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Following a recent Supreme Court ruling, changes are going to be made to the minimum age requirement for a spouse or partner of a British citizen to qualify for a visa and entry into the UK.
The minimum age requirement is currently 21 but with effect from 28 November 2011 this will come down to 18. The move is being welcomed by legal firm Cartwright King who specialise in immigration law.
"We are delighted that the Supreme Court has ruled that the current minimum age requirement is unlawful," said Rachel Harvey, immigration specialist at Cartwright King. "It is right that the immigration rules are going to be changed and that the minimum age of 18 is going to be reinstated, as this was an infringement of the right to a private life, which mainly affected cultures involved with arranged marriages."
It means now that anyone aged 18 or over who has been refused a spouse or partner visa over the last three years purely on the grounds of age can now request a review of a previous decision taken between 2008 and 2011 on age grounds alone.
We expect to see a lot of people coming to us for advice on how to appeal and we will be helping them as well as all those that are now eligble to apply given the new rules," said Rachel. "Clearly the changes don't come into force until 28 November but we can start the process now."
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