Extending a spouse or partner visa
A first partner visa granted from outside the UK lasts up to 2 years and 9 months. To stay with your partner you extend it before it ends, from inside the UK, for a further 2 years and 6 months. After five years on the route you can apply for indefinite leave to remain and, from there, for British citizenship. This page explains what you must show at each stage, what each costs, and the mistakes that put status at risk.
When to apply to extend
You can apply at any time before your current permission expires, and up to 28 days left on your existing visa are added to the new one, so there is no advantage in waiting. Apply with time to spare. If your permission runs out before you apply you become an overstayer, and a partner who overstays can lose the right to an in-country application altogether. See our guide to overstaying.
While a valid application made in time is pending, your existing conditions continue, so you can keep working. If you leave the UK before the decision, the application is treated as withdrawn, so do not plan to travel until it has been decided without taking advice.
What you must show to extend
| Requirement | At the extension |
|---|---|
| The relationship | It is genuine and continuing, and you live together or intend to. You show it with evidence from the period since your last visa. |
| Financial requirement | £29,000 a year, or savings, or an exception. Couples whose first partner application was made before 11 April 2024 are assessed against £18,600, with additional amounts for children. |
| English language | Level A2 in speaking and listening if you first passed at A1, unless exempt. |
| Accommodation | Adequate and not overcrowded, without public funds. |
| Suitability | No new criminality or immigration breach. |
The financial evidence is the same as for the first application: usually six months of payslips and bank statements with an employer’s letter, or the self-employment documents for your category. See the financial requirement guide for the detail.
Spouse visa extension cost
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee, from inside the UK | £1,407 |
| Immigration health surcharge, 2 years and 6 months | £2,587.50 |
| Indefinite leave to remain, at the end of five years | £3,226 |
| Life in the UK test | £50 |
See the full list on our fees page.
How long it takes
An in-country partner application is usually decided within eight weeks where the requirements are met. Where they are not, it can take up to about twelve months. A paid priority service is available. You will give your biometrics at an appointment after you apply.
Settling after five years
After five years of continuous residence on the partner route you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, which allows you to live, work and study in the UK without time limit. You apply from inside the UK, up to 28 days before the date you complete the five years. You need:
- English at level B1 in speaking and listening, shown by a Secure English Language Test or an exemption;
- a pass in the Life in the UK test;
- evidence that the relationship continues and that you have lived together;
- the financial requirement, shown in the way the rules prescribe;
- no breaches of the rules that make you unsuitable.
Long absences can cause difficulty, so keep a record of your travel. Our absence calculator shows how many days you have spent abroad.
Applicants granted leave on the 10-year route, for example because the financial requirement was waived on human rights grounds, apply for settlement after ten years, not five. The government has also consulted on changes to settlement: see earned settlement: what is proposed and what is law. Apply under the rules in force on the date you apply.
If the relationship ends
If your relationship ends, your partner visa will be curtailed, but the position is not always the end of your time in the UK. A partner whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse can apply for indefinite leave to remain under special provisions: see our guide to domestic abuse and your immigration status. A partner who is widowed can in some cases apply for settlement. If you have a child here, or a private life, other applications may be possible. Take advice promptly, because time limits on a curtailed visa are short.
Common reasons for refusal
- Applying after the visa has expired.
- Income evidence that does not meet the evidence rules for the period and category.
- An English test that is out of date or at the wrong level.
- Missing evidence of cohabitation since the last application.
- Absences that were longer than the rules allow.
If an extension is refused
A refusal of a partner application from inside the UK normally carries a right of appeal on human rights grounds, to be brought within 14 days. See appealing a refused partner visa. Because your permission may end on refusal, act at once.
How we help
We check your position before you apply, prepare the evidence and the application, and watch the dates for you. A consultation costs from £99.
