Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route) - Super Priority Service for a Decision Within 24 Hours

You can apply for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) from inside the UK if your current immigration status allows you to switch to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK. An application to switch to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) is submitted to the Home Office UKVI using the FLR (M) application form. You will be considered as an unmarried partner of the UK sponsor if you and your UK partner have been living together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least 2 years. An application to switch to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK can be submitted using Super Priority Service to obtain a decision within 24 hours.

The application for switching into an unmarried partner visa under the 5-year route is made in accordance with the requirements of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. If you meet all the requirements as set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, you will be granted 30 months (2.5 years) leave to remain as an unmarried partner under the 5-year route to settlement. Applicants who cannot meet all the requirements for switching to an unmarried partner visa under the 5-year route can apply for switching under the 10-year route.

Free Immigration Advice for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide one-off, 5-minute free immigration advice on your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of family visa solicitors for free online immigration advice, or book an appointment for detailed immigration advice with our specialist family visa solicitors for your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa. 

Specialist Family Visa Solicitors for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

Our family visa solicitors specialise in applications for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) from within the UK. As one of the best family visa solicitors, we have successfully helped thousands of clients with their spouse visa applications under the 5-year route. Our highly experienced and fully qualified family visa solicitors offer fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee advice and legal representation for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. 

Meet Our Team of Family Visa Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our family visa solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the partner visa process with professionalism and care. 

Our team comprises a diverse group of family visa solicitors with extensive experience and knowledge. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.

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How to Apply for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)?

To apply for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route), you should take the following steps:

1. Complete the online application form FLR (M) on the UKVI website.
2. Submit the completed application online by paying the Home Office UKVI fees, which include the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
3. Book your biometrics appointments with TLSContact by creating an account on the TLSContact web portal.
4. Upload all the supporting documents online before the biometrics enrolment appointment date.
5. Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment. You should take your BRP card, your passport, and your biometrics appointment letter with you to your biometrics appointment.
6. Wait for a decision on the application, which will normally be made within 3 to 6 months if submitted through the standard service and within 24 hours if submitted through Super Priority Service.

Super Priority Service for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa

As specialist family visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) to provide Super Priority Service for switching to an unmarried partner visa, whereby a decision on your unmarried partner visa application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your application through Super Priority Service.

Our family visa solicitors can prepare and submit your unmarried partner visa application more quickly and secure a decision more quickly through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait months (sometimes years) for a decision on your application.

Requirements for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

The requirements for switching to an unmarried partner visa under the 5-year route from inside the UK include the following:

Valid application: The applicant must submit a valid application to switch to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) in accordance with the requirements set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.

Immigration status requirement: The applicant must not be in the UK

• as a visitor; or
• with valid leave granted for a period of 6 months or less, unless that leave is as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or was granted pending the outcome of family court or divorce proceedings

Relationship requirement: The applicant must be the unmarried partner (must have lived together for at least 2 years) of a person who is either a British Citizen, a person with ILR / settled status, an EU national with pre-settled status, a refugee / humanitarian protection status holder, a Turkish Businessperson visa holder or a Turkish Worker visa holder. The applicant's relationship with the UK sponsor must be genuine and subsisting, and appropriate evidence of its genuineness and subsistence should be provided in support of the application to switch to an unmarried partner visa.

Age requirement: Both the applicant and the UK partner must be aged 18 or over.

Suitability Requirement: The applicant should meet the suitability requirements as set out in Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules.

Financial requirement: The applicant should meet the financial requirement for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route). The financial requirement can be met through

• income of the applicant and/or UK sponsor (£29,000 gross per year) from employment or self-employment; and/or
• savings of the applicant and/or the sponsor; or
• through the rental income of the applicant and/or the sponsor.

Accommodation requirement: The applicant must provide evidence that there will be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, for the family, including other family members who are not included in the application but who live in the same household, which the family owns or occupies exclusively.

English Language Requirement: The applicant must meet the English language requirement to demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level A1, as required by the UK Immigration Rules.

New Financial Requirement of £29,000 Gross Per Year From 11 April 2024

As a result of changes to Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules effective from 11 April 2024, the new financial requirement of £29,000 gross per annum applies to an applicant who is applying for switching into an unmarried partner visa on or after 11 April 2024. You will not have to meet income requirements higher than £29,000 gross per annum if you have any dependent children applying simultaneously along with the lead applicant, and the threshold will remain at £29,000 gross per annum.

