Which ILR form for the 10-year family or private life route: SET(M), SET(LR) or the partner and parent application?
If you are settling on a 10-year route, the form you need depends on which route you actually qualify under. The ten-year timeframe alone does not decide it. For the 10-year partner or parent route under Appendix FM, GOV.UK sends you to an online service headed “Apply to settle in the UK, partner and parent applications”, not SET(M). SET(M) is only for the 5-year or 2-year family route. The private life route under Appendix Private Life has its own “indefinite leave to remain on the basis of your private life” application. And SET(LR) is the long residence form, for people who have lived in the UK lawfully for 10 continuous years rather than on the basis of a relationship. So if you applied on the partner route using SET(LR) or SET(M), that is very likely the wrong form, but it is usually fixable if you act quickly.
- 10-year partner or parent route (Appendix FM): apply through the online service headed “Apply to settle in the UK, partner and parent applications”, not SET(M).
- 5-year or 2-year family route: this is the route that uses SET(M).
- Private life route (Appendix Private Life): uses the separate “ILR on the basis of your private life” application, sometimes called SET(PL), not the family form.
- 10-year long residence (Appendix Long Residence): uses SET(LR). A different route entirely from the family route.
- Using the wrong specified form can make an application invalid, so contact UKVI quickly rather than panic.
The right form for each 10-year route
“10-year route” is really a label shared by several different legal routes that settle through different applications. The route you qualify under, not the length of time, decides the form.
10-year partner or parent route (Appendix FM). If your permission is based on your relationship with a British or settled partner, or your role as a parent, and you are reaching settlement after 10 years, GOV.UK’s family settlement page splits the choice by route. The 5 or 2 year route links to SET(M); the 10-year route links to a separate online service headed “Apply to settle in the UK, partner and parent applications”. This is the single most common point people get wrong, partly because the web address for that service still contains older “adult relative” wording.
Private life route (Appendix Private Life). If your leave is on the basis of your private life rather than a relationship, you settle through the “indefinite leave to remain on the basis of your private life” application instead. A distinct online form (historically SET(PL)), even though it can also involve a 10-year qualifying period.
10-year long residence (Appendix Long Residence). Long residence is a separate route for people who have lived in the UK lawfully for 10 continuous years on any combination of visas. That route uses SET(LR). It is tempting to assume “10 years plus SET(LR)” is the family-route answer, but it is not, SET(LR) is the long residence form only.
Is SET(LR) or SET(M) correct for the partner route?
In most cases, no. If you are settling as a partner or parent under Appendix FM on the 10-year route, the GOV.UK family journey points to the “Apply to settle in the UK, partner and parent applications” service, not SET(M), which is the 5 or 2 year form, and not SET(LR), which is the long residence form. These are different legal bases with different requirements, so using SET(M) or SET(LR) for a 10-year Appendix FM case is a mismatch worth correcting early.
The exception is if you genuinely qualify under long residence, 10 years lawful residence on any visas, and are applying on that basis, in which case SET(LR) is right. The deciding factor is always the route you actually qualify under, which you can confirm against GOV.UK’s “check if you can get indefinite leave to remain” tool.
What to do if you used the wrong form
First, do not panic. Submitting on the wrong specified form does not automatically forfeit your case, but it can be treated as invalid rather than quietly moved to the right route. GOV.UK’s validation guidance says a route or category cannot be corrected by varying an application. You generally have to apply again on the correct service. Where an application is rejected as invalid, the refunds policy returns a fee over £30 minus a £30 administrative charge, but that protection falls away once you have given biometrics.
If you have just submitted, contact UKVI straight away, keep your reference number, and be ready to apply on the correct service before a decision or your biometrics lock the wrong case in. Where the stakes are high, take regulated advice from an OISC-registered adviser or solicitor. For evidence that supports your real route, see evidencing your continuous lawful residence and any visa gaps, and if you filed SET(M) on a partner case, read what to do if you used SET(M) on the 10-year partner route.
GOV.UK’s settlement services and the routes they map to are updated periodically, and individual cases turn on details we cannot see. Always confirm the current correct application through GOV.UK’s official “apply to settle in the UK” journey for your specific route, and take regulated advice (OISC or a solicitor) before relying on any form choice. A settlement application that is validly decided is generally non-refundable.
Bottom line
The route, not the timeframe, decides the form. 10-year partner or parent (Appendix FM) → the “Apply to settle in the UK, partner and parent applications” service. 5 or 2 year family → SET(M). Private life → the private life application. Long residence → SET(LR). If you used the wrong one, contact UKVI quickly and get advice. It is far more often fixable than fatal.