Citizenship Areas
Support for eligible spouses and civil partners applying to join or remain with their partner in the UK.
We assess the marriage or civil partnership, relationship history and intention to live together in the UK.
We assess the sponsoring partner’s citizenship or immigration status, the couple’s circumstances and the relevant financial, accommodation and language position.
This page covers partner applications under the family route. Partners of people holding temporary work or study permission may instead need a dependant application under that person’s route.
We review the whole immigration history, including earlier grants, refusals and any circumstances requiring consideration outside the standard application pathway.
We help assess the appropriate application and prepare the case around the couple’s circumstances and intended life in the UK.
Review the relationship, sponsor’s status, immigration history and any children to identify the relevant application.
Advise on supporting information and assess the relevant requirements, exemptions or exceptional circumstances.
Assist with the application and required identity process, including any case-specific representations.
Review the grant, conditions, family arrangements and the timing of future applications.
We assist with overseas applications, eligible in-country switches and further leave applications, including FLR(M) where appropriate. Visitor status and other short permissions can restrict an in-country switch.
Fees, healthcare charges where applicable, any available fee-waiver assessment and priority services depend on the application. We advise on the relevant options during the case review.
We assess whether a child can apply alongside or join the parent, including the relevant parental, care and immigration circumstances.
A child may already have permission or a claim to British citizenship. Each child’s position needs to be checked before an application is chosen.
Each family member needs the appropriate assessment and application. A parent’s new grant does not automatically extend a child’s permission.
We review the family’s circumstances together, including care arrangements, previous permissions and any issues affecting the children’s welfare.
A successful spouse or partner grant normally permits work and study, while access to public funds is usually restricted. We review the actual grant and any conditions that apply to your case.
Get advice promptly if circumstances change. A previous grant does not guarantee the next application will qualify.
We assist with further leave applications, including FLR(M) where appropriate, and review the current pathway, qualifying history and continued eligibility. The rules applying to an existing applicant may differ from those for a new case.
We assess relationship changes, a partner’s death, domestic abuse or other significant developments and advise on the appropriate separate application or response. These should not be treated as routine extensions.
Where the standard requirements cannot be met, we can assess relevant exceptions and family-life considerations without assuming that a different pathway will be available.
Some partner grants lead to a five-year settlement pathway, while others fall under a different qualifying period, including a ten-year route and certain legacy arrangements. We assess the actual grants and history before advising on settlement timing.
We can advise on the appropriate settlement application, including SET(M) where applicable. Time on a different route does not automatically count towards the five-year partner period.
Naturalisation has its own status, residence, absence, language, good-character and other conditions. Being married to a British citizen does not automatically confer citizenship.
Advice for eligible unmarried partners seeking permission to live together in the UK.
We assess whether the relationship meets the unmarried-partner definition, including its duration, commitment and any periods living apart. Shared accommodation is not the only circumstance relevant to the assessment.
We assess the sponsoring partner’s citizenship or immigration status, the couple’s circumstances and the relevant financial, accommodation and language position.
This page covers partner applications under the family route. Partners of people holding temporary work or study permission may instead need a dependant application under that person’s route.
We review the whole immigration history, including earlier grants, refusals and any circumstances requiring consideration outside the standard application pathway.
We help assess the appropriate application and prepare the case around the couple’s circumstances and intended life in the UK.
Review the relationship, sponsor’s status, immigration history and any children to identify the relevant application.
Advise on supporting information and assess the relevant requirements, exemptions or exceptional circumstances.
Assist with the application and required identity process, including any case-specific representations.
Review the grant, conditions, family arrangements and the timing of future applications.
We assist with overseas applications, eligible in-country switches and further leave applications, including FLR(M) where appropriate. Visitor status and other short permissions can restrict an in-country switch.
Fees, healthcare charges where applicable, any available fee-waiver assessment and priority services depend on the application. We advise on the relevant options during the case review.
We assess whether a child can apply alongside or join the parent, including the relevant parental, care and immigration circumstances.
