Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also called settlement, is permission to stay in the UK without a time limit: you no longer need to renew a visa, and you can live, work and study without immigration restrictions. In 2026 most applicants qualify after 5 years on a work, business or family visa, some categories after 3 years, and the Long Residence route requires 10 years of lawful residence.
This page brings everything you need to prepare into one place: qualifying periods by route, the 180-day rule, the Life in the UK Test, English language requirements, costs, the application process and how earned settlement reform could affect ILR. Links in the text lead to detailed guides on individual visas and topics.
Key takeaways
- The usual qualifying period for ILR is 5 years; for Innovator Founder and some Global Talent holders it is 3 years; for Long Residence it is 10 years.
- The Home Office fee is £3,226 per applicant, including family members, and it is normally not refunded if the application is refused.
- On most routes, absences are limited to 180 days in any 12-month period of the qualifying period.
- The Life in the UK Test costs £50 and the pass mark is 75%; applicants under 18 and aged 65 or over are exempt.
- Today B1 English is enough for ILR, and Skilled Worker visa holders do not prove their English again. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, most routes will require B2 — including Skilled Worker.
- Earned settlement reform has not taken effect: the consultation outcome and transitional arrangements have not been published, so the current rules apply.
What is ILR and how does it differ from British citizenship?
ILR is an immigration status that the Home Office calls settlement. According to GOV.UK, it gives you the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like and to apply for benefits if you are eligible. The status has no expiry date, but it is not citizenship: a British passport and full protection against losing your status through long absences only come with naturalisation.
Your status is recorded as an eVisa — a digital record of your identity and immigration status in your UKVI account — rather than on a physical card. You prove it to an employer, landlord or bank with a share code generated in the same account.
ILR and British citizenship compared
The difference between the two statuses matters for planning: it affects travel, your family’s rights and whether you should start preparing for naturalisation straight away.
| Feature | ILR | British citizenship |
|---|---|---|
| Right to live, work and study | Yes, without immigration restrictions | Yes, without restrictions |
| Validity | Indefinite | Indefinite |
| British passport | No | Yes |
| Lost through absence from the UK | Yes, after more than 2 continuous years outside the UK | No |
| Proof of status | eVisa in a UKVI account | British passport |
| Next step | Naturalisation — usually no earlier than 12 months after ILR | — |
For many families ILR is therefore an intermediate goal. If you plan to apply for a British passport, take the naturalisation requirements into account early: for example, a citizenship application checks whether you spent more than 450 days outside the UK in the 5 years before applying.
Routes to ILR: qualifying periods and conditions by visa
There is no single ILR application form: the qualifying period and additional conditions depend on the route you are on. The table below is based on the official overview of routes on GOV.UK; links in the first column lead to detailed guides on each visa.
| Route | Time to ILR | Key conditions at the ILR stage |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 5 years | Working for a sponsor and meeting the minimum salary on the application date; the employer confirms the role continues |
| Scale-up Worker | 5 years | Requirements for current salary and for earnings in at least 2 of the last 3 years |
| Global Talent | 3 or 5 years | 3 years for most exceptional talent categories, 5 years for some exceptional promise categories |
| Innovator Founder | 3 years | The business meets growth criteria such as investment, revenue, customers or jobs created; only time on Innovator or Innovator Founder counts |
| Partner on a family visa | 5 years (60 months) | A relationship with the same partner, the financial requirement and an intention to live together permanently in the UK |
| UK Ancestry | 5 years | For Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the UK |
| Long Residence | 10 years | Continuous lawful residence on any combination of visas without gaps in status |
There are also less common routes: the British National (Overseas) visa, service in the armed forces, refugee status, and ILR after a partner’s death or after a relationship ends because of domestic abuse. Time on different visas does not always add up: for example, time spent in the UK as a dependant on someone else’s visa cannot count towards the 5 years on the Skilled Worker route.
If you have switched visas, start by checking which periods count — this determines the date from which you can apply. You can apply no earlier than 28 days before the end of your qualifying period: applying earlier may lead to a refusal.
