Indefinite Leave to Remain

Hello All,

It's so great to see such a vibrant community that appears to be so helpful especially as it pertains to helping people out with immigration questions. I have one which I am sure has been answered before (I found a similar question below here https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=86013.msg1127526#msg1127526) but I wanted to see if anything changed or their situation was different to mine if it's not too much trouble! I will be very brief.

Aug 2014 - Sept 2015 (T4 Student Visa)
Sept 2015 - March 2018 (T2 Work Visa)
March 2018 - Sept 2020 (Partner/Spouse Visa (Married if that matters))

Am I able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in September of this year or do I have to have five consecutive years on the same visa type? Ideally as I will have been here for 5 years I would be able to but the wording on the government website it a bit vague on this situation.

Thank you in advance

Hello All,

It's so great to see such a vibrant community that appears to be so helpful especially as it pertains to helping people out with immigration questions. I have one which I am sure has been answered before (I found a similar question below here https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=86013.msg1127526#msg1127526) but I wanted to see if anything changed or their situation was different to mine if it's not too much trouble! I will be very brief.

Aug 2014 - Sept 2015 (T4 Student Visa)
Sept 2015 - March 2018 (T2 Work Visa)
March 2018 - Sept 2020 (Partner/Spouse Visa (Married if that matters))

Am I able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in September of this year or do I have to have five consecutive years on the same visa type? Ideally as I will have been here for 5 years I would be able to but the wording on the government website it a bit vague on this situation.

Thank you in advance

Welcome! 

When you switched from your work visa to the spouse visa, that re-set your 5 year clock unfortunately. So next you will have to apply for FLR(M).

What a bummer! The immigration office didn't even tell me that when making that application. I mean I'm happy that I am on the one that I am now, but I am so sick of paying for visa applications for arbitrary reasons. Not being a permanent resident holds up so many things like buying a flat and improving your credit score (not being on the electoral role).

Thank you for the quick reply

What a bummer! The immigration office didn't even tell me that when making that application. I mean I'm happy that I am on the one that I am now, but I am so sick of paying for visa applications for arbitrary reasons. Not being a permanent resident holds up so many things like buying a flat and improving your credit score (not being on the electoral role).

Thank you for the quick reply

Even armed with that knowledge, several of our members have still chosen to switch from work to spouse visas, preferring to be tied to their spouse than to the employer.

Also, undoubtedly it will affect your mortgage rate but several of our members have bought property before they reached ILR. Try a mortgage broker if you're having trouble with that.

I made the switch from Tier 2 to spounse a million years ago and it was the right choice.  Was just a bummer that it was 8 years before I could get ILR.

And I got a mortgage long before ILR.  You will pay a higher interest rate, but it shouldn't be prohibitively high.  Contact a mortgage broker in your area and see what they say. 

Thank you both for the replies. That's quite reassuring to hear! I will do exactly that.