed form
The financial requirement is where most applications come unstuck, because the evidence has to be in a prescribed form and covering a prescribed period rather than merely demonstrating that the money exists. English language evidence from a provider that is not approved is treated as no evidence. Cases raising suitability questions leave the standard stream entirely.
Complete timeline guide
UK spouse visa timeline: the 12-week standard, the income rule, and the road to settlement
How long the UK spouse and partner visa takes in 2026, the 29,000 pound income requirement explained, every stage from application to decision, and the 5-year route to ILR.
Read the full stage-by-stage guide