Core ILR requirements: what is checked on every route to settlement
- Continuous lawful residence throughout the whole qualifying period
- Absences within the limit — usually no more than 180 days in 12 months
- A continuing basis for your visa: sponsorship, relationship or business
- Proof of English, unless your route or age gives you an exemption
- A Life in the UK Test pass for applicants aged 18 to 64
- No grounds for refusal: criminality, deception or NHS debts
- An application made no earlier than 28 days before the qualifying date
This list is the shared minimum. Each route adds its own conditions: a Skilled Worker must be paid at least the required salary on the application date, a partner on a family visa must show they live together and meet the financial requirement, and an Innovator Founder must show business results. Check both the shared list and the rules of your own route.
Absences and continuous residence: how to count 180 days
Exceeding the absence limit is one of the most common reasons for ILR refusals, especially among business owners and employees who travel a lot. Under Appendix Continuous Residence, an applicant must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period of the qualifying period. Each rolling 12-month window is checked, not just calendar years.
How to count your absences correctly
- List every trip during the qualifying period using passport stamps, boarding passes and bookings; short business trips count too.
- Check every 12-month window, not only calendar years: two long trips either side of the new year can easily take you over the limit.
- The qualifying period is counted back from the most favourable date: the application date, any date up to 28 days after it, or the decision date.
- For absences during permission granted before 11 January 2018, the 180-day limit applies to 12-month periods ending on the application date.
When an absence does not count towards the limit
The rules allow exceptions. Absences that do not count include trips to assist with a humanitarian or environmental crisis (on sponsored routes, with the sponsor’s agreement), travel disruption caused by a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic, and compelling and compassionate personal circumstances — for example, the applicant’s life-threatening illness or the life-threatening illness or death of a close family member. Such periods must be supported by documents, and the Home Office assesses them strictly.
Special rules for partners and Long Residence
- The 5-year partner route under Appendix FM does not set a fixed 180-day limit: the Home Office assesses whether the couple lived together in the UK and whether there was a good reason for any time apart.
- The 10-year partner route and Long Residence follow the general 180-day rule. For Long Residence, the former limits — 548 days in total and 184 days for a single trip — still apply if they were reached before 11 April 2024.
- A partner or child who accompanied the main applicant on a trip for one of the permitted reasons may exclude those days from the limit.
Once you have ILR, the 180-day rule no longer applies, but another restriction takes its place: you lose your status if you are outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than 2 continuous years. In that case you can only return on a Returning Resident visa, which is not guaranteed.
Benefits of working with Imperial & Legal on ILR
- Calculation of the qualifying date across all periods of lawful residence
- Review of every 12-month window against the absence limit
- Analysis of evidence against the requirements of your route
- Selection of an English test or confirmation of an exemption
- Preparation of a cover letter explaining any disputed periods
- Review of the form and documents before submission to the Home Office
- Consultation at the office, by phone or by video call
Life in the UK Test: cost, format and exemptions for ILR
The Life in the UK Test checks your knowledge of British traditions, history and public life. According to the official test page on GOV.UK, it has 24 questions to answer in 45 minutes, and the pass mark is 75%. You must book online at least 3 days in advance; the test costs £50, and there are over 30 test centres in the UK.
- Questions are based only on the official handbook, Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents.
- If you pass, you receive a unique reference number, which you enter in your ILR application so the Home Office can check your result.
- If you fail, you can rebook the test as many times as you need, paying for each attempt.
- Applicants under 18 or aged 65 or over are exempt, as are people with a long-term physical or mental condition who provide an exemption form or a doctor’s letter.
- If you passed the test for ILR, you do not need to take it again for citizenship.
- To book, use an eVisa share code or a passport; a BRP is accepted only up to 24 months after its expiry and no later than 31 December 2026.
Take the test well ahead of your application rather than in the final weeks: convenient dates at your preferred centre are not always available. How to prepare and which topics cause difficulties is covered in a separate guide to the Life in the UK Test.
English for ILR: B1 now, B2 from 26 March 2027
On most routes where English is checked at the ILR stage, B1 on the CEFR scale in speaking and listening is currently enough, or a degree taught in English. You prove your level with an approved qualification, and an application with the wrong qualification will be refused — the GOV.UK guidance on English for settlement warns about this directly. Skilled Worker, Scale-up and Innovator Founder visa holders are currently exempt at the ILR stage because they proved their English when they got their visa.
