Spouse Visa Extension Guide: How to Extend Your Stay

When to Apply

Your initial spouse visa is typically granted for 33 months (2 years and 9 months). You should apply for the extension before this leave expires. Most people apply 8 to 12 weeks before the expiry date.

If you apply before your leave expires, your existing leave continues under Section 3C of the Immigration Act while the extension is being processed. This means you can continue living and working in the UK normally while you wait.

Do not let your leave expire without applying. If your leave expires and you have not applied, you become an overstayer, which has serious consequences for future applications.

Requirements for Extension

The extension requirements mirror the initial application with some differences:

• Relationship: You must still be in a genuine and subsisting marriage or civil partnership with your sponsor
• Income: The minimum income requirement (£29,000) must be met. At this stage, both the sponsor's and applicant's UK income count.
• English: A1 level (same as initial). The higher B1 requirement only applies at ILR.
• Accommodation: Adequate accommodation that is not overcrowded
• No criminal convictions: Serious criminal behaviour can affect the extension

Full details are on the GOV.UK extension page.

Income Evidence at Extension

The major advantage at the extension stage is that the applicant's UK income can be combined with the sponsor's income. If you have been working in the UK since arriving on your spouse visa, this additional income helps meet the threshold.

Evidence requirements are the same as for the initial application:

• Category A: 6 months' payslips, employer letter, bank statements (for each earner)
• Category B: 12 months' income evidence if employment is new or variable
• Self-employment: tax returns, accounts, bank statements
• Savings: bank statements showing funds held for 6 months

See the sponsor income guide for the full breakdown of how income is assessed.

Relationship Evidence

You need to demonstrate that your relationship has continued to be genuine and subsisting since your last application. Evidence should cover the period between your initial visa grant and the extension application:

• Recent photographs together from various occasions
• Evidence of cohabitation (joint bills, tenancy agreement, bank statements showing the same address)
• Communication evidence if you have been apart for any periods
• Evidence of shared financial commitments
• Letters or statements from friends and family

See our relationship evidence guide.