Apply to remain in the UK with family

You need a ‘family of a settled person’ visa if you want to stay (‘remain’) with a family member or partner (eg spouse) who’s living in the UK permanently and you’re:

• already in the UK
• from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

You can apply if you’re eligible and you need to:

• extend your existing ‘family of a settled person’ visa
• switch to a ‘family of a settled person’ visa

Your family member or partner can:

• be a British citizen
• have settled in the UK
• be your partner who has asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK

You may also be able to apply to remain with your child if they’ve lived in the UK for at least 7 years.

Exceptions

You may need to apply in a different way if:

• you’re outside the UK
• your partner’s from the EEA or Switzerland
• your partner originally had a temporary visa as a worker
• you’re the victim of domestic violence or your partner has died
• you applied for a ‘family of a settled person’ visa before 9 July 2012
• you want to reunite with a partner or parent who has asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK

How long it will take

A decision will be made:

• within 8 weeks for postal applications
• usually on the same day if you use the premium service

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, eg:

• if your supporting documents need to be verified
• if you need to attend an interview
• because of your personal circumstances, eg if you have a criminal conviction

How long you can stay

You can stay for 2 years and 6 months. You’ll be able to apply to extend again towards the end of that.

You can also apply to settle permanently in the UK once you’re eligible.

What you can and can’t do

You can use your ‘family of a settled person’ visa to:

• work (you can’t work if you’re extending a visa to get married or to become civil partners)
• study
• bring some family members (‘dependants’)

You can’t usually get benefits or other public funds.