What changes from 26 March 2027
The HC 1691 changes to the Immigration Rules raise the settlement requirement from B1 to B2 on most routes, including Skilled Worker, Scale-up, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, UK Ancestry, Long Residence and the family routes. The new rules apply to applications made on or after 26 March 2027, including for people who are already on a route to ILR.
| Route | Application before 26 March 2027 | Application on or after 26 March 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker, Scale-up | Not checked — English proven when the visa was granted | B2 |
| Innovator Founder | Not checked | B2 |
| Global Talent, UK Ancestry | B1 | B2 |
| Family routes, Long Residence | B1 | B2 |
If your qualifying period ends after this date, take a B2 exam well in advance: a resit and waiting for results can push back your application by several weeks. Tests and levels for work visas are covered in detail in the guide to the Skilled Worker English requirement.
Who is exempt from proving English
- applicants aged 65 or over;
- people with a long-term physical or mental condition, with an exemption form from a doctor;
- nationals of countries on the official list, including the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand;
- partners who are victims of domestic abuse and bereaved partners of British citizens or people with ILR.
An English exemption for ILR does not carry over to citizenship automatically: when applying to naturalise, you will need to submit an exemption form again.
ILR support
End-to-end ILR application support
ILR eligibility check
Review of your route, qualifying date and all visa periods
Absence calculation
Analysis of trips in every 12-month window before applying
English and Life in UK
Choice of English test and a timetable for the Life in the UK Test
Submission and support
Completing the form, checking documents, liaising with UKVI
ILR costs and processing times in 2026
From 8 April 2026, the ILR application fee is £3,226 per applicant, including a partner and children, as set out in the Home Office fees table. There is no separate charge for giving your fingerprints and photo. For a family of four, application fees alone come to £12,904.
| Cost item | Amount | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| ILR application fee | £3,226 per person | Normally not refunded if refused |
| Priority service | +£500 per person | Not available on every route; timing depends on the route |
| Super priority service | +£1,000 per person | Decision usually by the end of the next working day after biometrics |
| Life in the UK Test | £50 per attempt | Not needed for applicants under 18 or aged 65 or over |
| English language test | Provider’s fee | Not needed if you are exempt |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | Not charged | The surcharge does not apply to ILR applications |
| Citizenship (next stage) | £1,839 | £1,709 application fee plus £130 ceremony fee |
The standard processing time is usually up to 6 months from giving your biometrics. Faster services are not available on every route or at all times: the GOV.UK page on getting a faster decision states that with the priority service, settlement applications usually take up to 30 working days, while super priority usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day. While your application is pending, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man — otherwise it will be treated as withdrawn and the fee will not be refunded.
How to apply for ILR: 5 stages
The logic of the process is the same on most routes: first your eligibility for ILR is confirmed, then the English and test requirements are met, after which the application is submitted and you wait for the Home Office decision.
Consultation and initial ILR eligibility assessment
Absence calculation and qualifying date confirmation
Life in the UK Test, English and document collection
ILR application submission and biometric enrolment
eVisa access and planning of the next steps
The longest stages are usually the second and third: if your travel history includes disputed periods or you need a new English test, allow extra time for them.
Documents for an ILR application
The exact list depends on the route, but the core of the bundle is the same for most applicants. Each document must cover the whole required period, and translations must meet Home Office requirements.
- a current passport or travel document for each applicant, plus previous passports covering the qualifying period;
- eVisa access or earlier status documents proving lawful residence;
- details of every trip outside the UK, with departure and return dates;
- the unique reference number from the Life in the UK Test;
- an English certificate, a degree taught in English or proof of an exemption;
- evidence of salary or income as required by the route: payslips, bank statements, an employer’s letter;
- for partners, evidence of living together: a tenancy agreement, joint accounts, official letters to the same address;
- for children, birth certificates and evidence that both parents are applying for ILR or already have it.
Gaps in the documents — for example, several months of missing payslips or an undeclared trip — are better explained in the cover letter in advance than left for the Home Office to query.
Practical examples: how your route and travel affect your application
Three typical situations show why cases that look the same at first glance can lead to different outcomes.
Example 1. A Skilled Worker who travels for business
An employee on a Skilled Worker visa spent 160 days abroad in one calendar year and 150 in the next. The limit is met calendar year by calendar year, but the window from July to June adds up to more than 180 days. The solution is to check every 12-month window, evidence any permitted reasons, or move the application date to when the window with the excess falls outside the qualifying period.
