A person or a family can address to family law solicitors in Manchester for numerous reasons. Our team specialized in family law in Manchester can help persons who want to get married in this country and who are not sure on the legal consequences of the procedure itself or those who are British citizens and want to get married with a foreign citizen. We can provide assistance to those who want to enter a civil partnership as well, as this is recognized under the UK law.
However, family law in Manchester can cover multiple other aspects, including the dissolution of a marriage or the dissolution of a civil partnership (this also provides legal rights and has various consequences when the couple decides to separate). Whatever question you may have related to the family legislation and various procedures prescribed by it, you can address to our Manchester solicitors, who are ready to assist you with professional advice.
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What are the main services deriving from family law in Manchester?
The legal area covered by the family law in Manchester refers to multiple aspects that can be of interest for a person who is getting married or is married, for a person who wants to divorce, for persons who are the children of married UK citizens and so on. Over the years, our lawyer in Manchester has experienced numerous types of cases, and below you can discover some of the basic areas where a person can receive legal assistance:
- legal assistance referring to children upon the dissolution of a marriage (child maintenance, child custody, the rights of the parents based on the type of custody they received, the rights of the grandparents, the obligations of each party that must take care of minor children);
- legal advice on how to draw and sign a cohabitation agreement – a type of document that can secure each party’s assets in the case of unmarried couples;
- legal advice and legal representation on the dissolution of a civil partnership or of a marriage – generally speaking, our family law solicitors in Manchester will try to resolve such issues out of court, where possible;
- advice on how to start the judicial separation procedure, which is similar with the divorce, but it is much simpler and does not actually imply the end of the marriage;
- assistance in drawing and signing a prenuptial contract, which is recognized in the UK as a legal way to secure the manner in which the parties will separate their assets in the event of a divorce.
What is the divorce rate in the UK?
Given the fact that above we have provided several scenarios where our family law solicitors in Manchester can help you in divorce procedures, we will present below several data on the divorce rate and divorce trends in the UK. Although at a European level the tendency is to have an increasing divorce rate, in the UK, the latest number show a different perspective, as follows:
- in 2018, there were 90,871 opposite-sex divorces, a number which recorded a decrease of 10.6% compared to 2017, according to the data presented by the Office for National Statistics;
- in the case of those who divorced in 2018, the average duration of the marriage was of 12.5 years;
- although the share of same-sex couple is considerably lower compared to the one of opposite-sex couples, in 2018, the number of same-sex divorces increased at 428 divorces, compared to 338 in 2017 (most of the divorces were registered in the case of female couples, accounting for 75% of all same-sex divorces);
- the basis for which couples in the UK filed for divorce refers to unreasonable behavior, this being the legal ground for which 51.9% of the wives divorced (same-sex couple mentioned the same reason);
- it is also important to know that the level of divorces registered for opposite-sex couples in the UK has reached the lowest level registered since 1971.
How can our lawyer in Manchester help in child arrangements?
Persons divorcing or filing for the dissolution of a civil partnership and who also have children will try to create the best environment for their children during this difficult period of time. Our family law solicitors in Manchester will also work in the favor of minor children, creating the best environment they can benefit from the family legislation.
The family law in Manchester will deal with matters such as: where the child will live after the divorce, who will receive the custody, how much time will the other parent spend with the child and when, legal matters referring to the relocation of a child to a foreign country (provided that the parent who has received the custody wants to move or if the parent is a foreign national and wants to return to his or her home country). Please contact our family law solicitors in Manchester for more information how our team can help you.
If you want to relocate in the UK with your family members, you can apply for a Family Reunion Visa, if you meet the basic requirements imposed for this visa type.
There are other visa options for family reunification, based on your situation (working in Manchester, arriving here as a refugee, etc.). You can find out more on this subject from our immigration lawyers in Manchester.
If you want to bring in Manchester your spouse, partner, children, parents, you will be legally required to make the proof of having sufficient financial funds to support the family member relocated here.
Proof of employment will be necessary in most of the cases, and our employment lawyers in Manchester can present the documents you must prepare for the visa application process.
We also want to mention that when you will start the visa application process for a family member, you will be required to pay a processing fee.
In the UK, the processing fee is charged based on your current location (in the UK or outside) and based on your relationship with the person that will relocate here. You can find out more on the current fees from our solicitors in Manchester city centre.
