🇬🇧 Can I combine different visas for settlement?
By Natalia Andrews , OISC-accredited Immigration Adviser since 2008. We are often asked about when to apply for settlement, ie Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Can Student visas be combined with a work visa ? Or with a Parter visa? Can a work visa be combined with a Dependant visa? Can a Partner visa in 10-year route be combined with a visa in 5-year route, and so on. The answer is always in the Rules. It’s not a matter of trying and hoping. The Rules for each category say what can be added. If a category has no “Settlement” section then it doesn’t lead to ILR at all. Examples : Student , Graduate, Youth Mobility. A Spouse/Partner visa, based on relationship with a British citizen , cannot be combined with anything else (not even with a Fiancée visa). It has to be 5 years in the 5-year route. Or 10 years in the 10-year route. But not a combination! Although you can switch from the latter to the former but start “your” 5 years again. A Skilled Worker visa can be combined with