You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a bereaved partner by using application form SET (O).

To meet the eligibility requirements for indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner all of the following requirements must be met:

• The applicant’s last grant of limited leave must have been as-
  • a partner (other than a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) of a British Citizen or a person settled in the UK; or
  • a bereaved partner.
• The person who was the applicant’s partner at the time of the last grant of limited leave as a partner must have died.
• At the time of the partner’s death the relationship between the applicant and the partner must have been genuine and subsisting and each of the parties must have intended to live permanently with the other in the UK.

No, the Immigration Rules do not require an applicant for ILR as a breaved partner to meet the English language and Life in the UK test requirement.

Yes, an applicant for ILR as a breaved partner can submit an out of time application i.e. after the expiry of the applicant's last leave. Immigration Rules do not require the applicant to make such application with current valid leave to remain.

You can challenge the refusal of your application for ILR as a breaved partner by filing a request for an Administrative Review (AR).