Spouse & Partner Visa ILR Guide 2026: Timeline, Income Threshold & Key Dates

The partner route to ILR: how it works

If you entered the UK as the spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of a British citizen, or of someone who already holds ILR or settled status, you are on the family or partner route to settlement. Under the current rules this leads to ILR after 5 years of continuous lawful residence.

The typical timeline looks like this:

• Initial entry: a 2.5-year spouse or partner visa is granted.
• Extension: a further 2.5 years of leave to remain (FLR(M)).
• ILR application: after completing 5 years in total, using the 28-day early window.

Use the spouse and partner ILR calculator (tool 05 on the home page) to find your exact qualifying date.

Will the spouse/partner route be affected by earned settlement?

Good news for family route applicants: the Government has consistently signalled that spouse and partner routes may keep the 5-year qualifying period even if the broader earned settlement changes extend other routes to 10 years. The consultation document stated that “family routes, including partner routes for those in a genuine relationship with a British national or settled person” are expected to remain on a 5-year path.

This has not been formally confirmed in the Immigration Rules as of September 2026, and the earned settlement framework has not yet been published. Until it is, family route applicants who are approaching their 5-year date should apply promptly under the current rules.

Income requirement: £29,000 from April 2024

To sponsor a spouse or partner from abroad, or to extend a spouse or partner visa, the UK sponsor must meet a minimum income threshold. From April 2024 the threshold rose to £29,000 per year (gross annual income), a significant increase on the previous £18,600.

The income requirement also applies at the ILR stage: the sponsor must still show that they meet the financial threshold when the ILR application is made. Acceptable evidence includes payslips (usually 6 months), a P60, an employment letter confirming salary and sometimes bank statements.

Genuine relationship requirement

Unlike the Skilled Worker route, the partner route requires you to demonstrate throughout the qualifying period that your relationship is genuine and subsisting. The Home Office expects evidence at each stage (initial visa, extension and ILR), including cohabitation evidence (joint utility bills, tenancy agreements, bank correspondence), shared financial commitments, photos and communication history, and a relationship statement.

Absence rules on the partner route

Partner route ILR has no fixed 180-day continuous residence limit like the Skilled Worker route, but your absences are still assessed: caseworkers check that the UK remains your main home and that you live together here. It is the main applicant’s absences and presence in the UK that matter; the sponsor’s travel history is generally not assessed for the absence test. Use the ILR calculator to check your absence days.

ILR costs on the partner route (from 8 April 2026)

The ILR application fee from 8 April 2026 is £3,226 per applicant. If you and your spouse both apply for ILR at the same time, you each pay £3,226 (£6,452 in total, plus biometrics). Once ILR is granted, naturalisation as a British citizen costs £1,709 per person from 8 April 2026.

The 5-year pathway to spouse settlement

The family route to settlement is a 5-year pathway for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners of British citizens or settled UK residents. The timeline is split into three phases:

1. Initial visa (33 months): your first visa, granted from outside the UK (or 30 months if you switch inside the UK).
2. Extension (30 months): applied for before your initial visa expires. This completes the 5-year residency.
3. ILR application (at 60 months): applied for up to 28 days before you complete 5 years (60 months) in the UK.

You must ensure you apply for your extension and ILR in a timely manner. Any gap in status will break your qualifying residence and force you to restart the 5-year clock.

Absence rules and the discretionary 180-day test

Historically, the 5-year spouse route did not have a strict absence limit. The Home Office has, however, increasingly aligned spouse applications with the general continuous residence principles.

While there is no formal 180-day hard limit for spouses under the current Immigration Rules, caseworkers are instructed to verify that the UK remains your main home. If you have spent significant time abroad (more than 180 days in any year), the caseworker will ask for evidence that your absences were temporary and that you maintained a shared home in the UK.

The spouse financial requirement

To qualify for ILR you must meet the spouse financial requirement. It rose to £29,000 in early 2024, but if your initial spouse visa was granted before that change you are protected by transitional rules and must meet the older threshold of £18,600.

You can meet the requirement through the sponsor’s income, the applicant’s income (if they are working legally in the UK) or a combination of both. Cash savings can also be used. Self-employed sponsors must submit a full year’s tax returns, SA302 calculations and corporate bank statements, which are subject to rigorous checks.

Documenting cohabitation across 5 years

The most common reason for delay in spouse ILR applications is a lack of cohabitation evidence. You must prove that you and your partner have lived together continuously in the UK throughout the qualifying period.

You must provide at least 6 items of joint correspondence (or 12 separate items, or a mix) spread evenly over the last 2 years of your visa, from at least 3 different sources. Acceptable sources include:

• Joint bank statements or mortgage summaries.
• Joint tenancy agreements and council tax bills.
• Utility bills (gas, electricity, water) showing both names.
• Official letters from government departments (HMRC, DWP, NHS).

Spouse ILR document checklist

Prepare this evidence pack for your spouse ILR application:

• Cohabitation folder: 6 to 12 items of joint correspondence spread evenly across the residence period.
• Sponsor’s status: proof of your partner’s British citizenship or ILR (passport copy or share code).
• Financial evidence: 6 months of payslips, bank statements and an employer letter proving that you meet the income threshold.
• Life and language: a valid B1 English pass certificate (try the free B2 English mock test) and your Life in the UK pass reference code (try the free Life in the UK mock test).
• Consent forms: signed Home Office consent forms allowing UKVI to verify bank and utility accounts.