Indefinite Leave to Remain (10 Year Route)

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): Your Path to Permanent Residency

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also known as settlement, allows individuals to live, work and study in the UK without a time limit. It can also provide a route towards British citizenship if the applicant later meets the relevant requirements.

The 10-Year Route to ILR

Under the 10-Year Long Residence Route, a person may qualify for ILR after completing 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK.

Time spent with immigration permission on most routes can generally count towards the 10-year qualifying period. However, certain types of permission do not count, including permission as a Visitor, Short-term Student studying English, Seasonal Worker, or under the Ukraine Scheme.

Common types of lawful residence that may count include:

1. Work Visas: Lawful residence on eligible work routes, such as the Skilled Worker route, can generally contribute to the 10-year qualifying period.
2. UK Ancestry Visa: Lawful residence under the UK Ancestry route can count towards long residence.
3. Family and Partner Routes: Time spent lawfully in the UK on eligible family or partner routes can generally count towards the 10-year qualifying period.
4. Student Visa: Lawful residence as a Student can generally count towards long residence, subject to the exclusions under the Immigration Rules.
5. Other Eligible Immigration Routes: Time spent lawfully in the UK under different eligible immigration routes can generally be combined to reach the 10-year qualifying period.
6. EEA Residence: Certain periods when an EEA national or their family member was exercising a qualifying right to reside under the former EEA Regulations before 31 December 2020 may count.
7. Other Qualifying Residence: Certain periods when a person was exempt from immigration control or was a British citizen may also count, subject to the specific rules.

Asylum and Protection Claims: Time spent in the UK as an asylum seeker does not automatically count towards the 10-year Long Residence route. The relevant period must meet the requirements for qualifying lawful residence under Appendix Long Residence.

Continuous and Lawful Residence

To qualify under the Long Residence route, you must have completed 10 years of qualifying lawful residence and met the continuous residence requirements throughout that period.

Current Immigration Route Requirement:

• If your current immigration permission was granted on or after 11 April 2024, you must generally have held permission on your current immigration route for at least 12 months on the date you apply for ILR.
• Therefore, reaching 10 years of qualifying residence does not necessarily mean that you can apply immediately if you have recently switched to a different immigration route.
• The 12-month requirement concerns the period you have held permission on the same immigration route. Your current grant of permission does not itself need to have been issued for 12 months.
• This requirement does not apply where your current permission was granted before 11 April 2024.

Absence from the UK:

• For relevant absences under the current rules, you must generally not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period.
• For Long Residence applications, transitional rules apply to relevant absences that started before 11 April 2024. These generally preserve the previous limits of no more than 184 days in any single absence and no more than 548 days in total during the relevant part of the qualifying period before 11 April 2024.
• Certain permitted exceptions may apply, including specific circumstances involving humanitarian or environmental crises, travel disruption caused by a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic, and other circumstances covered by the Immigration Rules.

Periods of overstaying generally cannot be included in the qualifying period, although the detailed rules contain specific provisions concerning overstayers.

Other Requirements

In addition to the 10-year residence requirement, applicants must meet the relevant settlement requirements, including:

• English Language: Unless exempt, applicants applying before 26 March 2027 must generally demonstrate English speaking and listening ability at CEFR Level B1 or above. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the requirement is due to increase to CEFR Level B2, subject to the applicable rules and exemptions.
• Life in the UK Test: Unless exempt, applicants must meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement.
• Suitability Requirements: Applicants must meet the relevant suitability requirements and must not normally be in breach of UK immigration laws when applying.

Application Process

• Online Application: Apply online for ILR under the Long Residence route.
• Supporting Documents: Provide evidence of your identity, immigration history and residence where required.
• Biometrics: Provide fingerprints and a photograph when required as part of the application process.
• Decision: The standard processing time is usually within 6 months after providing biometric information. A faster decision service may be available for an additional fee.

You must be in the UK when applying for settlement under the Long Residence route.

Application Fee

The current application fee for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the 10-year Long Residence route is £3,226 per applicant.

There is no separate biometric enrolment fee.

Important Considerations

• Check Your Immigration History: Applicants should carefully review their entire immigration history to ensure that all periods relied upon qualify as lawful residence.
• Check Your Absences: Keep a detailed record of travel outside the UK, particularly where there are significant periods of absence.
• Check Your Current Route: If your current permission was granted on or after 11 April 2024, make sure you have held your current immigration route for at least 12 months before applying, unless an exception applies.
• Do Not Travel While Your Application Is Pending: You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while your ILR application is awaiting a decision. If you do, your application may be treated as withdrawn.
• Dependants: There is no dependant route under Appendix Long Residence. Eligible family members must generally qualify under their own immigration route.

The 10-Year Long Residence route can provide an important pathway to settlement for people who have built up a long period of lawful and continuous residence in the UK. However, eligibility depends on the individual’s complete immigration history, qualifying residence, absences, current immigration route and compliance with the Immigration Rules.

Written on: 28 August 2026