Genuine and Subsisting Relationship Evidence That Convinces Caseworkers: Key Strategies for Success

Proving a genuine and subsisting relationship is key when applying for a UK partner visa. You must provide clear and strong evidence that shows your relationship is real, ongoing, and credible in the eyes of caseworkers. This means supplying documents and information that confirm your connection is more than just temporary or casual.

Caseworkers look closely at how you communicate, live together, or maintain your bond despite living apart. Evidence like shared finances, correspondence, photos, and plans for the future can all help convince officials that your relationship is genuine. Understanding what counts as strong evidence can make a big difference in your application’s success.

Understanding the Genuine and Subsisting Relationship Requirement

To meet UK immigration rules, you must prove your relationship is both genuine and ongoing. Your evidence shows the Home Office your commitment and that your relationship is real, lasting, and meets legal definitions. This affects applications under various partner visa routes and Appendix FM standards.

Definition and Legal Basis

A genuine and subsisting relationship means your partnership is real and continuing at the time of application. It is not just a formality or convenience for immigration. The Home Office looks for clear proof that your relationship is authentic and ongoing.

This requirement is grounded in UK immigration rules, particularly Appendix FM, which covers family migration. It guides caseworkers on how to assess evidence submitted by spouses, civil partners, and unmarried partners. You must demonstrate your intention to live together as a couple or family unit in the UK.

Who Qualifies as a Partner

You can qualify as a partner if you are a:

• Spouse, legally married to a British or settled person

• Civil partner, in a recognised civil partnership

• Unmarried partner, living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least two years

Each category has slightly different evidence requirements. For example, unmarried partners must prove cohabitation, usually for two years, to be eligible.

Your relationship with the British or settled person must still be active and meaningful. The Home Office does not consider temporary or casual partnerships as meeting this test.

Key Differences: Genuine vs. Subsisting

The Home Office separates genuine and subsisting to clarify their expectations:

• Genuine means the relationship is honest and founded on mutual commitment. It is not entered into solely to gain immigration advantage.

• Subsisting means the relationship is ongoing and currently active. It must not have ended or broken down.

You must provide evidence covering both aspects. For example, photos, communication records, joint finances, and proof of living together can help demonstrate that your relationship is both genuine and subsisting.

Applicable Immigration Routes and Guidance

The genuine and subsisting relationship requirement applies mainly to partner visa routes under Appendix FM. This includes visas for spouses, civil partners, and unmarried partners.

You must follow Home Office guidance on what evidence to submit. This varies by visa type but usually involves:

• Proof of cohabitation

• Financial interdependence

• Communication and visits

• Future plans together

Meeting this requirement ensures your application meets legal standards. Failure to do so can lead to refusals or delays. It is important to review guidance carefully and prepare clear, consistent documentation.

Home Office Assessment Criteria and Burden of Proof

When your visa application depends on proving a genuine and subsisting relationship, the Home Office uses specific rules and evidence standards. They carefully check if the relationship is real and ongoing, focusing on facts and clear proof rather than assumptions. You must understand how caseworkers assess your evidence and the level of proof needed to meet UK immigration rules.

What Caseworkers Look For

Caseworkers assess your relationship to decide if it is genuine and continuing. They check evidence like photos, messages, joint bills, and shared financial responsibilities. They also look for signs you live together or have done so over time, especially for spouse or unmarried partner visas.

Communication records and the length of the relationship matter. Showing you have a shared life, such as household bills or joint bank accounts, strengthens your case. Caseworkers want to see consistency and normal couple behaviour, not just a series of isolated proofs.

Burden and Standard of Proof

You must prove your relationship exists on the balance of probabilities. This means it is more likely than not that your relationship is genuine. The burden of proof is on you, the applicant, to provide clear and convincing evidence.

This is not a criminal standard; it is lower but must still be strong enough to satisfy the caseworker. You should submit comprehensive documents that cover your relationship history and daily life together. Lack of evidence or contradictions can lead to refusal.

Risks of a Marriage of Convenience

The Home Office is strict about preventing marriages or relationships entered into only to gain a visa. A marriage of convenience is when a relationship is not genuine but created for immigration benefits.

If the caseworker suspects this, they will demand stronger proof and may investigate further. Any sign of fraud or deception can result in rejection of the spouse or unmarried partner visa. Honesty and transparency in your application are essential.

Common Reasons for Refusal

Applications often fail due to weak or missing evidence. Failure to prove living together or lack of shared financial documents are frequent issues. Caseworkers may also refuse if communication proof is limited or if the relationship timeline is unclear.

Other reasons include inconsistencies in statements, suspicious behaviour, or inadequate explanation of the relationship’s nature. You should avoid shortcuts and provide full, organised documents based on the Relationship with Partner Guidance to reduce risks of refusal.

