Eligibility for extending a Tier 1 General Partner visa ?

Hi Sir/Madam,

I had a query regarding the eligibility criteria for getting the Tier 1 general partner visa extension and eventually get the ILR(post July'2012).

I got my Tier1 general partner visa in Dec'2013 and it is valid through Oct'2016. I travelled to the UK to accompany my husband within a month after I was issued the visa. I plan to apply for an extension towards the end of Sep'2016(before my visa expires). As part of my work, I keep travelling outside the UK once in a while for at least a couple of weeks. I wanted to know if these trips can have any impact on my extension or ILR? Is there any eligibility criteria for getting Tier1 General partner visa extended? Any rules or clauses related to the maximum stay outside the UK?

Regards
Vrinda M

The requirements are set out in 319C.

Thank you very much for your quick response and While I am reading through the document, I wanted to quickly double check if the dependent's stay outside the UK is counted against the continuous period? I understand that there is a clause for the Tier-1 General visa which states -"No more than 180 whole days absence are allowed in any of the five, four, three or two consecutive 12 month periods, depending on the category, preceding the date of the application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)."

Does this rule apply for the dependent (tier 1 general partner visa )/spouse?

Regards
Vrinda M

I think you may be okay, if you don't apply for entry clearance from outside the UK.