The Long Residence route allows you to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK — even if none of your visas led to settlement on its own. Time on a Student visa, the Graduate route, Skilled Worker, family visas and other long-term categories can be combined, provided there were no gaps between them and your absences stayed within the permitted limits.
This guide was updated in October 2026 in line with the current Appendix Long Residence and Appendix Continuous Residence of the Immigration Rules. It covers how absences are counted before and after 11 April 2024, the new B2 English requirement from 26 March 2027, the costs, the application process and the status of the earned settlement reform, which could abolish this route.
Key takeaways
- Time on different long-term visas counts towards the 10-year period — switching category does not reset the clock, provided there are no gaps.
- Time as a visitor, on a Short-term study visa, a Seasonal Worker visa, a Ukraine scheme, on immigration bail or without valid permission does not count.
- Absences that started before 11 April 2024 are limited to 548 days in total and 184 days in a row; from 11 April 2024, no more than 180 days in any 12-month period.
- You need to pass the Life in the UK Test and show English at B1 level; applications made on or after 26 March 2027 require B2.
- The ILR fee is £3,226 per applicant, and a decision usually takes up to 6 months after you provide your biometrics.
- The government has proposed abolishing the separate Long Residence route as part of earned settlement, but as of late October 2026 no changes are in force and the route remains open.
What the Long Residence route is and who it suits
Long Residence is a standalone route to settlement set out in Appendix Long Residence of the Immigration Rules. Under paragraph LR 11.1, the applicant must have spent a qualifying period of 10 years lawfully in the UK, with permission (other than in an excluded category), an exemption from immigration control or an EEA right to reside under the rules in force before the end of 2020 throughout that period. The category of permission can change any number of times.
In practice, the route most often suits former students who moved on to the Graduate visa and then a Skilled Worker visa; employees who changed employers and visa categories; people who came to the UK as children with their parents; and anyone who spent years on visas that do not lead directly to settlement. For them, Long Residence is often the shortest remaining path to permanent status. Other ways to qualify are covered in the overview of Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.
One important point: the route has no provision for dependants. A partner and children cannot be granted ILR alongside the main applicant under Long Residence — each family member must either build up their own 10 years or apply on another basis, for example as a partner under the UK family visa rules.
Which visas count towards the 10 years, and which do not
Time on almost any form of permission counts towards the qualifying period, including a combination of different categories:
- the Student visa and the former Tier 4 — see the page on the UK Student visa;
- the Graduate visa;
- Skilled Worker, the former Tier 2 and the Global Business Mobility routes;
- Global Talent, Innovator Founder and other work and business categories;
- family visas under Appendix FM — partner, parent or child;
- periods of exemption from immigration control and residence under EEA rules before 31 December 2020;
- time spent lawfully in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man on an equivalent route, provided your most recent permission was granted in the UK.
Periods that do not count
- a Standard Visitor visa or entry as a visitor without a visa;
- a Short-term study visa for English language courses;
- a Seasonal Worker visa;
- permission under the Ukraine schemes;
- immigration bail, temporary admission and temporary release;
- periods of overstaying after a visa has expired, however short;
- time spent in prison, a young offender institution or a secure hospital.
The difference between “does not count” and “breaks continuity” matters. Visitor time is excluded from the 10 years, and because the whole qualifying period must be covered by qualifying permission, a visit between two long-term visas creates a gap and the clock starts again. There is, however, an important concession for Long Residence (CR 4.1(d)(iii) of Appendix Continuous Residence): if you leave the UK with valid permission and return with new valid permission — on the same or a different route — your continuity is not broken, provided you stay within the absence limits.
How absences are counted: the 180-day rule and transitional rules
Absences from the UK are assessed under Appendix Continuous Residence. The qualifying period is split at 11 April 2024, and a different test applies to each part. If your 10-year period spans that date — as it now does for almost every applicant — both tests must be met at the same time.
| Period | Rule | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Absences that started before 11 April 2024 | No more than 548 days outside the UK in total during the qualifying period, where that total was reached before 11 April 2024; no single absence of more than 184 days | CR 3.3 |
| Absences from 11 April 2024 | No more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period — assessed on a rolling basis, not by calendar year | CR 3.1 |
The rolling window is the most common source of errors. Any 12-month stretch is tested, for example 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2026. Two long trips at the end of one year and the start of the next may look fine by calendar year but exceed 180 days within a rolling window. To check your figures, it is worth requesting a copy of your border crossing data from the Home Office through a subject access request and comparing it with your passport stamps and tickets.
When an absence is disregarded
Paragraph CR 3.4 allows absences to be left out of the limits where they were caused by:
- assisting with a national or international humanitarian or environmental crisis overseas;
- travel disruption due to a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic;
- compelling and compassionate personal circumstances, such as a life-threatening illness of the applicant or a close family member, or the death of a close family member.
These exceptions must be supported by evidence such as tickets, medical letters or official notices. The decision rests with the Home Office, so relying on an exception without documents is risky.
