UK Marriage Visa - How to prevent a refusal

A UK marriage visa can be made from within the UK, or alternatively, from outside the UK to obtain entry clearance.

When preparing your UK marriage visa you will want to ensure that you review all the legal requirements in detail. The legal requirements for immigration applications are listed in the UK immigration rules. You will need to determine which specific immigration rule governs your particular application and then carefully read the rule whilst noting the separate requirements.

Once you have read the relevant immigration rule and noted the legal requirements you will need to ensure that you meet the requirements or can take action in order to meet them. You will find below a list of the most common refusal reasons provided by the UK Border Agency for unsuccessful UK marriage visas, made from outside the UK:

1. Failure to have the correct English language test pass certificate

2. Failure to demonstrate that you have accommodation to reside in

3. Failure to have the necessary funds to maintain yourself

4. Failure to demonstrate that you are in a real marriage

The list above is by no means exhaustive however these are the most common refusal reasons given to unsuccessful applicants by the UK Border Agency. These refusals can be avoided provided that you do not listen to friends or family members who insist they know what they are doing. The UK immigration rules change frequently and thus the requirements are always being updated. So for example, if you have a friend or family member that made a successful UK marriage visa a year ago chances are he/she had to meet different requirements to the ones that you will now have to meet. It is imperative that you read the immigration rules carefully, ensure that you have the most up to date information and this will stop you falling foul of the immigration rules.

Another important point to note is that the person making the decision will review your supporting documents along side your application. It is therefore extremely important that you provide clear and concise evidence to prove the fact that you meet the relevant legal requirements. The immigration rules contain guidance on the type of evidence that will be accepted and therefore you should ensure that you check your evidence is of the correct type and format. Failure to do so could result in your application being refused.

All of the above may seem like obvious points however people often forget the simple things.