On 27 November 2008 the UK Government raised the minimum age requirement from 18 to 21 for those seeking entry to the UK as the spouse, fiancé or fiancée, civil partner, proposed civil partner, unmarried partner or same sex partner of an another person. Importantly this change only applies to those seeking admission to the UK where the sponsor either holds ‘indefinite leave to remain’ status -commonly referred to as ‘settlement’, or, is a British citizen.
The rule change effectively means that individuals who are ‘settled’ in the UK or are British Citizens cannot sponsor a prospective applicant to the UK who is under the age of 21.
The rationale behind the change is so that the UK Government can prevent the problem of forced marriages for those under the age of 21. Read more »