UK Indefinite Leave to Remain

What ILR is and who it is for

Indefinite leave to remain gives you settled status: the right to live, work and study in the UK indefinitely, access public funds if eligible, and apply for British citizenship (usually after holding ILR for at least 12 months).

ILR is the destination of many different immigration routes rather than a route in itself. You apply for settlement through the specific pathway tied to your current visa or circumstances. The main groups are:

• Work routes - Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up, Global Talent, Innovator Founder and older Tier 1/Tier 2 categories
• Family routes - partners, parents, children and other relatives of British citizens or settled people
• Long residence - 10 continuous years living legally in the UK
• Commonwealth and connection routes - UK Ancestry and BN(O) visa holders, people with the right of abode
• Protection and other routes - refugees, humanitarian protection, armed forces members, stateless people, and returning residents

Qualifying periods by route

The time you must spend in the UK before you can settle depends on your visa. Applicants must meet the exact qualifying period for their own route. You can apply as soon as you meet all the requirements - you do not need to wait for your current visa to expire.

• Most work visas (e.g. Skilled Worker) and UK Ancestry / BN(O): usually 5 years
• Global Talent and Innovator Founder: can be 3 years
• Older Tier 1 visas: can be 2 or 3 years
• Long residence: 10 continuous years of legal residence
• Family routes: check the specific requirements for your visa

Life in the UK Test and English language

Most applicants aged roughly 18 to 64 must pass the Life in the UK Test. It costs £50, gives you 45 minutes to answer 24 questions, and must be booked online at least 3 days in advance at one of the official test centres. Exemptions apply if you are under 18, aged 65 or over, have already passed it, or have a long-term physical or mental condition (supported by medical evidence). The test content is drawn from the official "Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents".

Applicants generally also need to prove their English language ability. Note this varies by route - for example, Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and Tier 2 applicants do not need to prove English again at the settlement stage, because it was met earlier in the route. Always check the requirement for your specific visa.

Continuous residence and absences

Most routes require unbroken ("continuous") residence in the UK. The rules on how much time you can spend abroad depend on your route, so check yours carefully.

For the 10-year long residence route, the current rule is that you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. Absences that started before 11 April 2024 are assessed under the older rules (no single absence over 184 days, and no more than 548 days in total across the qualifying period). Time in the Isle of Man and Channel Islands can count.

• Time on a visitor visa, short-term study visa, seasonal worker visa or the Ukraine schemes does not count toward long residence
• Time in immigration detention or custody, on immigration bail, or after your permission expired does not count
• You usually need to have held your current permission for at least one year

Costs

The core application fee for settlement is £3,226 per person on most routes. Some protection-based routes (refugees, humanitarian protection, section 67 leave) have no fee. Unlike visa applications, you do not normally pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for an ILR application, because ILR grants you settled status.

Faster decisions can be bought as an optional add-on:

• Priority service: extra £500 (decision aimed at within 5 working days)
• Super priority service: extra £1,000 (decision by the end of the next working day after a weekday appointment, or 2 working days for a weekend appointment)

How to apply

You apply online through the relevant settlement form for your route. As part of the process you enrol your biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) at a UKVCAS service point, and either upload your supporting documents online or have them scanned at your appointment. Children under 6 do not give fingerprints.

You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while your application is being decided - doing so withdraws the application, with no refund.

• Confirm you meet your route's qualifying period and continuous residence rules
• Book and pass the Life in the UK Test (if required for your age)
• Prepare evidence of English language ability (if your route requires it at this stage)
• Gather documents: passport/eVisa, proof of residence and absences, and route-specific evidence
• Complete the correct online settlement form and pay the fee
• Book and attend a UKVCAS biometrics appointment

Processing time

A standard decision usually arrives within 6 months of enrolling your biometrics. Paying for the priority or super priority service (see Costs) speeds this up considerably.

If your application is successful you receive an eVisa confirming your settled status.

Dependants

Partners and children on your visa may be able to settle at the same time or later, depending on the route and how long they have been in the UK. Each person applying pays their own application fee, and adult dependants must usually meet the Life in the UK Test and English language requirements in their own right. Check the specific dependant rules for your route.

After you get ILR

Once you hold ILR you can live, work and study in the UK without restriction and access public services and benefits if eligible. Your status is held as an eVisa.

ILR can lapse if you spend a long continuous period outside the UK (generally 2 or more years, or longer for some routes), so returning residents may need to apply for a Returning Resident visa. After holding ILR for usually at least 12 months, and meeting the residence and other requirements, you can apply for British citizenship (naturalisation).