To satisfy the financial requirements for switching to an unmarried partner visa, the applicant and/or the applicant's UK partner must be working and earning at least £29,000 gross per year. If the employment income under Category A is less than £29,000 gross per annum, the applicant can combine it with savings. The savings must be £16,000 plus additional savings equivalent to 2.5 times the difference between the applicant's and/or sponsor's gross annual income and £29,000. 

What Are the Various Sources of Income to Meet the Financial Requirements?

Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income threshold, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following 5 ways:

• Income from salaried or non-salaried employment of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category A or Category B, depending on the employment history.
• Non-employment income, e.g. income from property rental or dividends from shares. This is referred to as Category C.
• Cash savings of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant, above £16,000, held by the partner and/or the applicant for at least 6 months and under their control. This is referred to as Category D.
• State (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant. This is referred to as Category E.
• Income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee of a specified limited company in the UK, of the partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work). This is referred to as Category F or Category G, depending on which financial year(s) is/are being relied upon.

What is the Adequate Maintenance Requirement for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)?

Where the applicant’s partner is in receipt of any of the following benefits or allowances in the UK, the applicant will be able to meet the financial requirement at that application stage by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance” rather than meeting an income threshold of £29,000:

• Carer’s Allowance.
• Disability Living Allowance.
• Severe Disablement Allowance.
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
• Attendance Allowance.
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
• Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
• Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
• Police Injury Pension.

If the applicant’s partner is receiving one of the above benefits or allowances on behalf of their child, the applicant will be able to qualify by meeting the financial requirement through “adequate maintenance.” The evidence required to demonstrate that the applicant’s partner is in receipt of a specified benefit or allowance is specified in Appendix FM-SE.

What is the Formula for Calculating Adequate Maintenance?

The Home Office UKVI will use the following formula to determine whether you meet the adequate maintenance requirement for switching to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK:

A – B ≥ C (A minus B is greater than or equal to C)
Where:
A is the net income (after deduction of income tax and National Insurance contributions);
B is housing costs (Rent and Council Tax); and
C is the amount of Income Support an equivalent British family of that size can receive.

Immigration Status Requirement for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

The immigration rules require that the applicant must meet the immigration status requirement to successfully switch to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) from inside the UK. For an application for switching into an unmarried partner visa under the 5-year route to succeed, the applicant must not be in the UK-

• as a visitor; or
• with valid leave granted for a period of 6 months or less, unless that leave is as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or was granted pending the outcome of family court or divorce proceedings

English Language Requirement for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

The applicant must provide specified evidence that he/she:

1. is a national of a majority English-speaking country; or
2. has passed an English language test in speaking and listening at a minimum of level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages with a provider approved by the Home Office, UKVI; or
3. has an academic qualification recognised by UK Ecctis to be equivalent to the standard of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or PhD in the UK, which was taught in English; or
4. is exempt from the English language requirement because at the date of application:
   • the applicant is aged 65 or over;
   • the applicant has a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents the applicant from meeting the requirement; or
   • there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the applicant from being able to meet the requirements prior to entry to the UK.

Switching From an Unmarried Partner Visa 10 Years Route to an Unmarried Partner Visa 5 Years Route

If you are in the UK under an unmarried partner visa (10-year route), you can apply for switching to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) at any time during the validity of your leave under the 10-year route. Ideally, you should switch to the 5-year route as soon as you meet the financial and English language requirements. Your time for the ILR under the 5-year route will start from the date you are granted initial leave under the 5-year route, and all the time you spent under the 10-year route cannot be combined with the time spent under the 10-year route. We can prepare and submit your application through Super Priority Service, so you receive a decision within 24 hours.

Switching From a Student Visa To an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

A person in the UK on a student visa can apply to switch to an unmarried partner visa (5-year route) after living with a UK partner for at least 2 years in a relationship akin to marriage or a civil partnership. The applicant can combine their part-time employment income with the UK partner's income to meet the financial requirement for switching from a student visa to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK. The student can rely on the English language requirement previously met as part of the student visa application to satisfy the English language requirement for switching from a student visa to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK.

