How to complete the SET(M) form for indefinite leave to remain as a partner

The SET(M) form is the application used by a partner on the 5-year family route to settle in the UK. An application that does not meet the relationship, financial or residence requirements may be refused, and the fee is not refunded. This post provides an overview of each section of the online SET(M) form for indefinite leave to remain as a partner.

Key overviews

• SET(M) is the online application for indefinite leave to remain as a partner under Appendix FM. The applicant must be in the UK with permission as a partner.
• The applicant needs 5 years (60 months) with permission as the partner of the same person. Time spent as a fiancé or proposed civil partner does not count.
• The relationship, financial and accommodation requirements are tested again. At settlement, cash savings are no longer divided by 2.5.
• English and the Life in the UK test are required under Appendix KoLL. The English level rises from B1 to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027.

Contents

• What is the SET(M) form?
• What to prepare before starting the SET(M) form
• Application type and current permission
• Personal information, nationality and contact details
• Time in the UK, trips abroad and ties overseas
• Your partner’s details and status
• Relationship details and living together
• The financial requirement on the SET(M) form
• Accommodation questions on the SET(M) form
• English language and the Life in the UK test
• Immigration history, convictions and good character
• Documents, partner declaration and the declaration
• What happens after the SET(M) form is submitted
• Frequently asked questions

What is the SET(M) form?

The SET(M) form is the Home Office application for indefinite leave to remain as the partner of a British citizen or a settled person. It is made online, and the form asks the applicant to choose the category they are applying under.

Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules sets the requirements at R-ILRP.1.1. The applicant and their partner must be in the UK, and the applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability. They must also meet every eligibility requirement in Section E-ILRP.

The SET(M) form is for partners on the 5-year route. Our guide to indefinite leave to remain on a family visa explains how the family routes lead to settlement.

What to prepare before starting the SET(M) form

The applicant needs their passport, a full travel history and the evidence for each requirement ready before the form is opened. The partner also signs a declaration about the relationship.

For most applications, the following are needed:

• the applicant’s passport, and evidence of their current permission as a partner;
• the partner’s British passport, or evidence of their settled status;
• evidence that the couple have lived together since the last grant of permission;
• the specified evidence for the financial requirement, such as payslips and bank statements;
• evidence of the accommodation, such as a mortgage statement or tenancy agreement;
• the Life in the UK test unique reference number, and evidence of English language ability; and
• the dates and reasons for every trip outside the UK of more than 2 weeks.

The documents list at the end of the form confirms what must be uploaded for each answer, however, the documentary evidence required will depend on the applicant’s circumstances. Whytecroft Ford can check the evidence for each requirement before the form is completed. Call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.

Application type and current permission

The opening questions confirm that the applicant is eligible to apply as a partner. Under E-ILRP.1.2, the applicant must be in the UK with valid leave to remain as a partner under Appendix FM.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant is currently in the UK;
• the category the applicant is applying under for indefinite leave to remain;
• whether the applicant was originally granted leave on an application made before 9 July 2012 as a partner on the family route; and
• whether the applicant’s current permission is as the partner of a British citizen, a settled person or another qualifying person.

This 9 July 2012 question separates applicants first granted under the earlier family rules from those on the current Appendix FM route. That partner’s status matters too, because E-LTRP.1.2 lists the partners who qualify. These include a British citizen in the UK and a person present and settled in the UK.

Personal information, nationality and contact details

The personal section collects the applicant’s identity and contact details. Each applicant must provide a passport or other document that establishes their identity and nationality.

The form asks:

• the applicant’s title, given names and family name, and any other names they have been known by;
• the applicant’s postal address, whether they live there and when they started living there;
• the applicant’s sex as shown in their passport, and their relationship status;
• whether the applicant can provide a valid passport, and its details;
• the applicant’s nationality, any other nationality held, and whether they have a valid national identity card; and
• a contact telephone number and the applicant’s National Insurance number.

A question also records whether the applicant has an immigration adviser, and who regulates them.

Time in the UK, trips abroad and ties overseas

The travel section records how long the applicant has lived in the UK and each trip abroad which was longer than 2 weeks. Under E-ILRP.1.3, the applicant must have completed a continuous period of at least 5 years (60 months) with permission as a partner.

