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Partner of a British citizen or settled person

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How long can you stay in the UK?

This section explains how long you can stay in the UK if you successfully apply to enter or remain in the UK as the partner of a British citizen or a person settled here.

If you made an application to enter the UK on or before 8 July 2012 please see the Partners who applied on or before 8 July 2012 pages.

Applications from outside the UK

If your visa application is successful, we will grant you a visa for 33 months. Shortly before the end of that period, you can apply for further leave to remain in the UK.  If you still meet the requirements you will be granted permission to stay for a further period of 30 months.  Once you have completed 5 years in the UK, as the partner of someone who is a British citizen or settled in the UK, you can apply to settle here.  This is known as 'indefinite leave to remain'. The Settlement pages contain more information.

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Applications from inside the UK

If your application to switch into this category is successful, we will grant you permission to remain in the UK (known as 'further leave to remain') for 30 months.  Shortly before the end of that period, you can apply for further leave to remain in the UK.  If you still meet the requirements you will be granted permission to stay for a further period of 30 months.  Once you have completed 5 years in the UK, as the partner of someone who is a British citizen or settled in the UK, you can apply to settle here. This is known as 'indefinite leave to remain'. The Settlement pages contain more information.

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See also

  • Read our instructions for UK Border Agency staff - Chapter 8 Appendix of the immigration directorate instructions

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    Terms explained

    • Further leave to remain

      An extension of your existing permission to stay in the United Kingdom for a specified length of time.

    • Indefinite leave to remain

      Indefinite leave to remain (often known as 'ILR' and 'settlement') is permission to remain in the UK without any time restrictions on the length of stay. It is not the same as naturalisation as a British citizen and may, in specific circumstances, be ceased or invalidated, for example, if a fraudulent application is uncovered, if the person resides outside of the UK for more than 2 years or as a result of a criminal conviction that results in a Deportation Order coming into force.

    • Leave to remain

      Leave to remain is permission to stay in the UK, either temporarily ('limited leave to remain') or permanently ('indefinite leave to remain'). 

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