TinaU

Can you apply for spouse visa while in Pakistan? I may be wrong, but I thought the citizen or ILR holder has to be in UK to apply for his/her partner's spouse visa.

spouse of scouse

No, the British citizen/ILR doesn't have to live in the UK at the time of applying for the visa. When their spouse obtains the visa, they both need to live in the UK.

TinaU

Hey, thanks for the input. I didn't know that. Then I can also apply for my husband's spouse visa based on required savings and move to UK after he gets it. Any idea how long a spouse visa can take to process, given all paperwork is correct?

spouse of scouse

Happy to help if I can. Your husband needs to apply for the visa, you would be his sponsor. That assumes you are the UK citizen/ILR. Are you or your husband a UK citizen? Where do you and your husband live now?

TinaU

I am a UK citizen by birth. Lived there for 8 years then moved to Bangladesh (my parents' home country). That was more than 30 years ago. Now I live here with my husband and my 2 kids (who are UK citizens too due to me). I have visited UK a few years ago.
Was going through the websites. Looks like it can take up to 6 months to process a spouse visa.
Do you know if my husband HAS to live in UK after he gets spouse visa? I mean, can he live in UK and Bangladesh (as his business is here)?

spouse of scouse

Hi Tina. Your husband will need to apply for his spouse visa from Bangladesh. As your children are British citizens you'll only need to meet the financial requirements for him. If you haven't done so already, you'll need to get your childrens' British passports prior to the application.

Yes, your husband would need to live in the UK - the purpose of this visa is for the spouse to reside in the UK with their British spouse/civil partner sponsor.

Processing times are all over the place. There is a timeline thread which may give you some more insights, here UK Spouse Visa STRICTLY TIMELINES ONLY - NO CHAT

I'm going to ask a forum Moderator to move your questions in this thread to the UK Immigration and Visas section, as the one you've posted on is for more general questions about life in the UK.

SanDiegogirl

Not living in the UK will mean that following his initial 2.5 year visa, he is unlikely to get his renewal visa and certainly not Indefinite Leave to remain status after 5 years.