How do I get my spouse and children who are permanent residents in the UK together? What should I do if I arrive 2 years late and turn 18?

Last week, a reader left a message and said it very honestly: "I got the Skilled Worker in 2021, my wife only applied for the accompanying visa in 2023, and the child was born in London last year. I can apply for permanent residence this year, but what about the two of them?"

This is a common misunderstanding among Chinese families - many people assume that "if the main applicant obtains permanent residence, their family members will automatically follow suit." is not. Under British immigration rules, spouses and children are independent applicants, and their time is counted separately. made this line thoroughly clear today.

Spouse who is a permanent resident in the UK: must live on their own for 5 years

Taking Skilled Worker as an example, if the spouse (dependent partner) wants to receive ILR, he/she needs to live in the UK continuously for as a "dependent" for 5 consecutive years, rather than taking a ride on the main applicant. There is also a "last grant requirement" that is easily overlooked: his most recent visa must have been approved as the spouse/child of the main applicant.

The same exit rules for continuous residence apply: absences cannot exceed 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. Some head-of-household applicants are very defensive, and their spouses are away for seven or eight months a year because they return to their country to take care of the elderly. As a result, they are stuck here - the records of the two people are reviewed separately.

💡 Remember in one sentence: The main applicant’s 5 years belong to him, and the spouse’s 5 years belong to the spouse. Each of the two timelines has its own purpose.

What should I do if my spouse comes 2 years late and is just short of permanent residence?

Back to the reader at the beginning. If he reaches 5 years first and gets ILR first, his spouse still has two years left, will it be "cut off"? No, but it will cost more. Home Office The current guidelines for dependent family members (Dependent family members in work routes, August 2026 version) make it very clear: after the main applicant has settled, if there is still time left for the family members, they need to submit a separate extension application, obtain a new permit as required, and pay the corresponding fees and IHS - even if the gap is only ten months, they must pay for the entire period.

So there are two practical points in planning:

📌 If the difference between and is almost the same (within half a year), the main applicant may consider submitting the application a little later, or simply submit separate applications. Don’t force it together just to “save a one-time fee.” Otherwise, it will interrupt the spouse’s continuous residence.
📌 If the difference between and is much greater (more than one year), be sure to calculate the expiration date of the spouse's visa in advance. Don't forget to renew the visa for the dependents as soon as the main applicant gets the permanent residence - the status is cut off and you have to start all over again in 5 years.

If two or three people in your family have different timelines, I really recommend taking a piece of paper and listing each person’s entry date, visa start and end date, and departure days. If you are too lazy to calculate by hand, use the 永居计算器 APP to create a timeline for each family member, and you can calculate to the sky.

Children and parents getting permanent residence: two key breaking points

Breakpoint 1: Children born in the UK. If one of the parents is already a British citizen or settled (settled) when the child is born, the child will automatically be a British citizen at birth and does not need to apply for permanent residence at all. If both parents have not settled down at the time of birth, the child is an ordinary dependent and must apply - a full birth certificate must be submitted when applying.

Breakpoint 2: 18th birthday. According to the rules, dependent children refer to those who are under 18 years old at the time of application; those who are over 18 years old but whose last permission was approved as a child of the parent can usually still continue to apply as a dependent. The real trouble is for children whose visa expires before the age of 18 and needs to study or work independently. Once they are transferred to other visas such as Student, the timeline of their family status will be interrupted. Families whose children are about to turn 18 should make plans a year in advance.

The good news is: children under the age of 18 are exempt from taking the Life in the UK Test exam and are also exempt from the English exam . Only required for adults (Life in the UK 24 questions 18 correct, £50).

Permanent residence application fee: Children must also pay the full amount

This is the most worrying one: ILR does not have a “family package price”. The current standard application fee is charged in full per person (it will be increased to £3,226 per person in April 2026, please refer to the latest announcement of GOV.UK). The application fee alone for a family of four starts at 12,000. Infants are also full price. It is recommended to start saving this money 12–18 months in advance.

Another word of warning: the English language requirement will be raised from B1 to B2 for settlement applications from March 26, 2027. If your spouse expects to apply for permanent residence after 2027, he should prepare according to B2 now.

Impact of 2026 permanent residence reform on spouse and children

The consultation on the "earned settlement" plan proposed by the government at the end of last year ended on February 12, 2026, with more than 200,000 responses received. As of today (August 2026), the by-laws have not yet been tabled in Parliament, and there is no firm entry into force date.

But the direction is already clear: the settlement period of ’s family members will be independently assessed according to their respective conditions, which may be earlier or later than that of the main applicant. In other words, the principle of "to each his own" will only be strengthened, not weakened. Sort out everyone's timeline now and you'll never lose money.