Indian citizen on work visa and married to British citizen

[neer]

Hi,

I recently got married to a UK citizen, and I am on work visa from last 4 years. Am I eligible for UK citizenship ?

Thanks in advance,
Neer

[CR001]

No you are not eligible.

You need ILR before you can apply for citizenship.

[secret.simon]

You will need to get ILR, either under the terms of your existing work visa or as spouse of a British citizen.

However, for you to apply for ILR as the spouse of a British citizen, you will need to spend five more years in that category before getting ILR. You are better off getting it under the terms of your work visa.

On the positive side, as the spouse of a British citizen, you can apply for citizenship immediatly after getting ILR. People not married to a British citizen need to wait for a year after ILR to apply for citizenship.

[neer]

Thanks Simon , it was very helpful.

[Beamsley]

Can I piggy back on this one and ask if you have to hold the FLRM for 5 years before applying for ILR?

I had a Tier 2 for 4 years (05.2010-05.2014), changed that to an FLRM at the end of those 4 years (05.2014) and have held that for 14 months. I've been married to a British citizen (from birth) for 3 years.

When can I potentially apply for ILR and ultimately British citizenship?

[vinny]

secret.simon has already answered your question. You need to hold FLR(M) for at least 5 years before applying for SET(M).