Spouse and partner visa ILR calculator

The route you are on controls the qualifying period. Do not combine time casually across partner routes or with another route. If you were moved between routes, get route-specific advice before relying on a calculator result.

• A genuine and subsisting relationship, with the UK as your permanent home.
• Compliance with the applicable financial requirement.
• English language and Life in the UK evidence unless exempt.
• Suitability and identity documents, plus evidence of cohabitation where relevant.

See GOV.UK: settle as a partner. Last reviewed: 17 August 2026. This page is not legal advice.

Priya entered the five-year partner route with permission beginning on 10 February 2022 and later received a further grant on the same route. Her likely five-year point is based on the qualifying route history, not simply the date of her most recent extension. Before using the usual 28-day window, she should assemble relationship and cohabitation evidence covering the required period, financial evidence in the format required by the rules, and English and Life in the UK evidence where required.

• Passports, eVisa status and all relevant grant letters.
• Relationship and cohabitation evidence from reliable, appropriately dated sources.
• Financial documents matching the category relied on, such as employment, self-employment, savings or permitted benefits.
• Evidence the UK is the couple's permanent home where travel history may raise questions.

Bank statements, payslips and letters should cover the specified period and match each other. A document that proves an address is not automatically proof of a subsisting relationship; use a balanced evidence bundle.

For the five-year route, GOV.UK distinguishes applicants whose first successful family-visa application was before 11 April 2024 from later applicants. Do not use a headline income figure without checking the category and transitional position that applies to you. The ten-year route has different financial provisions, so a calculation based on the wrong route can lead to the wrong evidence request.

• Time as a fiancé(e): this is not automatically qualifying partner-route time.
• Living apart: explain work, caring or other temporary reasons with evidence; silence creates avoidable uncertainty.
• Changing from ten to five years: do not assume the earlier time becomes five-year-route time.
• Children: their eligibility and application route can differ by age and immigration history.
• Expiring leave: if ILR cannot be applied for in time, an extension may be needed first.

1. Identify the route from the most recent Home Office grant letter.
2. Calculate the earliest date, then check whether you can apply up to 28 days before meeting the residence requirement.
3. Build a dated evidence bundle instead of collecting a large number of undated screenshots.
4. Check the GOV.UK partner-settlement page and application form immediately before submission.
5. Take regulated advice if the relationship has ended, there has been domestic abuse, a route switch or a complex immigration gap.

Alex relies on salaried employment under the five-year route. Six months before applying, they download payslips and bank statements and notice one salary credit is missing from the selected account because it was paid into an older account. Rather than upload incomplete evidence, Alex obtains the matching statement and a payroll explanation. The lesson is not that every application needs the same documents: it is that the evidence must satisfy the exact financial category and specified period relied on.

The GOV.UK partner settlement page explains the route distinctions, current financial arrangements and application process. Read it close to submission because requirements and forms can change. Save a copy of the submitted form and uploads. This guide is general information, not legal advice; use regulated advice where the route or relationship facts are not straightforward.

Must we have every bill jointly addressed? No single document proves a relationship, but the bundle should be credible, dated and balanced. Can I apply before my current leave expires? Yes only when the settlement requirements and permitted timing are met. Does a work-visa dependant use this route? No: their settlement route is different, so use the relevant work-dependant guidance.

Chris and Morgan have moved twice during the qualifying period. Their evidence includes joint tenancy records, council tax letters, shared financial correspondence and an explanation for four months when Chris cared for a parent abroad. The evidence is arranged by date and addresses the time apart directly. A clear timeline is stronger than uploading many duplicative documents from only one recent address, especially where the form asks about living together since the last grant.

Confirm the current visa is based on the relationship relied on, the selected form matches the route, and the residence period is complete. Reconcile names, addresses and income figures across the form and uploads. If a bank statement, tenancy or payslip is missing, identify the gap plainly and use an alternative contemporary record where appropriate. Keep copies of the submitted form and payment confirmation after applying.

Five-, two- and ten-year family routes are not merely different waiting periods. They can have different residence, finance and child-application rules. The latest grant letter is therefore an evidence document, not just an administrative email. Check it before using a calculator date or gathering documents, particularly after a previous refusal, extension, route switch or change in family circumstances.

Can a long holiday alone prevent ILR? There is no blanket spouse-route 180-day formula. The facts may still matter to continuous residence and the UK as permanent home.

Can time on a ten-year route be treated as five-year-route time? Do not assume so. Check the route history and applicable rules.

Can we apply together? Possibly, if each applicant independently meets the relevant requirements on the application date.