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Spouse visa refusal rates, from the Home Office’s figures

In the year July 2025 to June 2026, 3,081 of 41,983 partner visa decisions on applications from outside the UK were refusals. Pick a nationality to see its row in the two tables.

From the Home Office’s Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026, published 27 August 2026; next update due 26 November 2026. Information, not immigration advice.

Partner visa decisions, July 2025 to June 2026

Applied from outside the UK

Granted
38,902
Refused
3,081
Withdrawn
279
Granted, of those decided
92.7%

Applied in the UK (main applicants)

Granted
75,501
Refused
1,852
Granted, of those decided
97.6%

Counts of decisions already made, from the Home Office’s tables Vis_D02 and Exe_D01, published 27 August 2026. They say nothing about any one application.

Quarter by quarter

Decisions on partner visas in each quarter, all nationalities. A decision in a quarter may be on an application made in an earlier one, and figures from January 2026 on are provisional.

Partner visa decisions by quarter, from outside the UK and in the UK
QuarterFrom outside: grantedRefusedGranted, of decidedIn the UK: grantedRefusedGranted, of decided
July to September 202412,6291,00992.6%12,75618198.6%
October to December 20249,98080992.5%13,83418498.7%
January to March 20259,52671993.0%12,14551895.9%
April to June 202510,06774593.1%12,79645596.6%
July to September 20259,68668993.4%15,49639397.5%
October to December 202511,10473093.8%24,52842798.3%
January to March 20268,08896589.3%17,10657596.7%
April to June 202610,02469793.5%18,37145797.6%

From outside the UK, by nationality

The 57 nationalities with at least 100 decisions in the year July 2025 to June 2026, most decisions first. In all, 38,902 were granted, 3,081 refused and 279 withdrawn: 92.7% of decisions were grants. From table Vis_D02, visa type “Family: Partner”.

Partner visa decisions from outside the UK by nationality
NationalityGrantedRefusedWithdrawnGranted, of decided
Pakistan6,8444612693.7%
United States3,2631381995.9%
India2,4321714793.4%
Iraq2,1361291494.3%
Ghana1,493126892.2%
Bangladesh1,431115692.6%
Nigeria1,0011231689.1%
Philippines1,01076893.0%
Nepal1,05126597.6%
Afghanistan944121188.6%
Turkey91663993.6%
Brazil761115386.9%
Morocco73740294.9%
Albania565196574.2%
China60444693.2%
Thailand59431095.0%
South Africa505331193.9%
Iran48832393.8%
Sri Lanka47931293.9%
Canada42032692.9%
Germany41234292.4%
Australia39623694.5%
France36624593.8%
Somalia34433091.2%
Italy34919594.8%
Egypt30420293.8%
Romania29523292.8%
Syria29127091.5%
Sudan27834189.1%
Kenya28915395.1%
Netherlands28220393.4%
Spain28315195.0%
Ethiopia27221292.8%
Russia26720293.0%
Jamaica24423291.4%
Poland23613094.8%
Algeria22523290.7%
Tunisia22817093.1%
Mexico21713094.3%
Yemen21515193.5%
Colombia21413294.3%
Zimbabwe164331183.2%
Vietnam17914092.7%
Greece1789195.2%
Eritrea9487251.9%
Indonesia1654097.6%
Portugal15512392.8%
Gambia, The14416090.0%
Sweden13913191.4%
Uganda13219187.4%
New Zealand13810093.2%
Malaysia1325196.4%
Japan1278094.1%
South Korea1046194.5%
Belgium9712089.0%
Lebanon967093.2%
Peru949091.3%

In the UK, by nationality

Extending or switching to a partner visa in the UK, main applicants, the 69 nationalities with at least 100 decisions in the year. In all, 75,501 granted and 1,852 refused: 97.6% of decisions were grants. This table leaves out withdrawn applications and includes reconsiderations and appeals. From table Exe_D01, category Family, subgroup Partner.

