As a resident in the UK on a work visa, you become eligible to get a spouse visa from the UK Govt. authorities. The spouse visa has some great benefits you may not enjoy on a work visa. The privilege of UK spouse visa holding can be called as the family of a settled resident visa, enabling you to work along with continuing your study in the UK; dependents or children can visit the United Kingdom. You don’t need to switch from a work visa (previously known as the Tier 2 visa) to a spouse visa if you get married to a UK citizen. Your application for a spousal visa can be done from within the UK.
The UK spouse visa in general doesn’t allow the holder to gain access to public funds or other advantages. Healthcare expenses are a necessary part of your application and you would be required to pay them.
The most inspiring aspect of acquiring a UK spouse visa
The core advantage in obtaining the UK spouse visa is that you will have no work restrictions. To put it into perspective, if you’re working on a UK work visa, you are restricted to one specific employer. However, on a spousal visa, you have the freedom to be employed anywhere.
When talking about income, the spouse visa is a more straight and easy path, with a summed up (both of you and your spouse) financial requirement of £18,600. But the work visa demands that you must earn at least £25,600 per annum or the “going rate” for your employment.
Some other appealing benefits which may be considered while deciding whether to switch to a spouse visa are enlisted.
Other benefits which can be claimed on a UK spouse/partner visa
Contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance
You need to pay for Class 1 National Insurance contributions in your period of employment to claim contribution-based JSA for 6 months. This can be done through your savings or even if your partner is working.
Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
Income-based JSA can be accessed if you have not paid enough Class 1 National Insurance, remained self-employed or if your contribution-based job seeker’s allowance has ceased.
If you receive JSA which is an income-based one you may become eligible to seek help with your mortgage money, home loan, or rent. In case you get qualified and seek help with these housing or rent costs the result includes the total amount of any given that you are eligible to.
Guardian’s allowance
Guardian’s Allowance is a tax-free fund paid to the person taking care of a child whose parents are dead. In very rare instances, you may get the allowance even if only one of the guardians has passed away. You can claim the guardian’s allowance if only one parent is alive and he can’t be located presently and the other parent is dead.
Incapacity benefit
Incapacity Benefit is getting replaced with Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). You will go under evaluation by the authorities in case you claim incapacity benefit. The evaluation is done to know if you are eligible for employment or ESA.
Support Allowance and Employment-Based On Contribution
These allowances are in place to help individuals with disabilities and illnesses. To get these allowances, you have to meet certain criteria and the necessary documentation has to be filed.
Maternity allowance
To qualify for maternity allowance you must pay for Class 2 National Insurance contributions 3 months off 15 months before the birth of your child. Whilst applying for this allowance, your contributions towards the Class 2 National Insurance will be thoroughly investigated by The Department for Work and Pensions.
Pension for Retirement
A separate fund is created for eligible employees for their retirement pensions. This is a very popular employee perk that gives them a certain peace of mind for life after retirement. This is an employer commitment and must be fulfilled. Conventional pension plans have become very rare in the U.S. private section.
Here are all the reasons why you need to apply for a UK spousal visa. Hope this guide would be helpful for you to understand all the benefits you might get with a UK spouse visa. Read this article thoroughly to understand all the reasons why you need a spouse visa and how it can help you stay in the UK as a family. Comment below if you have any other questions or confusion regarding the procedure of getting a spouse visa.
