Spouse citizenship in 3 years or 5?

[prit]

Hi,
My fiancé is in the UK on a Tier 1 visa since April 2011. We will be getting married soon.
I am hoping to get my citizenship in April 2014. Can my (soon to be) wife also apply for citizenship once I am naturalised, as she will have spent 3 years in the UK?
Or does she need to go through the ILR route and wait 2 more years before being eligible?
If the answer is 5 years, would there be a case to make an application in 3 years, suggesting that we have been living together these past 3 years, even if her visa status was not dependent on mine, but her own Tier 1?
Many thanks!

[lynxukauq]

She can apply for naturalisation as a spouse of British Citizen after completing 3 years period once you have become BC and needs to have ILR/be free from immigration time restrictions on the day she makes the application.

[prit]

Many thanks for the response! So you're suggesting that she needs to complete 5 years to get her ILR first. And once gets the ILR, would be eligible for applying?

[lynxukauq]

Yes whenever she becomes eligible for ILR, she can then apply straight after getting ILR.

[prit]

Many thanks! Helpful