Settlement Visa

Can anyone tell me, after receiving a spousal visa for settlement in the UK, how long is it valid for? I assume that there is a time limit before it expires.  Thank you

I believe it's valid for 27 months.

aircarai, thank you for your reply, I think I have not asked my question correctly, what I wanted to know was..after the consulate issues the visa, how long does one have to get into the UK before the visa expires.

I know someone can give you the exact legal wording. This is my understanding.

 The spousal visa is valid for 27 months. If you are planning to get the Indefinite leave (or whatever the next step will be called after July 2011), you have to have lived in the UK for 2 years before applying for that. So if you should take up residence in the UK within 3 or 4 months of it being issued, so you'll have the proper residence time for subsequent visa.

Someone else may have different info..

You can enter the UK whenever you like, however in order to meet the 2-year residence requirement for your next step in immigration, you will need to enter within the first three months of the visa's validity.  That is why spousal visas are now issued for 27 months.  It is possible to post-date visas by up to three months, so for example if you applied in February but didn't want to travel until May, you would just specify on your application that you wanted the visa's start date to be in May.  If you don't specify a start date, then the visa will start on the day that it is issued and you basically have three months to enter the UK without causing trouble for yourself down the line. 

historyenne and MrsRupert, thank you very much for the information, I appreciate it.