Mattjspencer

Hey guys.

I'm a British citizen and my wife is Chinese. We are in China and my wife is employed here but I am not, so we were thinking that I should go to the UK first, find a job that meets the requirements for a spouse visa, then invite my wife over to the UK on a family visitor visa (which lasts up to 6 months), and by the time the family visitor visa expires then we can apply for a spouse visa (because I will have been at my job long enough to meet the spouse visa requirements).

If my wife is in the UK whilst I'm working then we won't have to separate for a ridiculously long period of time, but is it possible to apply for a spouse visa immediately after her family visitor visa expires?

BritInParis

Your plan is not unfeasible but your wife would need to return to China to apply for her spouse visa. She would not be able to apply for it from within the UK.

SanDiegogirl

Yes, you can apply for a spouse visa immediately that a visitor visa expires but the applicant must apply from their home country.

So your wife would have to return to China to make the application.

Mattjspencer

Got it. Thanks for the advice

Mattjspencer

Thanks SanDiegogirl