From GOV.UK · sources rechecked weekly, last on 7 November 2026
Settling in the UK after a spouse visa
Quick answer
After 5 years on a partner visa you can usually apply to settle (indefinite leave to remain) online, from 28 days before you reach 5 years. You need the same income as when you first applied (£29,000 a year, or £18,600 if you first applied before 11 April 2024), to have lived together since your last visa, English at B1 (B2 for applications from 26 March 2027) and a pass in the Life in the UK Test. The fee is £3,226 each.
“The earliest you can apply is 28 days before you meet the requirements for the time you need to have lived in the UK. Your application may be refused if you apply earlier.”
“Do not wait until your current visa expires. If your visa expires before you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, you’ll need to renew it first.”
Which route you’re on
It’s on the letter from the Home Office when your leave to remain was last approved. Most couples are on the 5 year route.
| Route | Time in the UK | Money | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 5 year route | 5 continuous years in the UK on your partner visa | The same income rule as your first visa: £29,000 a year, or £18,600 plus any children’s amounts if you first applied before 11 April 2024 | Can be included |
| The 2 year route | 2 continuous years in the UK on your partner visa | Enough to house and support yourselves without public funds | Can be included |
| The 10 year route | 10 continuous years in the UK, which can include other visas that lead to settlement | No financial requirement | Apply separately |
“You must prove your income as you did when you applied for your family visa.”
On every route you must have lived together since your last visa and mean to stay together. If you’re 18 to 64 you also need English at B1 in speaking and listening and a pass in the Life in the UK Test. The fee is £3,226 for each person.
If you’ll apply on or after 26 March 2027, the English level is B2, not B1. A B1 test won’t do then, so book the right level.
“Where the date of application is on or after 26 March 2027, the applicant must, unless an exemption applies, show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in speaking and listening to at least level B2.”
Which path you’d be on after the changes
The government’s response on “earned settlement” changes how long settlement takes for many people. For partners, one fact decides most of it.
“The Immigration White Paper announced that the standard qualifying period for settlement would increase from five to 10 years.”
How long each step takes to decide
| Partner visa, from outside the UK | Usually within 12 weeks GOV.UK |
|---|---|
| Partner visa or extension, from inside the UK | Usually within 8 weeks; about 12 months if you don’t meet the money and English rules GOV.UK |
| Settlement (indefinite leave to remain) | Usually within 6 months of giving your fingerprints and photo GOV.UK |
| British citizenship | Usually within 6 months GOV.UK |
“You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.”
The documents to gather
GOV.UK’s form gives you the exact list as you answer it. These are what its four asks (income and where you live, living together, a genuine relationship, English and the Life in the UK Test) usually come down to.
You, and where you are now
- Your passport, and every passport you’ve held during the qualifying years
- Your current visa, as your eVisa or biometric residence permit
Money (5 and 2 year routes)
- The same kinds of income evidence as for your first visa: payslips, bank statements, an employer’s letter, or the self-employment, savings or pension evidence that applies
- If your partner gets PIP, Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance or a similar benefit: the award letters, and your income and housing costs
Living together
- Letters and bills to you both at the same address, spread across the time since your last visa
- Your tenancy agreement or mortgage statement
Your relationship
- Your marriage or civil partnership certificate
- Evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing: photos, travel together, joint commitments
English and Life in the UK
- An English test at B1 in speaking and listening from an approved provider (B2 if you apply on or after 26 March 2027), or a degree taught or researched in English (or proof you’re exempt)
- Your Life in the UK Test pass (if you’re 18 to 64)
Your trips abroad
- Every trip out of the UK in the qualifying years, with its dates
For your trips abroad, the days outside the UK counter keeps the list with the dates, ready to copy into the form. For the income evidence, the payslip check matches payslips against bank statements.
From GOV.UK: indefinite leave to remain as a partner, checked 7 November 2026. The rules on earned settlement are due to change from December 2026; see whether settlement is changing.
Don’t lose the £3,226 fee to a missing document
A refused application loses the £3,226 fee. An immigration adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority can read your documents against the rules and tell you, in writing, what to fix before you apply.
Asking is free. We’ll reply within a working day with a date and the price. Nothing is charged until you agree it.
Information, not immigration advice.