Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons non-dependent family members of people with Tier 1 (exceptional talent) visas can only apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, given that the main applicant can apply on an accelerated route after three years.
A number of economic routes offer accelerated settlement for main applicants, including Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent), Tier 1 Investor and the Innovator route. However in all cases the qualifying period for non-EEA family members remains five years, regardless of the time it takes for the main applicant to settle.
The current policy is intended to ensure that our provisions are in line with the qualifying period for non-EEA family members of a British Citizen.