Key Points
- Apply before your current visa expires.
- The English level for an extension is A2.
- People who entered the route before 11 April 2024 may keep the earlier financial rules.
- The extension takes you to the 5 years needed for settlement.
Extension requirements
- Continuing relationship
- Living together
- Financial requirement
- English language requirement
- Accommodation
- Immigration history
- Supporting evidence
Evidence of living together
At extension the Home Office expects to see that you have lived together since the last grant. Official correspondence addressed to each of you, or to both of you, at the same address and spread across the period is the usual way to show it.
Transitional financial requirement
Applicants who first entered the partner route before 11 April 2024 may be subject to different financial rules when extending with the same partner. For many, the earlier £18,600 threshold continues to apply.
At extension both partners' income from work in the UK can be counted.
When to apply
Apply before your permission ends, and usually within the 28 days before it does. Applying much earlier can leave you short of the five years needed for settlement, because the new grant starts from the decision date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my visa expires before the decision?
If you applied in time, your existing permission and its conditions continue until the application is decided.
What if we no longer meet the financial requirement?
Take advice before applying. Depending on the circumstances there may be another category that fits, or the application may fall to be considered on the longer route to settlement.
Official Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice. The rules and figures are set by the Home Office and can change.