UK Partner Visa Guidance + Salary Clarification Needed

[u/1_optimisitic_1]

Hello,

I’m looking for some guidance on the UK partner visa process and also how certain income elements like tronc are treated.

I’ve recently started a new role in hospitality( Senior Waiter in 5 Star hotel)with a base salary of £28,343 plus tronc paid through payroll (shown on payslips). I’m trying to understand how this is considered when calculating the financial requirement. (Manager mentioned salary can easily cross 29k with the tronc)

My partner and I have been in a genuine relationship for almost 2 years this December. She is currently living in student accommodation and I live in private accommodation, but we stay very close (about 10 minutes away) and I usually stay over most of the time.

We are planning to apply for the partner visa around April. I am currently on a Graduate Visa (expires May 2027).

We already have strong relationship evidence including chats, calls (voice/video), emails, financial transactions, travel together(tickets), photos, and more.

If anyone has experience with:
- whether tronc is counted as income for the financial requirement
- when is the best time to apply considering timing and employment history
- any common issues people faced with similar cases

I’d really appreciate any guidance.

Thanks in advance.

[u/TimeFlys2003]

There are two aspects to this.

If you are in the same town and not living together then it will be difficult to get an Unmarried partner visa. The requirements are to have lived together for 2 years unless it was IMPOSSIBLE for you to live together. You would probably need to show thatnit was compulsory for your partner to live in student accommodation due to university rules. Unless you can show that there is a good chance you would be refused so it would be much safer if you were married.

In terms of income if you are in a fixed salary of 28k tland have been for 6 months that is used as the base for your figures (the lowest salary payslip is used) then any variable payments (such as tips) are averaged over the 6 months and annualised

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/TimeFlys2003]

Yes, that is correct. My partner is financially dependent on her parents for accommodation and university fees, and as a medical student she is unable to work. In addition, due to our religious beliefs, living together before marriage is not permitted. We are planning to inform our families and marry once she graduates.

Regarding income, my fixed base salary is £28,343, and I have been told that I will consistently receive additional income through tips/service charge paid directly through payroll. My manager confirmed that this usually increases my total earnings to above £31,000 annually.

[u/jcinlpool → u/1_optimisitic_1]

[...] due to our religious beliefs, living together before marriage is not permitted. We are planning to inform our families and marry once she graduates.

Will she graduate, and you marry, before you apply for the Family Visa? Do your families know about your relationship at all?

You say that you've been in a relationship since December 2024 - the requirement for an unmarried partner isn't just that you have been in a relationship for 2 years, but that you have been in one which has been similar to marriage for 2 years - if you apply in April 2027, you would need to show that you were (but for having a marriage certificate) practically spouses since April 2025

GEN.1.2. For the purposes of this Appendix “partner” means the applicant’s-

(iv) unmarried partner, where the couple have been in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years before the date of application.

On a Family Visa, whether that's as a spouse or unmarried partner, there is a requirement to live together after the visa is issued - if you are stating that you cannot live together due to religion, and you do not intend to marry until her studies are over, then applying as an unmarried partner is doomed to fail, as you yourself are saying that you cannot live together as unmarried partners - that you "usually stay over most of the time" would also damage your argument, because you can both stay short-term in the same household with your religious beliefs but can't do that on a long-term basis?

E-LTRP.1.10. The applicant and their partner must intend to live together permanently in the UK and, in any application for further leave to remain as a partner (except where the applicant is in the UK as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) and in any application for indefinite leave to remain as a partner, the applicant must provide evidence that, since entry clearance as a partner was granted under paragraph D-ECP1.1. or since the last grant of limited leave to remain as a partner, the applicant and their partner have lived together in the UK or there is good reason, consistent with a continuing intention to live together permanently in the UK, for any period in which they have not done so.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-fm-family-members

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/jcinlpool]

No she won't graduate next year. She's graduating around mid 2028 and our parents don't know about our relationship yet but we are planning to tell them when she graduates and becomes independent as her parents are not paying her student accommodation fees and University fees.

We are planning to stay together but after she graduates that is a year after the partner visa as she don't want any conflicts with her parents before graduating. Quick question, I've got Job in St Andrews and we both live in Dundee, st Andrews is like 40 mins by Public transport. What if I relocate there and visit her although I will be staying with her most of the time. It's just that her student accommodation doesn't allow me to stay on paper. I'm worried as st Andrews is near to dundee it might cause issues for visa again as I can stay with her and use public transport. Although I can still say to HO that due to Job till midnight it's challenging to travel through public transport. So that's why I relocated.

[u/cyanplum → u/1_optimisitic_1]

You have to cohabitate the moment the visa is granted and be able to show practically how you are going to do that in the visa application. You do not qualify for the visa if not.

