Dependent visa for spouse

[sb26ld]

I was on Tier 2 visa until 2022. I got ILR in Apr 2022 and citizenship in Jan 2024.

My partner arrived in the UK on skilled worker dependent visa in September 2020. When I applied for ILR, her visa was extended to April 2025. However, this means that she is falling 5 months short of 5 years required for her to get ILR.

-Is my understanding correct that she would need to once again extend her skilled worker dependent visa and can get ILR only once she completes 5 full years on that visa?
-If she has to apply for extension, does it have to be the full (almost) 3 years extension or can it be shorter? Given the fees and IHS have gone up, it would mean spending almost £4000 for this shortfall.
-Is there any other route that she can take to cover this shortfall of 5 months?