UK IMMIGRATION NEWS

Marriage Visa Age May Rise from 18 to 21 Years

Friday, 25 July 2008

The British Government is considering raising the age at which a spouse can be brought to Britain from 18 to 21 in an apparent attempt to combat forced marriages, the Home Office announced today.

Statistics show that 30 per cent of the cases dealt with by the Government's Forced Marriage Unit involved victims aged between 18 and 21.

According to Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, "British citizens have the right to marry whoever they choose. But we want newcomers to succeed in our society and sign up to the standards we have in common. That means freedom, not being forced to marry someone, and it means newcomers quickly acquiring a command of English, with consequences for those who break the rules."

This step will safeguard the forced marriages and supporting its victims. The five key proposals announced today are to:

• raise the age of sponsorship for a marriage visa from 18 to 21;
• ask foreign spouses to enter into an agreement to learn English before they come to the UK;
• introduce a power to revoke leave to remain where there is evidence that the marriage route has been abused;
• require all sponsors to register their intention to marry overseas before they leave the UK; and
• ensure through a code of practice that specialist teams can identify vulnerable people at risk of forced marriage.

The rule will affect everyone seeking to come into Britain for the purpose of marriage from outside the European Economic Area. It will largely affect people from the people from subcontinent and will mean 3,000 fewer people from that area coming to Britain each year.

Under the new rules, a British citizen applying to 'sponsor' someone to come to the UK as their spouse will have to declare their intention before they leave the UK and marry abroad. This will mean that a young person will know in advance that a marriage will take place overseas and who their prospective partner will be.

Also, before the spouse come to the UK, they will need to sign up to an agreement to learn English. Soon after their arrival, the UKBA will check they are fulfilling their promise. If they are not, their leave could be cancelled.

These measures mean that people who use false documents to apply for a visa may have any subsequent application rejected automatically and anyone abusing the marriage visa system will be removed from the UK by the UKBA under a new power to revoke people's right to stay in the country.

These changes will be implemented by the end of the year, follow growing concern at the extent of forced marriages and at the abuse of the marriage visa route by people who would otherwise find it very difficult to qualify for entry.

If you are interested in UK Visas, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to the UK.