I’m British, and want to return home with my foreign partner. Help!

[brownbreadd]

Hi,

I am a British citizen with a foreign partner. We are currently residing in Dubai and working here, however long term I am very quickly realising that this isn’t going to be my forever place.

I am desperately missing friends and family, and the way of live back home in the UK (yes, really!) and would like to start looking into ways to return home, but with my partner.

My partner is Turkish, we both moved here to Dubai earlier this year to be together after a lengthy long distance relationship.

we are both working here, earning a good salary, and are unmarried.

does anybody know of the process in which I should take in order to look at the possibility of coming back to the UK and bringing him, too?

Thank you for any help in advance.

You can get all this information much more accurately from the government website. Why would you ask here instead of just reading the very clear information the government provides?

https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa/partner-spouse

There you go. Answers all your questions, gives a link to the financial requirements and tells you how to do it.

Actually no, there’s not very clear advice online at all. The threshold for the income requirements changes often. The ways in which you can apply for entry to the county are all also drastically different. Some mention marriage,
others on working visas, skilled worker routes etc.

the process is not straightforward now that I am also living outside of the UK.

I have looked online and am finding conflicting results, hence why I thought maybe I’d see if anybody else has had a similar situation and would like to offer some help.

Marry him in Turkey and start applying ????

I’ve done this and it was so difficult. It took me years to get my dh a visa. And we had kids who were born in the UK and a house here.

Basically, it’s far more difficult to get a spouse in when neither of you live here. I don’t know if the rules have changed in the last decade but when we did it I had to earn over a certain amount of money for six months, here in the UK. Which I didn’t because I didn’t live in the uk. Or you can have a certain amount in your bank account.

If you aren’t married it’s probably harder!

Thank you for explaining. This is what I’m concerned about, now I’m living outside of the country, I don’t want to have to return home for six months in order to prove I’m earning the threshold and go back to long distance. I don’t think I could do it.

I genuinely fear I will never be able to come home.

It’s quite clear. Move back to the UK, earn the minimum amount, hire an immigration lawyer and start the process.

What a vile thing to say

Yess fro outside the UK it’s nigh on impossible. I also live abroad and am now realising that I won’t be able to return to the UK (and we are married and I own a house in the UK).
I would as above recommend you relocate to Turkey and get married as a first step (marriage is vital) and then see from there. At least you are then closer although not EU.

The threshold for the income requirements changes often.
That doesn’t matter, it only matters what it is on the day you apply.

The ways in which you can apply for entry to the county are all also drastically different.
Some mention marriage,
This is what we did. We had to provide a lot of proof. We had been married for years and we had children. We had to submit letters from people, photos, emails between us. It was still rejected though because I didn’t earn whatever it was for six months. Even then there’s parameters on it. It can’t be a temporary job for example and you can’t count overtime.
others on working visas, skilled worker routes etc.
These are completely different ways that he would have to do and wouldn’t involve you at all. If he’s a nurse or an engineer or something then it’s an option.

Sorry to hear you’re going through the same, it’s awful having to have a price tag on love.

the problem with Turkey is the jobs and earning potential is terrible compared to here in the UAE. The safety aspect here is also a huge benefit..

If you think you’re safe in Dubai then you’re an absolute fool.

Unmarried I can’t see it being possible at all- how would that be different to bringing a friend over

How so?

Of course no country is 100% safe, but the regulations in place here definitely make me feel safe.

It’s just a shame that you’re in support of a country which commits vile human rights atrocities against women. And you would call that country safe with a straight face.

You’re very lucky they have decriminalised sex outside of marriage. I think it’s still a law on their books though, it’s just been decriminalised.

You’ve physically been together for under four months? I wouldn’t suggest getting married at this stage…

What’s your salary bracket in the UK? The threshold is going up.

I don’t understand enough about this to be able to comment.

I have not lived here for long but what I’m commenting on is the ability to walk alone as a female at any time of day and night and feel secure. The police measures in place for road traffic rules, etc.

I don’t want to run this thread off course.

im sorry but I can’t help but to think you’ve come onto this thread with a bee in your bonnet from the offset and are merely looking to pick a fight with somebody that is just looking for a little bit of genuine advice.

If you don’t have anything nice or helpful to comment please refrain.

Marriage isn’t something that I’m looking for right now, but it does seem eventually it’s the only way to potentially come home.

I will have to sit with my thoughts on this for a while longer as I don’t want to rush into anything.

you can though, see how people get wrapped up in quick fire marriages etc to get back home. It’s sad.

It is possible from outside if he can find a job which entitles him to a visa in his own right. He can then move here independently of you so you don’t need to come ahead and prove you can support him. This is exactly what my dd is doing as she isn’t able to work (disabled )

Even if you get married it’s still a long road and you’d still need to move back first on your own to put down financial roots etc.

Maybe time to do a future planning exercise - where do you want to live, where do you want to retire. Which options are open to you.

To live in the UK with your partner (married or not) is going to require you living there alone in the UK without him, and doing a long distance relationship, possibly for some years.

To protect your own future (what if something happens to him?) it may be worth you doing that.

The best bet would be for him to find another type of visa to come to the UK.
Then you can just return home, and he comes under his own visa.

However it would likely be a temporary thing, with him having to leave periodically and re-enter again.
You might be able to have long holidays or temporary stays in the UK together, whilst you have a temp job, then both leave again.
It would not be workable if you had children unless you stayed in the UK with them while he periodically left.

Look up all the types of visa - holiday, student, skilled worker, etc.

Marriage won’t guarantee access though as there are financial requirements. What sort of skills do you both have, what’s your earning potential?