Documentary Evidence That Convinces Caseworkers

To meet the genuine and subsisting relationship requirement, you must provide clear, relevant documents. These should show your shared life, financial ties, ongoing communication, and other proof of a real and ongoing relationship. Each type of evidence strengthens your case by painting a clear picture of your partnership.

Cohabitation and Living Arrangements

Proof that you live together is one of the strongest ways to demonstrate your relationship is genuine. You should include documents that show joint occupancy, such as tenancy agreements or joint tenancy agreements. Utility bills or council tax bills bearing both your names at the same address also help prove this.

Mortgage statements or official letters addressed jointly to you can add weight. Evidence such as driving licences or medical records showing the same address will support your case further. If you live apart temporarily, provide a reasonable explanation with supporting documents like travel tickets or correspondence. This explains your living arrangement without weakening the relationship claim.

Shared Financial Responsibilities

Showing that you manage money together signals commitment. Include joint bank statements from current or past accounts to show shared finances. Regular money transfers between accounts also demonstrate ongoing support and interaction.

Details of shared bills, like insurance policies or household expenses, provide more proof. If you have a joint mortgage or loan, include those statements. You can reinforce your case with statements about your financial arrangements written by you and your partner. This section builds trust that you support each other beyond words.

Communication and Social Evidence

Ongoing communication is a clear sign your relationship is genuine. Provide records of daily contact such as phone logs, text messages, emails, or social media exchanges. These show consistent interaction, especially if you spend time apart.

Photographs displaying you together over time in different settings back up your story visually. Social invitations or event attendances that document you as a couple can also support your case. These pieces of evidence demonstrate affection and involvement in each other’s lives.

Additional Supporting Documentation

Certain official documents establish a formal connection. Include a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate to prove your legal status. If you share children, birth certificates showing both names strengthen the relationship claim.

Personal statements from you and your partner describing your relationship add context and clarity. You may also include written statements from friends or family who can confirm your bond. Employment letters confirming addresses or family involvement can help show stability. These documents round out your evidence by filling gaps and confirming facts.

Strengthening Your Evidence for Different Relationship Scenarios

Different relationship situations require specific types of evidence to prove your relationship is genuine and subsisting. You need to show ongoing commitment, clear interactions, and shared life details. Providing the right documents and examples will help convince caseworkers reviewing your application.

Unmarried and Civil Partners

If you are applying as unmarried partners, your evidence should focus on proving a durable and genuine relationship without formal marriage. Showing that you have lived together continuously for at least two years is critical under Appendix FM rules.

You can include:

• Joint tenancy or mortgage agreements.

• Shared utility bills showing both names.

• Bank statements showing shared finances or expenses.

• Photos and correspondence documenting time spent together.

• Sworn statements from friends or family confirming your relationship.

For civil partners, the civil partnership certificate is essential. You must also show you live together or that you maintain a subsisting partnership if living apart. Evidence of joint life plans, shared bills, or communication helps establish ongoing commitment.

Long-Distance and Non-Cohabiting Relationships

If you do not live together, your evidence must demonstrate regular and ongoing contact and plans to live together in the future. This is common in entry clearance cases and early partner visa applications.

Use:

• Frequent communication records such as emails, letters, messages, and call logs.

• Travel tickets and accommodation bookings for visits.

• Proof of future plans such as joint lease agreements or a letter from either partner confirming arrangements to cohabit.

• Evidence of financial support between you, like money transfers or shared bills.

• Statements from independent witnesses who know about your relationship.

Consistent contact and documented plans to live together strengthen your case, even without cohabitation.

Previous Marriages and Divorce Situations

If one or both partners have been married before, you must prove previous marriages have legally ended and that your current relationship is genuine. Submit divorce or dissolution certificates alongside your current application.

Include:

• Final divorce decree absolute or civil partnership dissolution documents.

• Evidence you did not cohabit with a former spouse or partner after separation.

• Proof of new relationship steps such as joint accounts, letters, or travel together.

• If applicable, court or legal documents that show separation or legal ending of past relationships.

This ensures clarity that your current partner visa or spouse visa application is based on a subsisting and lawful relationship.

Stepchildren and Family Members

If your relationship involves stepchildren or other family dependents applying under Appendix FM, include evidence of your role and responsibilities within the family unit. This helps show a genuine family life.

Useful evidence:

• Birth certificates linking children to the partner.

• Documents showing your care or involvement, like school letters or medical records.

• Statements about shared financial support or household arrangements.

• Photos or correspondence with stepchildren and extended family.

• Proof of the children residing with you and your partner.

Showing your family life is genuine and stable supports the success of your UK partner visa application.

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