Partners will not have to earn settlement in their own right under the final earned settlement framework, after the government dropped a consultation proposal that adult dependants should qualify individually. Summaries of the government's response say dependant partners on five-year routes — including partners of doctors, nurses, teachers and earners above £50,271 — will settle alongside the main applicant with no independent earnings requirement.

Couples on the standard 10-year route get a different protection: they can combine earnings to meet a £25,142 household threshold, which is £12,571 times two, a change presented as protecting stay-at-home carers. The £12,571 figure is the minimum yearly earnings the standard route requires in five of the previous seven years, according to the response summaries.

Groups whose path does not change

The Home Secretary's statement lists groups whose path remains as today: Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas), members of the armed forces, those with a British connection, and people on legacy routes such as Windrush.

Checks that still apply

Dropping the individual earnings test does not remove the framework's mandatory requirements, which the government says apply to applicants generally: character and suitability, no debt to the government, English to a high standard, the Life in the UK Test, and sustained National Insurance contributions, with exemptions except on criminality.

This is general information, not personal immigration advice. Immigration rules change — check the official GOV.UK page before applying. Sources: GOV.UK, Home Secretary's earned settlement statement, 2 November 2026; GOV.UK, earned settlement consultation outcome.