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My civil law partner will be working in UK for a year. She has a UK passport. I have a New Zealand passport. Will I be able to stay in UK beyond the 6 month limit?

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  • Where does your partner live now?
    – phoog
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 6:40

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Yes, but you'll likely need to get some kind of visa to do so.

Apparently there is a rough rule of thumb of "6 months in every 12" that you can stay on a tourist visa (see answer here) - so just leaving and re-entering to immediately get another 6 months may be risky. If you are denied then it goes to a permanent record and you are more likely to be denied again in future. And, if you are like most kiwis in the UK, you will want to make the most of being close to Europe and travel around a lot, so being worried every time you leave the country is not a great option. You also haven't mentioned if you want to work during that time, not an option on the 6 month tourist visa.

You can get a "family visa" to join/remain with your partner (depending on if you are already in the UK). They require proof of relationship and some financial evidence (of "£18,600 per year if you’re applying only for yourself") as well. See the documentation here for more details: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/family-visas

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    Just to elaborate on this sentence, "Yes, but you'll likely need to get some kind of visa to do so. ", a bit more. You won't be able to come as visa-free national, and then acquire a different visa after you are in the UK. Your original entry into the UK will have to be on a visa that allows the longer stay. Otherwise you are subject to all the restrictions of a normal visitor visa. Keep in mind that the UK now has exit passport checks at all major ports. Though the rule isn't strictly written, they will notice if someone is attempting to do the leave-and-re-enter scheme.
    – ouflak ♦
    Commented May 9, 2015 at 6:26
  • It might be worthwhile to mention that the rules are completely different if the OP's partner is moving to the UK from another EU or EEA country. He did not specify in the question.
    – phoog
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 6:40

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