MeAnne

Hello,

This may be a bit cheeky as I'm not a British Expat...I'm a Canadian moving to Britain.

But, if anybody has any advice to share with me I'll be grateful...
In short, I am a Canadian. My common-law (civil) partner of 12 years is a dual citizen and holds both a Canadian and a British passport.

We want to move to England in the fall. What do I have to do to be able to a) stay/live in England; b) be allowed to work.

As I said - any advice is welcome. I've read the uk government site but remain unsure and would love to hear from people with experience.

SanDiegogirl

The British citizen has to sponsor you for a visa - in your case unmarried partner visa.


There are financial, relationship and most important financial requirements to fulfill.

https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk

Read the following carefully to see how you can fulfill the financial elements:

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...equirement.pdf

If you (the Canadian) has any Brit or European ancestry there may be other options.

Pulaski

FIFY

BritInParis

There is a good summary on the wiki. Being married helps but it is not essential as there is a de facto partner option. As SanDiegogirl says if you have any recent British, Irish or other European ancestry (parents, grandparents and great-grandparents) then you may have a far cheaper and easier option available to you through a British, Irish or EU/EEA passport or a UK ancestry visa.

MeAnne

Wow - thanks all of you for your advice!
I don't have any British ancestry so that door is closed.

To be clear, my husband - the dual Canadian/British citizen - got his British passport through his ancestry (both his parents are British).

We'll be going to England together - i.e. we both live in Canada now.

So, my option is a Spousal? visa but with a civil partner?

BritInParis

It's not only British ancestry, any recent European ancestry may do. If that's still not an option then you'll need to go for a settlement visa.

You'll be applying for spouse/civil partner visa but the category you'll need to select online is 'Settlement->Settlement->Unmarried Partner'. You'll need to provide supporting documents to show that you have been in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years.

MeAnne

Okay, got it. Much appreciated...I'd better get a move on as I suspect I need to apply for this from Canada - i.e. before we leave.

BritInParis

Yes, you must, as you cannot switch from a visitor visa to any other kind of visa from within the UK. Pay particular attention to the financial requirements which are quite onerous.

SanDiegogirl

Yes, you absolutely must apply for the relevant visa before you leave Canada.

If you enter the UK on a visitor visa you will not be allowed to apply for or switch to another visa. You will have to leave at end of your visitor visa.

MeAnne

Thanks BritInParis and SanDiegogirl.
Since both of you agree - and very quickly, too - I'm thinking I'm being too casual about this!
As a Canadian, I don't need a visitor visa - we've gone many times to England with never a hiccup - they just stamp the passport and we move along.
I had thought that meant I might be able to work on the visa from within England - i.e. after we arrived....time for me to study the gov.uk website closely! Now that I know I'm looking at the unmarried partner visa, that will focus the search (thanks again).

Bottom line: you're definitely making me think that applying now would be safer than waiting until we've arrived!

BritInParis

As a Canadian citizen you are a 'non-visa national' in the eyes of UK immigration - that is you are not required to apply for a visa before you arrive at the UK border if you are coming as a visitor. Instead you effectively apply at the border which is what your entry stamp represents. The conditions attached to that entry stamp however are the same as if you had applied for a visitor visa.

Start here: https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk

The requirements for unmarried couples are the same as married couples with the additional requirement that you need to provide evidence to show that you have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years before you made your application.

SanDiegogirl

Correct..... as a Canadian you don't need a visa to visit Britain; subsequently, entering the UK as a visitor means you cannot work amongst other things.

If you want to live and work in the UK you need to obtain a visa before you go. In your case an unmarried partner visa - which has the same requirements as a spouse visa, plus you have to prove a minimum of 2years cohabiting as man and wife.

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...partners-set05

You are taking this whole process much too casually - to re-iterate, you cannot apply for a settlement visa from within the UK