The form asks:

• how long the applicant has lived in the UK;
• where the applicant spent time outside the UK for more than 2 weeks, and the reason for each trip;
• the dates the applicant left and returned to the UK for each of those trips; and
• whether the applicant has family, friends, or social and cultural ties in their country of birth, nationality or any country where they lived for more than 5 years.

Under E-ILRP.1.4, only periods with the same partner count towards the 5 years. Time as a fiancé or proposed civil partner is disregarded under E-ILRP.1.3(2). The travel history is also read alongside the requirement to have lived together, set out in the relationship section below.

Your partner’s details and status

The partner section records the sponsoring partner’s identity, status and residence in the UK. E-LTRP.1.2 sets out who the partner must be, such as a British citizen in the UK or a person present and settled in the UK.

The form asks:

• the partner’s name, date of birth and sex, as shown in their passport;
• the partner’s nationality, their basis for living in the UK and, where British, how long they have held citizenship;
• the partner’s UK address, how long they have lived there, and whether it is their main residence;
• how long the partner has lived in the UK, and their National Insurance number;
• whether the partner has previously sponsored another partner as the partner of a settled person; and
• whether the applicant and partner were related before they became partners.

The question on whether the partners were related links to E-LTRP.1.5, which bars a relationship within the prohibited degrees. A partner who has sponsored a previous partner may be asked about that earlier relationship.

Relationship details and living together

The relationship section tests whether the relationship is genuine and subsisting. Under E-LTRP.1.10, the couple must have lived together in the UK since the last grant. Any period apart needs a good reason.

The form asks:

• when the couple first met, and when the relationship began;
• whether they are married or in a civil partnership, the date, country and type of ceremony, and whether both attended in person;
• whether it is or was an arranged marriage, and the ages of each partner at the marriage;
• whether they were married or in a civil partnership when the applicant was last granted permission;
• whether they live together now, when they started living together, and whether they have lived together permanently in the UK since the applicant’s partner permission was granted;
• whether they intend to continue living together in the UK;
• any previous marriages, and whether the applicant is married to anyone else;
• any children together, and any children whose other parent is not the partner; and
• the languages each partner speaks and uses to communicate, and any care needs or learning disabilities.

Under E-LTRP.1.7, the relationship must be genuine and subsisting, and under E-LTRP.1.9 any previous relationship must have broken down permanently. Evidence of living together usually comes from documents addressed to both partners at the same address across the period.

The financial requirement on the SET(M) form

The finance section tests the financial requirement in Appendix FM. Under E-ILRP.1.3(1A), the applicant must meet the E-LTRP financial requirement at settlement. Where cash savings are used, the words “2.5 times” are disregarded, so less cash savings may be required compared to previous applications.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant can meet the financial requirement, and which types of income are relied on;
• the employer’s name, the job title, the type of employment and the date it began;
• whether the person has worked for the same employer for the 6 months before the date of application;
• the annual income before tax for each employment;
• whether the applicant or partner is a director of a UK limited company;
• whether the applicant or partner receives any of the listed benefits; and
• whether the partner sponsors any additional children.

The threshold depends on when the applicant first applied. Under E-LTRP.3.1. A partner first granted on an application made before 11 April 2024 meets the transitional requirement under E-LTRP.3.5 to 3.7. That starts at £18,600, provided they are applying with the same partner.

Our guide to the spouse visa financial requirement explains each category of income.

Accommodation questions on the SET(M) form

The accommodation questions test the adequate accommodation requirement. Under E-LTRP.3.4, there must be adequate accommodation, without recourse to public funds, which the family own or occupy exclusively.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant owns or rents their home;
• the monthly mortgage or rent payment;
• whether anyone other than the partner and children lives at the property; and
• whether the applicant or any dependant owns property or has business interests outside the UK.

The housing evidence usually includes a official title of register, a mortgage statement or tenancy agreement and council tax evidence. Where other people share the home, the number of occupants is checked against the rooms available.

English language and the Life in the UK test

The language section confirms the knowledge of English and Life in the UK requirements. Under E-ILRP.1.6, both are met in accordance with Appendix KoLL.

The form asks:

• whether the applicant has passed the Life in the UK test;
• whether the applicant has provided evidence of English language ability in a previous application;
• whether the applicant has passed an approved English language test;
• whether the applicant claims an exemption from the English test due to a medical or mental condition; and
• whether exceptional circumstances prevent the applicant from taking the test.

