Settlement:Settlement – family and private life: caseworker guidance
GuidanceImmigration forstaff caseworkersguidance on applications for settlement by those on the family and private life routes.
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ThisUK guidanceVisas tellsand caseworkersImmigration guidance on how tostaff decide applications for settlement by those on the family and private life routes.
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First published.
Update history
2026-08-19 11:29
Changes have been made to introduce guidance for paragraph 297 and paragraph 298 within Part 8 of the Immigration Rules, update references to Part Suitability and to improve accuracy of the information in the guidance. This document replaces versions 1 to 4 of the Settlement family and private life guidance.
2025-07-29 00:01
Updated validity and eligibility sections in the private life guidance, allowing children and young adults to rely on a previous grant of permission based on their private life; added continuous residence requirements for a child born in the UK, applying for settlement on the private life route; clarified the relationship requirements for partners whose sponsors held permanent residence as an EU national; clarified that permission granted under Appendix Private Life based on significant obstacles (PL 5.1) or Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention (PL 8.1) is considered permission on the private life route.
2024-10-09 09:00
Updated to reflect the introduction of a fee waiver for bereaved partners who are destitute.
2024-01-31 00:01
Updates throughout – see ‘changes from the last version of this guidance’ for full details.
2022-08-17 00:15
First published.