Which SET form do you need? UK settlement forms explained
When you apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also called settlement, you do not fill in one universal form. The "SET" forms are the Home Office's family of online settlement applications, and the one you use depends entirely on your immigration route. The main ones are SET(M) for partners and parents on the 5-year (or 2-year) family route, SET(O) for work and "other" categories such as Skilled Worker and Global Talent, SET(F) for children under 18, and SET(LR) for 10 years' long residence. Pick the form that matches the route your current visa is on, not the form that sounds closest to your situation.
- SET(M): settlement as the partner of a British or settled person, or parent of a child, on the 5-year or 2-year family route (Appendix FM).
- SET(O): settlement on work and "other" routes — Skilled Worker, Tier 2, Tier 1, UK Ancestry, bereaved partner and other categories not covered elsewhere.
- SET(F): settlement as a child under 18 whose parent is, or is becoming, present and settled in the UK.
- SET(LR): settlement on the basis of 10 years' continuous lawful residence (long residence).
- Also exists: SET(DV) for victims of domestic abuse under Appendix VDA. Refugee and humanitarian protection settlement uses a separate process, not a SET form.
Partners and parents on the family route: SET(M)
Use SET(M) if you are settling as the partner of a British citizen or someone who is present and settled in the UK, or as the parent of a child who is settled, and you are on the 5-year route (or the shorter 2-year route in some cases). This is the Appendix FM family route. To apply you normally need to show a genuine and subsisting relationship, that you meet the financial and English language requirements, and that you have passed the Life in the UK Test.
The earliest you can apply is once you have completed your qualifying period — typically five continuous years on the family visa as a partner. Getting the start date of that clock right matters, so check your qualifying period carefully before you submit.
Work and other routes: SET(O)
SET(O) is the catch-all settlement form for work-based and miscellaneous categories. GOV.UK routes Skilled Worker, Tier 2, the various Tier 1 categories, UK Ancestry, bereaved partners and "other purposes not covered by other application forms" through this single form. If you are on a points-based work visa, this is almost certainly your form.
Because SET(O) covers so many routes, the eligibility you must prove depends on your specific category. Skilled Worker applicants in particular have salary, continuous residence and sponsorship requirements to evidence — our guide on which ILR form a Skilled Worker visa holder uses walks through the detail.
Children under 18: SET(F)
SET(F) is for a child under 18 settling in the UK, usually because a parent is a British citizen or settled here, or is being granted settlement at the same time. The application can be made by the child or on the child's behalf, and the form must be completed online. Where a whole family is settling together, the adult uses their own SET form (SET(M) or SET(O)) and each child uses SET(F).
Long residence: SET(LR)
SET(LR) is the form for ILR on the basis of 10 years' continuous lawful residence. This route is about the length and lawfulness of your time in the UK rather than a specific relationship or job. You must show 10 unbroken years of lawful residence, with any absences within the permitted limits. The continuous lawful residence route is a distinct legal basis with its own rules, so do not assume it is interchangeable with a family or work application.
The most common mix-up is between SET(M), SET(LR) and the 10-year family route. SET(M) is only for the 5-year or 2-year partner route. If you are on the 10-year family and private life route (partner or parent), GOV.UK does not send you to SET(M) or SET(LR) at all — you use the separate "apply to settle in the UK — partner and parent" product. SET(LR) is for 10 years' long residence, which is a completely different thing from the 10-year family route. Using the wrong form can lead to a refused application and a lost fee.
How to find which form is yours
Work from your current visa, not your end goal. Ask: what route is my existing permission on? A partner on a family visa is heading to SET(M) (5/2-year) or the partner-and-parent product (10-year). A Skilled Worker is heading to SET(O). A child joins on SET(F). Someone relying purely on a decade in the UK uses SET(LR).
The safest route is to start from the relevant GOV.UK settlement page for your category and follow its "apply online" link — that link takes you straight to the correct form, removing the guesswork. If you are unsure whether your long stay counts as a family route or true long residence, read our breakdown of the 10-year family/private life route versus SET(LR) or SET(M) before you choose.
Once you know your form, the next step is gathering evidence. Each SET form lists the documents it needs inside the online application, and the requirements differ by route — so build your checklist around the specific form you have identified.