Under Appendix KoLL, the required English level is B1 for an application made before 26 March 2027. For an application made on or after that date, it is B2. A B1 result used for an earlier grant does not meet B2. Our guide to the English requirement for ILR and citizenship covers the evidence for each method.

The Life in the UK Test pass is evidenced by its unique reference number. Whytecroft Ford’s team can confirm which English evidence an applicant can rely on, and by which date.

Immigration history, convictions and good character

The history and character sections test suitability. Under S-ILR.1.1, the applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability.

The form asks:

• any Home Office reference numbers;
• whether the applicant has ever been refused a visa, refused entry at the border, or refused permission to stay;
• whether the applicant has been deported, removed, required to leave, or excluded or banned from entry;
• whether the applicant has any criminal convictions or other penalties, in the UK or abroad;
• whether the applicant has been involved in terrorism, extremism, war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide;
• whether the applicant has undertaken activity for a non-UK government known to be dangerous to the UK or its allies; and
• whether there is any other information about the applicant’s character that the Home Office should know.

Part Suitability includes grounds for deception and for not disclosing relevant facts. Each history question is answered in full, including any refusal by another country where the form asks. Our guide to whether a visa refusal affects future applications explains how earlier refusals are treated.

Documents, partner declaration and the declaration

The closing sections list the documents, record the partner’s declaration and confirm the declaration. A generic documents list is generated from the answers given earlier, the documents required will depend on the applicant’s circumstances.

The form asks for:

• the mandatory documents, such as the passport and the evidence of the partner’s status;
• the partner’s relationship declaration, which the partner downloads, signs and returns;
• consent from any third party whose evidence is used to prove the financial circumstances;
• the service chosen, such as the standard, priority or super priority service; and
• the declaration that the information given is correct.

A further question asks whether the applicant has any other reasons for wanting to stay in the UK. Their answers, documents and the partner’s declaration are read together. A gap between them may lead to a request for more evidence, or to a refusal.

What happens after the SET(M) form is submitted

After the form is submitted and paid, the applicant provides their biometric details at an appointment. The Home Office then assesses the application against Appendix FM.

For indefinite leave to remain, the Home Office fee is £3,226 for each applicant, under the Home Office immigration and nationality fees table. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Our guide to the cost of indefinite leave to remain sets out the full breakdown.

Where the application is granted, the applicant holds indefinite leave to remain, shown as an eVisa. A partner of a British citizen can then apply to naturalise straight away, without waiting 12 months. Our guide to naturalisation as a British citizen explains that next step.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for SET(M) online?

Yes. The SET(M) application is made online, and the applicant then provides biometrics at an appointment. The documents are uploaded or provided as the form directs.

Can I count my time on a fiancé visa towards the 5 years?

No. E-ILRP.1.3(2) disregards any period of leave as a fiancé or proposed civil partner. The 5 years run from the grant of permission as a partner.

What if my partner has changed since my last grant of permission?

Only time with the same partner counts under E-ILRP.1.4. A new partner means a new application as a partner, and the transitional financial requirement does not apply to a new partner.

Do I need to take a new English test for SET(M)?

Not before 26 March 2027 if you have already met B1. For an application made on or after that date, the required level is B2, and a B1 result does not meet it.

Can my children be included in the SET(M) application?

A child who is applying to settle with the parent is added as a dependant, and each applicant pays the fee. The child’s own requirements are assessed separately.

How Whytecroft Ford can help

The SET(M) form tests every partner requirement again, from the relationship and living together to the finances and accommodation. Each answer must match the specified evidence in Appendix FM. A SET(M) application that misses a requirement may be refused, and the fee is not refunded. Whytecroft Ford’s immigration team prepares settlement applications for partners regularly.

Our team is experienced, approachable and professional. To discuss your application, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.

Sources

• Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules (GOV.UK). R-ILRP and E-ILRP for settlement as a partner, and the E-LTRP relationship, financial and accommodation requirements.
• Appendix KoLL of the Immigration Rules (GOV.UK). The English language and Life in the UK requirements.
• Home Office immigration and nationality fees (GOV.UK). The indefinite leave to remain fee.

Disclaimer: The material in this article is provided for guidance and general information only and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice upon which you should rely. In particular, the information should not be used as a substitute for a full and proper consultation with a suitably qualified professional. UK Immigration Rules are subject to change. Please do contact the Whytecroft Ford team if you require further advice.