Partner decisions in the UK by nationality, main applicants
NationalityGrantedRefusedGranted, of decided
Pakistan12,74516398.7%
India7,06018297.5%
Nigeria5,33730694.6%
United States4,68413497.2%
Bangladesh3,3766098.3%
Ghana2,69828690.4%
China2,6006297.7%
Philippines2,1163198.6%
Iraq2,1071799.2%
Nepal2,0091199.5%
Turkey1,7952198.8%
South Africa1,6561099.4%
Sri Lanka1,4061499.0%
Albania1,3595995.8%
Canada1,2462897.8%
Thailand1,1922198.3%
Australia1,1852298.2%
Brazil1,0092397.8%
Morocco9721698.4%
Iran910899.1%
Russia845899.1%
Afghanistan711599.3%
Vietnam6581098.5%
Jamaica6191397.9%
Algeria554998.4%
New Zealand524998.3%
Kenya515998.3%
Zimbabwe4991197.8%
Malaysia489898.4%
Japan469798.5%
Egypt443798.4%
Mexico410598.8%
South Korea409399.3%
Somalia381399.2%
Ukraine3800100.0%
Taiwan360798.1%
Indonesia348798.0%
Germany3401496.0%
Colombia318299.4%
Syria3050100.0%
France2841495.3%
Ethiopia284399.0%
Uganda275299.3%
Sudan273299.3%
Gambia, The265398.9%
Tunisia254498.4%
Italy243896.8%
Spain2231693.3%
Lebanon221199.5%
Singapore210995.9%
Netherlands204796.7%
Romania1673184.3%
Yemen1970100.0%
Sierra Leone189299.0%
Poland173995.1%
Mauritius173497.7%
Cameroon171199.4%
Jordan160696.4%
Peru157596.9%
Portugal135596.4%
Tanzania137199.3%
Eritrea128298.5%
Kosovo1270100.0%
Greece118695.2%
Chile120199.2%
Israel119199.2%
Trinidad and Tobago104892.9%
Sweden103595.4%
Argentina104199.0%

Reading the figures

The share granted is our arithmetic on the published counts: granted divided by granted plus refused. Withdrawn applications aren’t decisions on the rules, so they’re shown apart. The tables count decisions and record no reasons, so they can’t say why a share is higher or lower for one nationality than another, and they say nothing about any one application, which is decided on its own documents.

The tracker lists every document for your own situation, with the dates each must fall between.

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Questions

What is the UK spouse visa refusal rate?

In the year July 2025 to June 2026, the Home Office decided 41,983 partner visa applications made from outside the UK: 38,902 granted and 3,081 refused, so 7.3% of decisions were refusals. In the UK, 1,852 of 77,353 partner decisions on main applicants were refusals (2.4%). Figures from the Home Office’s immigration system statistics, published 27 August 2026.

What percentage of spouse visas are approved?

92.7% of partner visa decisions made on applications from outside the UK in the year July 2025 to June 2026 were grants, and 97.6% of partner decisions in the UK (main applicants). The share is granted divided by granted plus refused; 279 applications from outside the UK were withdrawn and are left out of it.

Do refusal rates differ by nationality?

The published counts do. Among nationalities with at least 100 decisions from outside the UK in the year, the share granted ranged from 51.9% to 97.6%. The tables count decisions; they don’t record the reasons for them, so they say nothing about why a share is higher or lower.

Do the figures say anything about one application?

No. They count decisions already made, across everyone who applied in the period, and the Home Office publishes no reasons alongside them. Each application is decided on its own documents against the Immigration Rules. Whether a particular application meets the rules is a judgement only a regulated adviser can make.

Where do the spouse visa refusal figures come from?

From the Home Office’s immigration system statistics: table Vis_D02 (entry clearance visa outcomes, visa type “Family: Partner”) and table Exe_D01 (extensions of stay, category Family, subgroup Partner). The release covers the year to June 2026, was published on 27 August 2026, and the next is due on 26 November 2026. Figures from January 2026 on are provisional.

Do refused applications get the fee back?

The application fee isn’t refunded on a refusal; the Immigration Health Surcharge is. The statistics don’t show what happened after a refusal, such as a new application or an appeal.

From the Home Office’s immigration system statistics data tables: the entry clearance visa applications and outcomes and extensions detailed datasets for the year ending June 2026, published 27 August 2026, read 8 November 2026. The next release is due 26 November 2026.