Switching From a Work Visa To an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)

A person who is in the UK on any work visa can apply for switching to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK if the applicant has lived with the UK partner for at least two years in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership. Time spent by the applicant on a work visa will not count towards the 5-year qualifying period when applying for ILR as an unmarried partner under the 5-year route. It is very common for those on a T5 Temporary Work visa to switch to an unmarried partner visa after living together with their British partner for 2 years. The applicant can meet the financial requirement either through their sole income or in combination with their UK partner's income to qualify for switching to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK.

Appeal Against Refusal of Application for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa

If your application for switching to an unmarried partner has been refused by the Home Office UKVI and you have been given the right to appeal against the refusal decision, you should file an appeal with the First Tier Tribunal within 14 days of the refusal decision. The appeal against the refusal decision can be successful on the grounds that the decision to refuse is not in accordance with rules or in contravention of your right to private and family life as envisaged under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). An Immigration Judge at the First Tier Tribunal will hear and determine the appeal. Our specialist family visa solicitors can provide the required legal services to represent you in your immigration appeal and challenge the refusal decision.

How Can We Help With Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa UK?

Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation for your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa, on a fixed-fee basis. Our family visa solicitors can legally represent you in your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa and carry out all the work on your application until a decision by the Home Office UKVI on your unmarried partner visa application. The immigration casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our family visa solicitors will advise you on the requirements you need to meet for your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa to be successful.

Documentary advice: Our family visa lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to submit in support of your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa.

Assessing documents: Our immigration lawyers will assess your documents to make sure that all the documents you provide in support of your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa are in accordance with the requirements of the immigration rules.

Completing the application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application form for your application.

Submitting an application through Super Priority Service: If required, our immigration lawyers will submit your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa online through Super Priority Service to obtain a decision within 24 hours.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After the online submission of your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa, our immigration lawyers will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.

Detailed cover letter: Our specialist immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa to explain all the relevant legal requirements for your application to be approved by the Home Office UKVI.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our immigration lawyers will upload all supporting documents online to support your application for a switch to an unmarried partner visa.

Follow-up work: Our immigration lawyers will carry out all the follow-up work until the Home Office UKVI decides on your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa.

Why Choose Us for Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)?

There are several reasons you can choose our family visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK. The main reasons include the following:

High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best family visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for switching into an unmarried partner visa UK from inside the UK. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Remote Legal Services: Our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert immigration advice and legal representation, delivered remotely from our London offices. Using modern technology, our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa remotely, without you needing to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices, if this is their preference, we are proud to offer our legal services for unmarried partner visa applications remotely to save you time and travel costs.

Open 7 Days A Week: We pride ourselves on providing dedicated immigration advice and legal representation 7 days a week for applications to switch to an unmarried partner visa from inside the UK.

All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: All the casework on your application for switching to an unmarried partner visa will be carried out by our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced family visa solicitors who have extensive experience in dealing with unmarried partner visa applications.

Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified family visa solicitors will prepare and submit your application to switch to an unmarried partner visa in the shortest possible time using the fast-track process. Where possible, our family visa solicitors will submit your unmarried partner visa application through the Super Priority Visa Service to get a faster decision on your unmarried partner visa application within 24 hours.

Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online for switching to an unmarried partner visa in the UK via our website enquiry form.

Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our family visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for an application for switching into an unmarried partner visa with an option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start our work on your unmarried partner visa application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the unmarried partner visa application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.

How Much Does Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route) Cost?

Get a Fixed Fee Quote for Your Immigration Matter

What Are Our Other Related Services?

• Unmarried Partner Visa UK
• Entry Clearance for an Unmarried Partner Visa
• Switching to an Unmarried Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
• Extension of an Unmarried Partner Visa (5 Years Route)
• Extension of an Unmarried Partner Visa (10 Years Route)
• ILR as an Unmarried Partner (5 Years Route)
• ILR as an Unmarried Partner (10 Years Route)
• Naturalisation as a British Citizen After ILR Grant
• Appeal Against Refusal of Unmarried Partner Visa UK

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

The following are the various Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about switching to an unmarried partner visa UK under the 5-year route: