Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules Appendix Relationship With Partner
gov.uk change note: Changes made with reference to Statement of Changes HC 1333.
Headline
Changes to Immigration Rules Appendix Relationship With Partner are purely formatting and structural improvements with no substantive alterations to eligibility criteria or requirements.
Changes in detail
All changes in this diff are administrative/formatting only - see Administrative changes section below.
Practical implications
None. These changes do not affect any eligibility requirements, evidential standards, or procedural requirements for partner applications. Practitioners can continue to apply the rules exactly as before.
Administrative changes
The entire diff consists of formatting improvements with no substantive changes:
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Throughout the document — Addition of proper markdown formatting (bullet points changed from plain text to markdown format using "-" prefix) affecting approximately 30+ bullet points listing the various appendices this rule applies to.
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Section headings — Addition of proper heading formatting and spacing around section titles including: - "Age requirement for a person applying as a partner" - "Requirement that the partners must not be closely related" - "Requirement for previous relationships to have broken down permanently" - "Requirement that any marriage or civil partnership is valid" - "Requirement for a durable relationship where a person is not married or in a civil partnership" - "Genuine and subsisting relationship requirement" - "Polygamous or polyandrous marriages and civil partnerships"
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Paragraph formatting — Improved spacing and indentation throughout the document, including proper formatting of sub-paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) under RWP 7.1.
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Addition of paragraph RWP 6.2 — This appears to be a formatting correction as the requirement "The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting" was likely already present in the rules but now properly numbered as a separate paragraph.
All rule references (RWP 1.1 through RWP 7.1) and their substantive content remain identical.
Diff
@@ -1,131 +1,144 @@ This Appendix sets out the requirements for an application based on a relationship with a partner: spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner in a durable relationship of at least 2 years. - -It applies to applications under: +- It applies to applications under: -• Appendix HM Armed Forces +- • Appendix HM Armed Forces -• Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees +- • Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees -• Appendix Settlement Protection +- • Appendix Settlement Protection -• Appendix Student +- • Appendix Student -• Appendix Graduate +- • Appendix Graduate -• Appendix Skilled Worker +- • Appendix Skilled Worker -• Appendix Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker +- • Appendix Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker -• Appendix Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee +- • Appendix Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee -• Appendix Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker +- • Appendix Global Business Mobility – UK Expansion Worker -• Appendix Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier +- • Appendix Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier -• Appendix Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker +- • Appendix Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker -• Appendix T2 Minister of Religion +- • Appendix T2 Minister of Religion -• Appendix Representative of an Overseas Business +- • Appendix Representative of an Overseas Business -• Appendix UK Ancestry +- • Appendix UK Ancestry -• Appendix Global Talent +- • Appendix Global Talent -• Appendix High Potential Individual +- • Appendix High Potential Individual -• Appendix Scale-up +- • Appendix Scale-up -• Appendix Start-up +- • Appendix Start-up -• Appendix Innovator Founder +- • Appendix Innovator Founder -• Appendix International Sportsperson +- • Appendix International Sportsperson -• Appendix Temporary Work - Creative Worker +- • Appendix Temporary Work - Creative Worker -• Appendix Temporary Work - Religious Worker +- • Appendix Temporary Work - Religious Worker -• Appendix Temporary Work - Charity Worker +- • Appendix Temporary Work - Charity Worker -• Appendix Temporary Work - International Agreement +- • Appendix Temporary Work - International Agreement -• Appendix Temporary Work - Government Authorised Exchange +- • Appendix Temporary Work - Government Authorised Exchange -• Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) +- • Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) -• Appendix Ukraine Scheme +- • Appendix Ukraine Scheme -• Appendix Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) +- • Appendix Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) -• Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection) +- • Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection) -• Appendix Settlement Family Life +- • Appendix Settlement Family Life -• Appendix Gurkhas and Hong Kong military unit veteran discharged before 1 July 1997 +- • Appendix Gurkhas and Hong Kong military unit veteran discharged before 1 July 1997 -• Appendix Statelessness +- • Appendix Statelessness + Age requirement for a person applying as a partner + RWP 1.1. The applicant and their partner must be aged 18 or over on the date of application. + Requirement that the partners must not be closely related + RWP 2.1. The applicant and their partner must not be so closely related that they would be prohibited from marrying, or entering into a civil partnership with, each other as defined in the Marriage Acts 1949 to 1986, the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 and 1986, the Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. + Requirement for previous relationships to have broken down permanently + RWP 3.1. Any previous marriage or civil partnership or durable relationship of the applicant or their partner with another person must have permanently broken down unless RWP 7.1. applies. + Requirement that any marriage or civil partnership is valid + RWP 4.1. Where the applicant and their partner are married or in a civil partnership, that marriage or civil partnership must be recognised by law in the country in which it took place. + Requirement for a durable relationship where a person is not married or in a civil partnership + RWP 5.1. Where the applicant and their partner are not married or in a civil partnership, they must have been in a relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years before the date of application. + Genuine and subsisting relationship requirement + RWP 6.1. The applicant and their partner must have met in person. + RWP 6.2. The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting. + Polygamous or polyandrous marriages and civil partnerships + RWP 7.1. If the applicant or their partner is currently in a polygamous or polyandrous marriage or civil partnership, they may only rely on that marriage or civil partnership for the purposes of an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or stay or settlement as a partner where no other partner to the marriage or civil partnership is seeking, or has been granted: - -(a) permission to enter or stay (except as a visitor or person in transit); or +- (a) permission to enter or stay (except as a visitor or person in transit); or -(b) settlement; or +- (b) settlement; or -(c) a certificate of entitlement to Right of Abode in the UK. +- (c) a certificate of entitlement to Right of Abode in the UK.