British Citizenship as a Spouse

Hi
My question is regarding Naturalisation after 5 years.
Can I apply for BC directly after 5 years stay here in the UK (Biometric 2.5 years Leave to Enter + Biometric 2.5 years Spouse/Partner Leave to Remain), or will I need to apply for IRL first, receive the IRL, then apply for Naturalisation?

The reason why I am asking is
1) costs. If I apply for IRL first then BC, that will mean approximately £2500 for IRL, and then an additional £1600 for naturalisation.
2) waiting time. I understand as a spouse of a BC I don't have to wait for an extra year to apply for naturalisation but IRL applications may take up to 6 months if I don't pay for priority. On top of that I will have to wait a further 6 months for naturalisation.

Looking forward to your reply.

Regards
Ivy

ILR is mandatory before you can apply for citizenship. There is no shortcut route.

1. £2389 for ILR standard application. £1330 for citizenship. This excludes the ukcvas biomtric appointment fee if no free appointments are available.

2. ILR standard application without pruority takes up to 6 months yes. As soon as you have ILR and your brp card, you can apply for citizenship based on 3 years residence as spouse of British citizen. Naturalisation applications can also take up to 6 months and then there are currently delay if 3 to 6 months for the citizenship ceremony after you receive approval. There is no priority service for citizenship applications.

If you choose to use standard route for ILR, then yes, it is a long wait. There is no other way to speed up either application processes.

Thank you for your reply. I understand now that I will have to apply for ILR, wait for my approval on IRL, then apply for BC. This means I will have 2 sets of fees...One for IRL, and another for BC.

Further to my query, I will like to clarify the following with regards to timing : -
1) Life in the UK Test.
Do I have to wait till I have satisfied 5 years before I can do this test, or can I do the test in advance say by a few months? I understand the result from this test is for life, so am I right to assume that I should be able to do this test at any time during the 5 years?

2) IRL Application
I understand I can submit this application 28 days before my 5 years is due.
Assuming I pay for Priority service which means I should have a result in 24 hours.
Does that mean I can submit my application for BC in that "a few days before 5 years" window, or do I have to wait out the 28 days so I have the full 5 years before I submit a BC application?

With regards to the 5 years, if I made short holidays of a week here and there throughout the 5 years, will I need to make up for those days I was on holiday towards the 5 year count?

I look forward to your reply.

1) Life in the UK Test.
Do I have to wait till I have satisfied 5 years before I can do this test, or can I do the test in advance say by a few months? I understand the result from this test is for life, so am I right to assume that I should be able to do this test at any time during the 5 years?

The test doesn't expire and can be done at any time.

2) IRL Application
I understand I can submit this application 28 days before my 5 years is due.
Assuming I pay for Priority service which means I should have a result in 24 hours.
Does that mean I can submit my application for BC in that "a few days before 5 years" window, or do I have to wait out the 28 days so I have the full 5 years before I submit a BC application?

Priority service is a 5 days decions costing £500. It is super priority that is 24 hours and costs an extra £800. You can apply for ilr no sooner than within 28 days before the 5th anniversary of the date you entered the UK on a spouse visa (not a fiance visa as it doesn't count). You cannot submit a BC application until you have ilr. Do not confuse the two completely separate process and rules.

With regards to the 5 years, if I made short holidays of a week here and there throughout the 5 years, will I need to make up for those days I was on holiday towards the 5 year count?

There is NO absence limit for a spouse visa holder.