How to work out your application date
- The 10 years are counted back from whichever date is most beneficial: the date of application, any date up to 28 days after it, or the date of decision (CR 1.1). This means you can apply no earlier than 28 days before your 10-year anniversary.
- The period usually starts from the date you were in the UK with qualifying permission — typically your first entry on a long-term visa.
- The period must run continuously up to the date of application or decision: an earlier 10-year stretch that was later broken will not count.
- Example: if you arrived on 1 July 2016 and have lived in the UK continuously and lawfully since, you can apply from 3 June 2026.
Requirements for ILR under the Long Residence route in 2026
- Continuous lawful residence in the UK for at least 10 years
- Compliance with the absence limits before and after 11 April 2024
- At least 12 months on your current route if your permission was granted after 11 April 2024
- A pass in the Life in the UK Test for applicants aged 18 to 65
- English at B1 level, rising to B2 for applications from 26 March 2027
- No immigration breaches and no grounds for refusal under Part Suitability
- Presence in the UK on the date of application
The Life in the UK Test costs £50 and consists of 24 questions to be answered in 45 minutes; it is based on the official handbook, Guide for New Residents. English can be proved with a certificate from an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) or a degree taught or researched in English (see GOV.UK guidance on proving your knowledge of English). You do not need to prove English if you are aged 65 or over, have a long-term condition that prevents you from doing so, or are a national of certain countries, such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
If you already have 10 years but have not yet passed the test or proved your English, Appendix Long Residence provides an intermediate step: 24 months’ permission to stay on the Long Residence route. The fee is £1,407, plus the Immigration Health Charge. This permission allows you to work and study with no access to public funds and gives you time to meet the remaining requirements before applying for ILR.
Benefits of professional support with a Long Residence ILR application
- Review of every visa and switch between categories over 10 years
- Absence calculation using the correct test before and after 11 April 2024
- Request and analysis of Home Office border crossing records
- Identification of the earliest safe date to submit your application
- Preparation of explanations for gaps and exceptions to the limits
- Completion of the SET(LR) form and review of residence evidence
- Support until a decision and a check of your eVisa details
How much ILR under Long Residence costs and how long a decision takes
Government fees are the same for all settlement routes and are set out in the Home Office fees table from 8 April 2026; there is no extra charge for Long Residence. The main costs and timescales are:
| Item | Cost or timescale |
|---|---|
| ILR application (SET(LR)) | £3,226 per applicant |
| 24 months’ permission to stay, if the test or English is not yet met | £1,407 plus the Immigration Health Charge |
| Life in the UK Test | £50 per attempt |
| English language test (SELT) | Depends on the provider and test format |
| Biometrics | No separate fee |
| Standard processing | Usually within 6 months of providing biometrics |
| Super priority | An extra £1,000; a decision by the end of the next working day after a weekday biometrics appointment, or 2 working days after a weekend appointment |
Until you receive a decision, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man: travelling will withdraw your application, and the fee will not be refunded. If your application succeeds, your status is issued as an eVisa, which you access through a UKVI account. Fees, timescales and super priority terms are taken from the official GOV.UK page on long residence.
How to apply under the Long Residence route: 5 stages
Preparing a Long Residence application takes longer than for five-year routes, because you need to prove lawful and continuous residence over a whole decade. Below is the applicant’s path from the first consultation to life with ILR.
Consultation and Long Residence eligibility assessment
Reconstruction of visa history and absence calculation
Preparation and submission of the SET(LR) application
Biometrics, Home Office decision and eVisa
Life with ILR and preparation for British citizenship
The ILR application is made online on GOV.UK using the form “Apply to settle in the UK – long residence”, and the applicant must be in the UK on the date of application (LR 9.1–9.3). If the Home Office decides that the ILR requirements are not met but the applicant qualifies for permission to stay under Long Residence, Appendix FM or Appendix Private Life, the application can be varied without a further fee — but the Immigration Health Charge must be paid (LR 15.2–15.3).
Practical examples: how the route works in real situations
The Long Residence rules are easier to understand through typical scenarios. The names are fictional, but the situations reflect the questions applicants raise most often.
Student, graduate, skilled worker
Anna arrived in September 2016 on a Student visa, moved to the Graduate route in 2020 and to Skilled Worker in 2022. She never spent five years on a single visa, but in total she has lived in the UK for 10 years without gaps. If her absences meet both tests, she can apply for ILR 28 days before her September 2026 anniversary, without waiting to complete five years on the work visa.
A visit between visas
Mark studied in the UK from 2015, left after finishing his course and returned as a visitor for three months in 2019 before obtaining a new long-term visa. The visit does not count and creates a gap, so Mark’s 10 years start from his entry on the new visa, and his years of study fall outside the qualifying period.
A long trip before 2024
Elena spent 200 consecutive days abroad in 2021. For an absence that started before 11 April 2024 the limit is 184 days, so her continuity is technically broken. The period can only be preserved if the absence falls within the CR 3.4 exceptions — for example, if she could not return because of pandemic-related restrictions and can prove it.