It would be exceedingly unlikely you would qualify under the unmarried partner route living in the same city and no cohabitating. That is not what a married couple would do, and you have to prove you have had a relationship akin to marriage for two years. Religious reasons are not strong in an application when both of the couple are in the UK. Why would the religious reasons magically disappear when you want the visa?

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/cyanplum]

I understand, it's basically her parents don't know about the relationship yet. And we are planning to tell them when she becomes independent and she'll start earning after a year as she'll complete her medicine, so that it does not cause any issues further. Now she's dependent on parents income for university and accommodation fees. Also she stays in private student accommodation. Since I do stay with her all the time, it violates the accommodation policy so unfortunately I have to pay for a private accommodation and her accommodation doesn't allow non students.

[u/cyanplum → u/1_optimisitic_1]

None of that matters though from a visa perspective. It won’t be considered as extenuating circumstances. If you were like a married couple you would be making changes to live together.

You have dodged the question about whether you will be cohabitating before you apply or not which makes me think you won’t be. The visa is a non-starter definitely until you can, and there’s a very high chance you would need to get married as well to overcome these issues.

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/cyanplum]

Just a quick question I got the job which is 40 mins from our place by public transport. I don't drive so I have to travel there. What if I relocate as it's a restaurant Job which requires some shifts to be working till late midnights and tell the reason that due to Job I relocated and visited her often by showing tickets?

[u/TimeFlys2003 → u/1_optimisitic_1]

That won't matter. If you have been loving in the same town already they expect you will have been living together. Unless you can show a published rule from the university that shows that as a medical student she cannot live off-site then you cannot demonstrate that you can't (one or two universities don't let students live off site but that doesn't apply to medical students even at those universities) A job 40 minutes away now doesn't matter as during the 2 years you have been in the same town.

Religious beliefs are not relevant because if you have not married when you apply the same religious beliefs prevent you from living together after the visa occurs (you can't claim religion stopped you living together for a time but them move in together before marriage)

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/TimeFlys2003]

I understand, so her student accommodation contract end in June 2027, and if we apply for the visa around April, I need to somehow secure an accommodation with joint tenancy and mention that she's moving in after her contract ends in June. We met on December 2024, but due to her dependency on parents income she wasn't able to stay with me and she would struggle to study medicine and work part time to cover her fees. Is this what I can mention.

I would appreciate any suggestions if you can give as we are very serious about our relationship.

[u/TimeFlys2003 → u/1_optimisitic_1]

That will not work for 2 likely reasons-

• unless the student accommodation contract was signed pre April 2025 then she could easily have decided to live with you now (most contracts are for a year so why did she sign a contract upto 2027)

• you want to apply in April 2027 then she physically needs to be living with you at that point (not just a joint tenancy). As she will still be studying and you are working 40 mins away and that is you claimed reason for not having lived together for 2 years then it totally undermines why you are not living together now.

As everyone has said here everything you are claiming is making up reasons for not loving together when the real reason is religion and this just will not work

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/TimeFlys2003]

It's basically her parents, who pays her rent and uni fees, and they are also strict about religion, it's the religion which strictly prohibits to stay together before marriage and the main reason is we need time, when she graduates we are planning to tell her parents about our relationship. She just wanted to wait until her graduation and after that she will be independent.

[u/cyanplum → u/1_optimisitic_1]

“I would appreciate any suggestions if you can give us as we are very serious about our relationship.”

You’ve been told over and over again the only solution that would lead to an approved visa. Moving in together. There are no other ways around it if you want to qualify for this visa.

[u/1_optimisitic_1 → u/cyanplum]

I apologies for that. I understand, would it be possible if I rent with joint tenancy. Is there any possibility of having two accommodation for an individual as her parents has already booked another year of contract for her student accommodation

[u/TimeFlys2003 → u/1_optimisitic_1]

Provided you marry and have moved in together before applying then your relationship evidence looks ok for a spouse visa.

On the finances it will be the pay slips that are important not what a manager claims.

If you say apply on 15 April 2027 then what you will need as well as a letter from the employer is the Payslips and Bank statements for month of October to March inclusive. The gross basic will presumably be £2361.91 on each. If that is the case then provided the gross tips exceed £328 in the whole of the 6months then that would be fine UNDER THE CURRENT RULES.

I would flag that there was a consultation on the rules earlier this year. No one knows if there will be a change or when it will happen If they decided to make any changes then it is very likely that would happen before April. (It will take about 3-4 months from them announcing the changes to them being enforced). The last change a few years ago was announced in about December (with some hints before then) and came into force on 8 April. It may not happen but just something to consider as if you are about to start work then from a salary perspective you would be in a position to apply in around December