Example 2. A partner visa and time apart
The wife of a British citizen spent six months abroad caring for her parents. The 5-year route under Appendix FM has no fixed 180-day limit, but the Home Office will check whether the intention to live together in the UK continued. Evidence decides the case: medical records, correspondence, the husband’s visits and a shared home in the UK.
Example 3. A qualifying period that ends in spring 2027
An entrepreneur on a Global Talent visa becomes eligible for ILR in April 2027. As the application will be made after 26 March 2027, they will need English at B2 rather than B1. The solution is to take the exam early so that the certificate is ready by the application date.
Imperial & Legal’s clients have faced similar challenges — from switching from a work visa to a family visa to preparing tax documents while applying for settlement.
Client stories about ILR
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When I came to the UK to get a degree, I decided to stay here. Even though I am from Spain, the UK is the country where I belong. However, after Brexit, obtaining temporary residence and permanent residence in the UK became difficult for the Europeans. I had already obtained settled status, but I was getting nervous that I would mess up my British citizenship application. That is why I decided to get in touch with professional immigration advisors.
Earned settlement: what could change for ILR
In November 2025 the government published the consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement. Its idea is that ILR will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period: migrants will need to earn it through contribution, integration and good conduct. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026; at the time of this update its outcome has not been published, and the Immigration Rules have not been changed in this respect.
| Issue | Status as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| 3- and 5-year routes to ILR | Unchanged and in force |
| B2 English for settlement | Confirmed: for applications made on or after 26 March 2027 |
| A 10-year baseline instead of 5 | Proposed in the consultation, not adopted |
| A 5- or 7-year reduction for income above £50,270 or £125,140 over 3 years | Proposed, not adopted |
| A longer period for those who received public funds | Proposed, not adopted |
| A 15-year baseline for workers in roles below RQF level 6 | Proposed, not adopted |
| Abolition of the separate Long Residence route | Proposed, not adopted |
| Transitional arrangements for those already on a route to ILR | Not decided |
The consultation states plainly that without transitional arrangements the new model would affect everyone who is not settled when the new rules come into force. So if you become eligible for ILR in the coming months, it makes sense not to delay your application, and to review longer-term plans as official decisions are published. A detailed look at the proposals and scenarios is on the earned settlement reform page.
Why ILR applications are refused: common mistakes
Most refusals come down to mistakes that can be spotted before applying. Given the size of the fee, checking an application costs less than applying again.
- Applying more than 28 days before the end of the qualifying period.
- Short trips left out of the count, pushing one of the 12-month windows over 180 days.
- An English certificate at the wrong level or from a provider that is not approved.
- A salary below the threshold on the application date for Skilled Worker or Scale-up holders.
- Financial documents that do not cover the required period.
- Undisclosed immigration breaches, convictions or NHS debts.
- Travelling outside the Common Travel Area while the application is pending.
Many of these mistakes are not about a lack of eligibility for ILR but about preparation: the wrong date, an incomplete list of trips or documents for the wrong period. They can be fixed before applying if the bundle is checked in advance.
How to keep ILR and move on to British citizenship
ILR does not need renewing, but it can be lost. The main risk is being outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than 2 continuous years. There are exceptions for members of the armed forces and their partners and for staff of certain government departments and the British Council; everyone else will need a Returning Resident visa after such a break.
For citizenship, as GOV.UK explains, you usually need to have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting ILR. Spouses and civil partners of British citizens can apply as soon as they have ILR if they have lived in the UK for the last 3 years. Naturalisation is a separate process with its own residence, good character, language and Life in the UK requirements, and the fee is £1,839 including the ceremony. Requirements are covered in detail on the British citizenship page.
How to prepare for your ILR application now
Start with three steps: identify your route and qualifying date, list every trip over the last 5 or 10 years, and check which English level you will need on the application date. If that date falls after 26 March 2027, allow time for a B2 exam.
At the same time, keep an eye on earned settlement reform: the current rules still apply, but the transitional arrangements are not yet known. The sooner your ILR eligibility is confirmed, the less you depend on future changes. If your history includes switching visas, long trips abroad or less common grounds, a professional review before applying helps avoid a refusal and a lost fee.
