Spouse visa refused: what to do next

Your decision letter tells you whether you can appeal or ask for a review, and by when. Deadlines are short: usually 14 days in the UK and 28 days outside it. Note the date on the letter and the date you received it. Your letter and GOV.UK say which date the deadline runs from.

The short version

• Read the letter. Note the date on it and the date you received it. Your letter and GOV.UK say which date the deadline runs from.
• The letter says which routes are open to you. They can include an appeal, a review, a new application or, in some cases, judicial review.
• Time limits are short.
• A solicitor can read the letter with you and explain which route may fit.

Send us your refusal letter. Use our contact page or call London on 020 7063 9040 or Leicester on 0116 393 0334, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm (closed 1pm to 2pm). We use your letter to see the reasons and the deadline, and to give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us. See our privacy notice for how we handle your data.

This is general information, not advice on your own case, and we cannot say whether an appeal, a review or a new application will succeed. For how we help, see our page on visa refusals and appeals. Thinking about settlement later? See settlement and ILR routes.

What happens if my UK visa application is refused?

You get a decision letter or email. It gives the reasons and explains what you can do next. These steps help straight away.

1. Read the whole letter. Note each reason the Home Office gives.
2. Note the dates on the letter.
3. Check what the letter says about appeal or review. It usually says whether you have a right to appeal and whether you can ask for an administrative review.
4. Keep every paper. That includes your application reference, the letter, your passport details and a copy of what you sent.
5. Do not rush a new application. A new application that repeats the same gaps may be refused for the same reasons.
6. Ask for help before the deadline. If you are not sure what the letter means, speak to a solicitor or an immigration adviser.

How long do I have to challenge a spouse visa refusal?

You usually have 14 or 28 days, depending on where you are. GOV.UK sets the limits for an appeal to the immigration tribunal and the fee. We checked the GOV.UK appeal page on 27 October 2026. The table gives its wording.

The tribunal fee is £82 without a hearing and £144 with a hearing, as the GOV.UK appeal page shows. You may be able to get help with fees.

Do not miss the date. You can appeal after the time limit, but you must explain why you are late. The tribunal then decides whether it can still hear the appeal. You can only appeal if you have a legal right to appeal. Your decision letter will usually tell you.

Your letter also says whether you can ask the Home Office for an administrative review of the decision. GOV.UK has a separate page on how to ask for a visa administrative review.

A new application is a separate step with its own fee. Judicial review is a court process for challenging whether a decision was lawful. Ask a solicitor quickly if the letter gives no right of appeal.

Why are spouse visas refused?

The table lists areas that are commonly cited. It does not mean any of them applies to you. Always go by the reasons in your own letter.

Appeal, review or new application: which fits?

Your decision letter decides which routes exist for you.

• Appeal. If the letter gives you a right of appeal, an independent judge at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) looks at the decision. You can ask for a decision on the papers or at a hearing. The tribunal sets the hearing date.
• Administrative review. Some decisions can be reviewed by the Home Office. The letter says whether this is open to you. GOV.UK says a review can take 12 months or more.
• New application. A fresh application is decided on its own evidence. If the refusal came down to missing evidence, a new application that answers each reason may be the practical step. GOV.UK shows the fee for a partner application as £2,064 from outside the UK and £1,407 from inside the UK (checked 27 October 2026). It lists other costs too: see the GOV.UK family visa page.
• Judicial review. A court looks at whether the decision was lawful.

These routes can affect each other. Ask a solicitor how a new application would affect any appeal or review that is still open before you send it.

What happens if a partner visa is refused?

The same steps and routes apply. The family visa category covers spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners. If you are not married, GOV.UK says you must be able to prove that you have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply. If you cannot live together, for example because of work, study or cultural reasons, you can instead prove an ongoing commitment. Your letter should show which test the Home Office applied.

How long after a visa refusal can I reapply?

We did not find a waiting period for a new spouse or partner application after a refusal on the GOV.UK partner and spouse page or in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules when we read them on 27 October 2026.

That does not make reapplying straight away the right step for everyone. A new application is decided afresh. It should deal with each reason for the earlier refusal. If a requirement was not met, you need to be able to show it is met now.

You must be honest about earlier refusals. You will be asked about them when you apply. Under the Suitability rules, an application must be refused where the decision maker is satisfied the applicant used deception, which includes not disclosing relevant facts. Separate rules set refusal periods for people who have previously breached immigration law, for example by overstaying. If either could apply to you, speak to a solicitor before you apply.

What is the new rule for UK spouse visa 2026?

We did not find other 2026 changes to the spouse visa rules on the pages we read on 27 October 2026. The current figure on the financial requirement page is a combined income of at least £29,000 a year. GOV.UK shows £18,600 a year if you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you are extending that visa with the same partner, plus extra amounts for some children.

On the partner and spouse page, GOV.UK says that if your partner has protection status and claimed asylum after 2 March 2026, your permission to stay may end at the same time as theirs.

Rules and fees change, so check GOV.UK before you act.

How can a solicitor help after a refusal?

A solicitor can read the decision letter with you, check which routes are open and the deadline for each, and ask the Home Office for your file where that is needed. We can prepare your appeal or your new application. Contact us as early as you can before the deadline.

You get a written, itemised quote before you instruct us. Our published fee ranges are on our fees page. Government and tribunal fees are separate from ours.

Our spouse and partner visa solicitors page explains how we help with applications. Once you hold a visa, ILR requirements by route shows what settlement may need.

To start, send us your refusal letter through our contact page.

Sources

All checked on 27 October 2026.

• Appeal against a visa or immigration decision, GOV.UK
• Ask for a visa administrative review, GOV.UK
• Family visas: apply as a partner or spouse, GOV.UK
• Family visas: financial requirements for partners and spouses, GOV.UK
• Family visas: knowledge of English, GOV.UK
• Family visas: apply, extend or switch (fees), GOV.UK
• Appendix FM: family members, Immigration Rules
• Part Suitability, Immigration Rules