Settlement Form?

[cj]

Hey Everyone,

I have the right to abode in the UK and I want to get my partner papers as well. On the UK Border website it says the following:

"In some cases, we can give your married/unmarried partner permission to live permanently in the United Kingdom as soon as he/she arrives. To qualify for this, you must:
* have been living together for at least four years as if you were married or in a civil partnership;
* have spent that four years outside the United Kingdom; and
* now be returning to the United Kingdom to settle here together."

When I found this I thought this was great. My partner could get Indefinite Leave to Remain not long after we arrived in the UK because we've been living together for 4+ years here in Toronto and have documentation to prove it. However, when I downloaded the SET(M) form it says in it's paper:
"If your partner is a British citizen without a passport, you must provide his/her full birth certificate (showing the parents’
names), accompanied by at least one other formal document as evidence of ordinary residence in the UK for the last three years."

By the time we apply for this, I'll have my British Passport sorted, so this wouldn't fully apply to me, but I was worried about the last part (evidence of ordinary residence in the UK for the last three years).


My question after all of this background is. Do I need to have lived in the UK for 3 years prior to her being able to apply with FORM SET(M)?

Super confused, thanks for your help!

CJ