Our Offices: London | Manchester | Open 7 Days
Spouse Visa UK 5 Years Route Requirements and Application Guide 2025
A Spouse visa UK 5 Years route is a route settlement in the UK that allows you to live together with your partner in the UK for up to 30 months. You can apply for a Spouse visa under the 5-year route if your partner is a British citizen or has, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), pre-settled status or settled status in the UK. You can apply, extend, or switch to a UK Spouse visa under a 5-year route if you do not meet all the requirements of Appendix FM of the immigration rules.
Spouse Visa UK 5 Years Route Requirements 2025
A Spouse visa 5-Year route is a route settlement in the UK that allows you to live together with your partner in the UK for up to 30 months (2.5 years). A spouse visa can be extended for another 30 months (2.5 years) if you meet certain eligibility requirements.
Contents
What is the difference between 5 years and 10 years partner route?
The main difference between 5 years partner route and 10 years partner route is when the applicant will be eligible to apply for ILR in the UK.
The 5-year PR and the 10-year PR apply to applications made on or after the 9th of July 2012. This was when a set of rules, called “Appendix FM” was introduced and implemented into the current Immigration Rules. Appendix FM sets out the requirements for a Partner Visa.
Requirements for 5-years spouse visa route
The main requirements for a UK Spouse visa application under 5-year route are as follows:
- Both, you and your partner must be 18 or over;
- You need to prove that your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together permanently in the UK;
- You need to meet the financial requirements to prove that you can support your family without seeking public funds;
- You must meet the requirement of adequate accommodation;
- You must satisfy the English language requirements to prove your knowledge of the English language.
You can arrange an appointment with our spouse visa solicitors to discuss all other requirements depending on your circumstances.
Financial requirement for spouse visa uK 5 Years route
If you apply for a family visa as a partner, you and your partner usually need to prove that your combined income is at least £29,000 a year.
This is called a ‘minimum income requirement’.The financial requirements are different if either:
you first applied as a partner before 11 April 2024 and you’re extending that visa – this includes if you first applied as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner
your partner is getting certain disability or carer’s benefits
You may be able to seek exemption from the financial requirements under special circumstances.
Required documents for spouse visa UK 5 years route
The required documents for spouse visa UK 5 years route are different according to individual’s circumstances. However, below is the general list of documents:
- Valid current passport;
- Proof that your relationship is genuine;
- Evidence of meeting the financial requirements;
- Evidence of meeting the adequate accommodation requirement;
- Proof of meeting the English language requirement;
- Details of any criminal convictions.
Switch from 10 years partner route to 5 years partner route
Are you on a 10-years spouse visa route and looking to switch to a 5-years route? Our UK spouse visa specialists can help you to switch from 10 years partner route to 5 years partner route. If you meet all the requirements of Appendix FM, you can switch to spouse visa UK 5 years route to apply ILR after 5 years as a spouse.