A child may already have permission or a claim to British citizenship. Each child’s position needs to be checked before an application is chosen.
Each family member needs the appropriate assessment and application. A parent’s new grant does not automatically extend a child’s permission.
We review the family’s circumstances together, including care arrangements, previous permissions and any issues affecting the children’s welfare.
A successful spouse or partner grant normally permits work and study, while access to public funds is usually restricted. We review the actual grant and any conditions that apply to your case.
Get advice promptly if circumstances change. A previous grant does not guarantee the next application will qualify.
We assist with further leave applications, including FLR(M) where appropriate, and review the current pathway, qualifying history and continued eligibility. The rules applying to an existing applicant may differ from those for a new case.
We assess relationship changes, a partner’s death, domestic abuse or other significant developments and advise on the appropriate separate application or response. These should not be treated as routine extensions.
Where the standard requirements cannot be met, we can assess relevant exceptions and family-life considerations without assuming that a different pathway will be available.
Some partner grants lead to a five-year settlement pathway, while others fall under a different qualifying period, including a ten-year route and certain legacy arrangements. We assess the actual grants and history before advising on settlement timing.
We can advise on the appropriate settlement application, including SET(M) where applicable. Time on a different route does not automatically count towards the five-year partner period.
Naturalisation has its own status, residence, absence, language, good-character and other conditions. Being married to a British citizen does not automatically confer citizenship.
Support for eligible applicants coming to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK before applying to remain as a partner.
We review the relationship and proposed ceremony, together with the couple’s intention to live together in the UK afterwards.
We assess the sponsoring partner’s citizenship or immigration status, the couple’s circumstances and the relevant financial, accommodation and language position.
This page covers partner applications under the family route. Partners of people holding temporary work or study permission may instead need a dependant application under that person’s route.
We review the whole immigration history, including earlier grants, refusals and any circumstances requiring consideration outside the standard application pathway.
We help assess the appropriate application and prepare the case around the couple’s circumstances and intended life in the UK.
Review the relationship, sponsor’s status, immigration history and any children to identify the relevant application.
Advise on supporting information and assess the relevant requirements, exemptions or exceptional circumstances.
Assist with the application and required identity process, including any case-specific representations.
Review the grant, conditions, family arrangements and the timing of future applications.
We assist with overseas applications for the proposed marriage or civil partnership. The later partner application is a separate stage and must be planned alongside the ceremony and current permission.
Fees, healthcare charges where applicable, any available fee-waiver assessment and priority services depend on the application. We advise on the relevant options during the case review.
We assess whether a child can apply alongside or join the parent, including the relevant parental, care and immigration circumstances.
A child may already have permission or a claim to British citizenship. Each child’s position needs to be checked before an application is chosen.
Each family member needs the appropriate assessment and application. A parent’s new grant does not automatically extend a child’s permission.
We review the family’s circumstances together, including care arrangements, previous permissions and any issues affecting the children’s welfare.
Initial fiancé or proposed civil partner permission is normally for six months. It does not permit work or study. Marriage or civil partnership does not automatically change those conditions; a successful further partner application is needed.
Get advice promptly if circumstances change. A previous grant does not guarantee the next application will qualify.
After an eligible marriage or civil partnership, we can prepare the appropriate partner application before the current permission expires. This is a fresh eligibility assessment, rather than an automatic conversion of the visa.
We assess relationship changes, a partner’s death, domestic abuse or other significant developments and advise on the appropriate separate application or response. These should not be treated as routine extensions.
Where the standard requirements cannot be met, we can assess relevant exceptions and family-life considerations without assuming that a different pathway will be available.
Some partner grants lead to a five-year settlement pathway, while others fall under a different qualifying period, including a ten-year route and certain legacy arrangements. We assess the actual grants and history before advising on settlement timing.
Time spent as a fiancé or proposed civil partner does not count towards the five-year partner settlement period. The later partner grant and applicable pathway need to be assessed separately.
Naturalisation has its own status, residence, absence, language, good-character and other conditions. Being married to a British citizen does not automatically confer citizenship.