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ILR with spouse abroad

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 8:31 am
by bdale
Hello all,

I am a British citizen and my partner is on a family visa, eligible to apply for ILR in May 2026.

I have just received a job offer outside the UK which would begin this autumn and it's a very good opportunity I would be keen to accept, but I am worried about the impact it could have on my partner's ILR application.

Are there any considerations I should be aware of before deciding whether or not to take this offer? We would retain both our names on things like our tenancy agreement and utility bills, etc, which I would continue to contribute to until the lease ends in summer 2026. Would my salary cause issue if it's being paid outside the UK?

Have there been examples of this situation in the past where the spouse being abroad has affected the ILR application?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Re: ILR with spouse abroad

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 9:05 am
by Ticktack
bdale wrote:
Fri May 02, 2025 8:31 am
Hello all,

I am a British citizen and my partner is on a family visa, eligible to apply for ILR in May 2026.

I have just received a job offer outside the UK which would begin this autumn and it's a very good opportunity I would be keen to accept, but I am worried about the impact it could have on my partner's ILR application.

Are there any considerations I should be aware of before deciding whether or not to take this offer? We would retain both our names on things like our tenancy agreement and utility bills, etc, which I would continue to contribute to until the lease ends in summer 2026. Would my salary cause issue if it's being paid outside the UK?

Have there been examples of this situation in the past where the spouse being abroad has affected the ILR application?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Would you spouse remain in the UK? Is your spouse currently working in the UK and meeting with the financial threshold?

Re: ILR with spouse abroad

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 9:15 am
by bdale
Thanks for your quick reply @Ticktack.

Yes my spouse would remain in the UK to finish out the period of his visa.

He is finishing a master's course at the moment, but should be returning to work in the next few months. We expect his salary would exceed the threshold for any position he secures.

Re: ILR with spouse abroad

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 12:16 pm
by Ticktack
bdale wrote:
Fri May 02, 2025 9:15 am
Thanks for your quick reply @Ticktack.

Yes my spouse would remain in the UK to finish out the period of his visa.

He is finishing a master's course at the moment, but should be returning to work in the next few months. We expect his salary would exceed the threshold for any position he secures.
If that's the case, you not working in the UK should have no effect on him.

Your bills are still going to be in both your names and you'll always come into the UK periodically.

His ILR is based on 3 key things, marriage to you, meeting the financial threshold, and his residency in the UK (subjective).

Re: ILR with spouse abroad

Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 2:16 pm
by bdale
Very reassuring, thank you!