A new visa shortly before applying
David reached 10 years in June 2026 but switched to a new route in February 2026. Because his current permission was granted after 11 April 2024, LR 11.3 requires him to spend at least 12 months on that route, so he can only apply for ILR from February 2027. If his application slips to 26 March 2027 or later, he will need English at B2 level.
Similar situations — switching categories, moving from a Student visa to a work or family visa, a long road to permanent status — also appear in Imperial & Legal’s client stories.
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One client, who came to the UK to study and went on to obtain a British passport, explained why he decided to secure professional support in advance:
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.
His example reflects a general rule: the longer your immigration history, the more important it is to check it before applying rather than dealing with the consequences of a refusal.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Long Residence route
The route lets you combine time on different visas without five continuous years in one category, but it takes twice as long and demands accurate records of absences across all 10 years.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Time on different visa categories is combined — no need for five years on one visa | The qualifying period is twice as long as most work and family routes |
| A fallback route to settlement for former students, graduates and frequent visa switchers | Tracking absences over a decade is complex, and the rules before and after 11 April 2024 differ |
| Switching category does not reset the clock if continuity is maintained | A visit as a visitor or a period of overstaying creates a gap and resets the clock |
| The fee is the same as for five-year routes | No provision for dependants: family members apply on their own basis |
| 24 months’ permission is available if the test or English is not yet met | The route may be abolished under earned settlement, and B2 English is required from 26 March 2027 |
Which mistakes most often lead to refusal
Most refusals arise not from contested legal questions but from calculation errors and gaps in residence history:
- assuming a visit between long-term visas is harmless, when in fact it creates a gap;
- counting absences by calendar year instead of a rolling 12-month window;
- overlooking the 184-consecutive-day limit for absences that started before 11 April 2024;
- applying more than 28 days before the 10-year anniversary;
- missing a short period of overstaying between two visa applications;
- applying less than 12 months after switching to a new route where permission was granted after 11 April 2024;
- not cross-checking personal records against Home Office border crossing data.
If a refusal is issued, it is important to assess the options — administrative review, a fresh application or another basis — in light of the specific reasons for the decision. More on the next steps is available on the page about UK visa refusals and appeals.
Long Residence support
How your eligibility for ILR under Long Residence is checked
Residence history audit
Every visa, entry date and category switch checked
Home Office data request
Official border crossing records obtained and reviewed
Absence calculation
Trips tested against the 548/184-day and 180-day rules
Application preparation
SET(LR) form, evidence and notes on complex periods
What to do if you do not fully meet the requirements
If your residence was not entirely lawful or continuous, you may still have options. Appendix Private Life can, in some cases, provide a route to permission to stay and later to settlement based on an established private life in the UK — particularly for people who arrived as children or have spent a significant part of their lives here. These cases rest on the right to respect for private and family life and are highly individual; more information is available on the human rights page.
If you have 10 years but have not yet passed the Life in the UK Test or proved your English, 24 months’ permission to stay on the Long Residence route may be suitable. If you discover a short gap or a long trip, first check whether the episode falls within the CR 3.4 exceptions or the concession for leaving and returning with valid permission. In borderline cases the Home Office relies on its long residence caseworker guidance, so arguments and evidence are best prepared with it in mind.
Will the Long Residence route change? The earned settlement reform
On 20 November 2025 the government published its consultation on earned settlement, “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement”. It proposes a baseline qualifying period of 10 years for most migrants, which could be reduced or increased depending on contribution and integration. The document states plainly that under the new system there will no longer be a separate long residence route: its purpose will be superseded by adjustments to the baseline period.
The consultation closed on 12 February 2026. As of late October 2026, the outcome has not been published, no changes have been made to the Immigration Rules and no implementation date has been announced. Transitional arrangements for people already building up their qualifying period were one of the consultation topics and remain undecided.
Another change has already been confirmed: from 26 March 2027, ILR under Long Residence will require English at B2 level instead of B1 (LR 13.1). If you already have 10 years and a B1 certificate, there is a practical case for applying before that date and before any reform takes effect.
What ILR gives you and how to move on to British citizenship
ILR 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 does not need to be renewed, although it can lapse after a long period of living abroad. Being granted ILR does not in itself change your tax position, which is determined by separate rules — see the page on UK tax residency.
British citizenship does not follow automatically after ILR. As GOV.UK explains, you must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting ILR before applying for naturalisation, and you must also meet separate requirements on residence, absences, English, the Life in the UK Test and good character. Details and the application process are covered on the British citizenship page.
Where to start preparing your application now
Long Residence remains a workable route to settlement for people who have lived in the UK for 10 years on different visas. The main risks are gaps between visas, incorrect absence calculations and rule changes: B2 English from 26 March 2027 and the possible abolition of the route under earned settlement.
A practical sequence is to reconstruct your visa timeline, cross-check your trips against Home Office data, apply both absence tests, pass the Life in the UK Test and English requirement, and then apply within the 28-day window before your 10-year anniversary. This guide is for information only and is not individual legal advice — it is worth checking how the rules apply to your situation with a qualified adviser.
