Settlement for bereaved partners
If your partner in the UK has died while you were here on a partner visa, the Immigration Rules have a route that grants settlement without waiting out the usual qualifying period. This guide sets out what Appendix Bereaved Partner requires.
- Section
- ILR & Settlement
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 22 February 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Settlement is granted without completing the usual 5-year qualifying period.
- There is no income threshold for the bereaved partner.
- The relationship must have been genuine and subsisting immediately before the death.
- A refusal carries a right to administrative review.
Appendix Bereaved Partner grants settlement to someone whose partner has died, where they hold or last held permission as that person's partner and the relationship was genuine and subsisting immediately before the death. There is no qualifying period and no income threshold. English and knowledge of life requirements are imposed by the appendix unless an exemption applies, and GOV.UK lists partners of deceased British citizens or settled persons among those exempt from proving English. A refusal carries a right to administrative review.
The Route
This is its own part of the Immigration Rules, Appendix Bereaved Partner. It exists so that a person whose partner has died is not left without status because the qualifying period was unfinished.
Paragraph BP 12.2 grants settlement to an applicant in the UK. Paragraph BP 12.1 grants entry clearance for settlement to an applicant outside the UK.
Who the Rules Cover
- Permission held. Paragraph BP 4.1 requires an applicant in the UK to have, or to have last been granted, permission as a partner under Appendix FM, under paragraph 285 or 295E, or under Appendix HM Armed Forces. Paragraph BP 5.1 sets the equivalent for an applicant overseas.
- The death. Paragraph BP 6.1 requires that the person who was the applicant's partner at the time of their last grant of permission as a partner has died.
- The relationship. Paragraph BP 6.2 requires that the applicant and their partner were in a genuine and subsisting relationship immediately before the partner's death.
- Suitability. Paragraph BP 2.1 applies the suitability grounds in Part Suitability, with paragraph SUI 11.4(a) disapplied. Good character is a citizenship test and is not applied here.
How long you had been on the partner route does not change eligibility. See our bereavement and partner visa guide.
What Is Not Required
There is no income threshold on this route. The £29,000 minimum income requirement that applies on the ordinary partner route is not part of Appendix Bereaved Partner.
The only maintenance and accommodation requirement in the appendix is paragraph BP 10.1, and it applies where the applicant is applying as a child. Funds are then shown as specified in Appendix FM-SE.
There is also no qualifying period to complete, so the years already spent on the partner route do not have to add up to five.
English and Knowledge of Life
Paragraph BP 8.1 sets the English language requirement at level B1 in speaking and listening, rising to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027. Paragraph BP 8.2 allows an exemption as specified in Appendix English Language. Paragraph BP 9.1 imposes the knowledge of life in the UK requirement unless an exemption applies under Appendix KOL UK.
GOV.UK's public list of people who do not need to prove knowledge of English includes partners of deceased British citizens or settled persons, alongside applicants aged 65 or over and applicants who cannot meet it because of a long-term physical or mental condition. If you are in one of those groups, the exemption route in BP 8.2 is the one to follow rather than booking a test. See our English for settlement guide and our Life in the UK test guide.
Applying
Paragraph BP 1.1 says an application from outside the UK is made online on form VAF (AF). Paragraph BP 1.2 says an application in the UK is made online on the specified form. Paragraph BP 1.3 sets the validity requirements, which include that any fee has been paid unless a fee waiver has been granted, and that biometrics and identity documents are provided.
Documents that support the eligibility requirements include:
- The partner's death certificate.
- The marriage or civil partnership certificate, or evidence of living together as unmarried partners.
- Evidence that the partner was a British citizen or was settled in the UK.
- Evidence that the relationship was genuine and subsisting immediately before the death, such as joint accounts, tenancy or mortgage records and correspondence.
- Your passport and your eVisa details.
Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, so status is an eVisa in a UKVI account. See our eVisa guide. For fees and fee waivers, see our cost breakdown.
If the application is refused, paragraph BP 11.2 gives a right to apply for an administrative review.
Where to Get Help
- Only a person regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority or a solicitor can advise on an individual immigration case. See our guide to getting help with an application.
- Cruse Bereavement Support offers free bereavement support, and its helpline details are on its website.
- A GP can refer you for bereavement counselling. See our mental health support guide.
- If you have children, see our children on a partner visa guide.
After Settlement
Settlement removes the no recourse to public funds condition and any restriction on work, and it is held as an eVisa rather than a card. It lapses after more than 2 continuous years outside the UK.
Naturalisation is a separate application costing £1,839 for an adult, made up of £1,709 to apply and a £130 ceremony fee. See our citizenship after settlement guide and our benefits after settlement guide.
Questions and answers
Can I settle if my partner in the UK has died?
There is a dedicated route. Appendix Bereaved Partner of the Immigration Rules grants settlement to a person whose partner died, where that person holds or last held permission as a partner and the relationship was genuine and subsisting immediately before the death. There is no qualifying period to complete.
Does the income requirement apply?
No. Appendix Bereaved Partner has no income threshold for the partner. The only maintenance and accommodation requirement in the appendix, at paragraph BP 10.1, applies where the applicant is applying as a child.
Do the English and Life in the UK requirements apply?
The appendix imposes both, at paragraphs BP 8 and BP 9, unless an exemption applies. GOV.UK's own list of people who do not need to prove knowledge of English when applying to settle names partners of deceased British citizens or settled persons, so an exemption may well apply. Check your own position against Appendix English Language and Appendix KOL UK.
What is granted?
Settlement. Paragraph BP 12.2 says an applicant in the UK is granted settlement, and BP 12.1 says an applicant outside the UK is granted entry clearance for settlement. A refusal carries a right to administrative review.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.