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Preparing your ILR application
What is indefinite leave to remain?
ILR is the Home Office term for settlement. Once you have it, your stay is no longer tied to a visa end date, a sponsor or a partner's visa. You can live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you are eligible (GOV.UK: Check if you can get indefinite leave to remain, checked 12 October 2026).
Successful applicants get an eVisa, a digital record of their status, rather than a physical card. You view and share it through a UKVI account (GOV.UK: eVisas).
ILR is also usually the step before British citizenship. Most people can apply 12 months after getting settlement; our page on applying for citizenship after ILR explains the timing.
Who can apply for ILR?
How long you need depends on the visa you hold. These are the usual qualifying periods GOV.UK gives (checked 12 October 2026):
| Route | Usual time in the UK before ILR |
|---|---|
| Work visas, such as Skilled Worker | 5 years |
| Some Tier 1 visas | 2 or 3 years |
| Global Talent and Innovator Founder | 3 years |
| Partner or parent (family visa) | 5 years |
| UK Ancestry | 5 years |
| British National (Overseas) visa | 5 years |
| Long residence | 10 years of lawful residence |
| Other routes (refugee or humanitarian protection, armed forces, stateless, returning residents) | Depends on the route |
Source: GOV.UK: Check if you can get indefinite leave to remain. For the requirements route by route, read our full ILR requirements by visa. If you are a partner or child of a sponsored worker, see ILR for dependants.
Before you apply: the 4 checks we make
We check four areas before your application goes in. A problem in any one of them can lead to refusal.
1. Continuous residence and absences
For routes that use Appendix Continuous Residence, you usually must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during your qualifying time (Appendix Continuous Residence, CR 3.1, checked 12 October 2026). The rule is applied on a rolling basis, not by calendar year, so a few long trips close together can break it. Some absences do not count, for example travel disruption from a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic, or compelling and compassionate reasons such as a life-threatening illness or the death of a close family member (CR 3.4). Absences during permission granted before 11 January 2018 are counted differently (CR 3.2). Long residence has a transitional rule for absences before 11 April 2024 (CR 3.3) and its own absence rules (GOV.UK: long residence).
2. English and the Life in the UK Test
If you are aged 18 to 64, you will usually need to pass the Life in the UK Test, which costs £50. The settlement routes specified in the Immigration Rules also ask for English in speaking and listening: B1 for applications made before 26 March 2027 and B2 for applications made on or after that date, subject to exemptions (HC 1691). You do not need to prove it again if you already met the level your application needs in a previous successful application (Appendix English Language, EL 3.1), so a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker who proved B2 for their visa can usually rely on that. There are exemptions, for example if you are 65 or over or have a long-term condition that stops you taking the test.
3. Suitability
Suitability is set by the Immigration Rules that apply to your application, mainly Part Suitability. The Home Office looks at matters such as criminal records, deception, breaches of immigration law and unpaid NHS debts of £500 or more, and the consequence depends on the ground and the route. Problems here need to be disclosed and explained properly, not left for the caseworker to find.
4. Route-specific evidence
Each route has its own evidence. Skilled Workers must still meet the salary requirement and need a letter from their sponsor confirming they are still needed in the job (GOV.UK: Skilled Worker ILR). Partners must show the relationship is genuine and continuing and meet the financial requirement.
How the ILR application works
- Check your qualifying date. On some routes you can apply up to 28 days before you complete your qualifying period; applying earlier than that can lead to refusal (GOV.UK: Skilled Worker ILR).
- Check your absences and evidence against the rules for your route.
- Apply online on GOV.UK using the application for your route, and pay the fee.
- Prove your identity: give your fingerprints and photo at an appointment, or use the UK Immigration: ID Check app if you are told you can.
- Stay in the UK until you get a decision. Travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man can lead to the application being withdrawn.
- If you are granted ILR, you will get an eVisa. Your decision email or letter tells you how to access it.
How much does ILR cost?
| Home Office and test fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Home Office ILR fee, per applicant (main applicant and each dependant) | £3,226 |
| Biometric appointment | Biometric appointment charges may apply depending on the appointment location, availability and any additional services selected. |
| Life in the UK Test (if needed) | £50 |
| Super priority service, where available for your route | £1,000 extra |
Sources: Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026; GOV.UK: faster decisions; GOV.UK: Life in the UK Test. GOV.UK: UKVCAS. All checked 12 October 2026. Fees change, so check GOV.UK before you pay. Our professional fees are separate from these Home Office and test fees, and we quote them on request after an initial review of your case.
ILR rules are changing
The government has published proposals to change how settlement works, including longer qualifying periods on some routes. Nothing in those proposals changes the rules for applications made today, but it may affect your planning. Our article on ILR rule changes explains what has been announced.
How our IAA-regulated advisers help
Worldwide Immigration Ltd is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA reference F201900032). For ILR, we:
- check which route you qualify on and your earliest safe application date
- calculate your absences across every rolling 12-month period
- give you a document checklist for your route and review your evidence
- prepare and check the application before you submit it and pay the fee
- help if your application is refused, including administrative review where it is available
We cannot guarantee an outcome; the decision is always the Home Office's. What we can do is make sure your application is complete and matches the rules before it goes in. Eligibility depends on your individual circumstances, so treat this as general guidance, not advice on your case.
Speak to an adviser about your ILR application
If your qualifying date is within the next six months, check your absences and evidence now. Call 020 3488 2308 or book an ILR eligibility consultation.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026. Fees and rules checked on GOV.UK on 12 October 2026.