Mathematician

Hello to all,

I am married to a British citizen and now start looking for a job in the UK (I currently live outside the EU) and hopefully will join my husband in the near future. We are both in academy (university lecturers), I studied in the UK so both of my degrees are UK-recognised. Now my question concerns the type of visa I should apply for. I know that if I apply for and get the Tier 2 visa then I am tied to the employer and that's kind of uncool. If I apply for a spouse visa then I can work pretty much anywhere in the UK but isn't there a requirement of residing together with my spouse? I am more than happy to live with him, of course, but then it may be uneasy to find a job as we are limited to one or two universities! Is that how it works or there isn't such a requirement? Also, is it true that if I later switch from Tier 2 to spouse visa, my path to ILR will go back to zero? I'd appreciate sooooo much if you share your experiences. Thank you!

Bingbing25

You should apply for the spouse visa. The accommodation requirement is that you have a place to live, not that you have to live there permanently. You can submit a tenancy agreement for one place, and move once you get the visa. And as you said, if you switch from work visa to spouse visa you reset the clock for settlement. Also, you would have to have secured a job contract in the UK for work visa, whereas you can apply for the spouse visa immediately if your husband has been working for 6 months. All in all, the spouse visa is a much better option.

Mathematician

Thanks for your response, Bingbing25.

BritInParis

If you are not planning to live together then Tier 2 may be a better bet.