Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): The Complete Guide to UK Settlement

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is unforgiving in a way that no other UK immigration stage is. One day over the 180-day absence limit costs £3,226 and resets your clock. One day. That's it: no appeal, no discretion, no near-miss allowance.

On 8 April 2026, the ILR fee climbed to £3,226 per person. No family discount. No reduced rate for children. A family of four now hands over £12,904 at the settlement stage alone, on top of everything they have already paid to get there.

If the proposed Earned Settlement reforms pass into law, the standard qualifying period for most routes could double from five years to closer to ten, overnight, for anyone not yet across the line.

This guide walks through how to work out your qualifying period, how to count your absences correctly under the split system that applies to periods straddling 11 April 2024, what the 2026 proposals actually mean for your timeline, and just as important, what to do if something goes sideways.

What is Indefinite Leave to Remain, and What Can You Do With It?

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is settlement in the UK without a time limit. Once granted, every immigration restriction falls away. You can live, work, study, and access public services without any conditions attached to your stay.

The No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, which blocks most visa holders from accessing mainstream benefits, has been lifted. You can take any job, for any employer, in any capacity. ILR is not a visa. It sits entirely outside the visa system.

Do ILR Holders Pay Home or International Student Fees?

ILR holders are generally eligible for home student tuition rates, the same as British and Irish citizens, provided they also meet the ordinary residence conditions under the student finance rules.

Over a three-year degree, that distinction is the difference between roughly £9,250 a year and international fees that often exceed £25,000. Almost nobody mentions this. Check the current student finance guidance before relying on it, but for many families, this is the quiet financial win that pays back the ILR fee many times over.

Can ILR Holders Vote in UK Elections?

Qualifying Commonwealth citizens with ILR can vote and stand as candidates in UK elections, including general elections, provided they meet the relevant electoral law requirements.

The right runs with "qualifying Commonwealth citizen" status under electoral law; it isn't automatic for any Commonwealth national who happens to hold ILR. If this might apply to you, confirm this with your local Electoral Registration Officer.

Can I Lose My ILR Status?

ILR is permanent, but only in the sense that it has no expiry date printed on it. Leave the country long enough, and it simply ceases to exist.

There are narrow exceptions. British Overseas citizens, British subjects, British protected persons, and certain armed forces and UK government employees do not lose ILR regardless of how long they spend abroad. For everyone else, the two-year clock is unforgiving.

EU (European Union) settled status works on a different timetable. It lapses after 5 continuous years outside the UK (4 years for Swiss citizens and their family members).

ILR is the Gateway to Citizenship

In most cases, you must hold ILR for 12 months before applying for naturalisation as a British citizen. Naturalisation is the legal process by which a non-British person applies to become a British citizen.

One exception: Spouses and civil partners of British citizens can apply immediately under Section 6(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981, with no 12-month wait.

Child Registration Routes

Under s1(3) BNA 1981, a child whose parent acquires ILR after the child's birth can be registered as a British citizen before turning 18, provided the parent holds ILR.

Under s1(4) BNA 1981, a child who has lived in the UK continuously from birth until age 10 has a lifetime entitlement to register as a British citizen. No deadline. The right does not expire.

How Much Does ILR Cost in 2026?

The ILR application fee is £3,226 per applicant from 8 April 2026, with no family discount. It represents an increase of £197 from the previous fee of £3,029. Every dependant, including children, pays £3,226 in full.

There is no Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at the ILR stage, which is the one genuine piece of good news in the fee table. There is no biometric enrolment fee either, GOV.UK confirms this expressly for both in-person and app-based identity verification.

A UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services) appointment fee is charged separately for the in-person service itself; that is, the cost of the appointment venue, not a biometric enrolment charge, and it varies by appointment type.

How Much Does Priority or Super Priority ILR Processing Cost?

Priority: £500 per applicant. Decision within 5 working days. If you are attending a biometric appointment in person, the clock starts on the day of the appointment. If you are using the Home Office UK Immigration: ID Check app, the clock starts the working day after you have uploaded your documents.

Super Priority: £1,000 per applicant. Decision by the end of the next working day after your identity is verified, or within 2 working days if verification falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

Critically, Super Priority is not available for most ILR applications submitted via the UK Immigration: ID Check app. For SET(O), SET(M), SET(LR), SET(F), SET(AF) and BN(O) settlement, you can only access Super Priority through a UKVCAS biometric appointment. Innovator Founder settlement is the only ILR route where Super Priority is available via the ID Check app.

The processing clock starts when you have both submitted your application and proved your identity, not from the moment you hit submit online. For in-person cases, identity is proved at the biometric appointment. For app-based cases, identity is proved when documents are uploaded via the app.

Invalid Application Charge: £30 is deducted from any refund if your application is rejected before processing begins.

Fee Waivers: Who Actually Qualifies

At the settlement stage, a specific fee exemption exists for bereaved partners under Appendix Bereaved Partner who can show destitution, either by having no adequate accommodation or by having accommodation without the means to meet essential living needs like food and heating.

Standard family and work route applicants cannot access a fee waiver at the ILR stage on financial hardship grounds alone. Separate fee waiver frameworks exist for some human-rights-based limited leave applications, but those are a different animal; they are not ILR fee waivers.

What This Costs a Family in 2026

How the Fee Got Here

Before 2003, ILR was free. The first fee was introduced in August 2003 at £155. Most applicants today were not paying attention to immigration policy twenty years ago, but the numbers tell their own story.

The Home Office charges £3,226 for something that costs £523 to process. The £523 processing cost figure comes from the House of Commons Library immigration fees briefing (February 2026). The surplus funds the wider immigration and border system.

When Can I Apply for ILR, and How Do I Calculate the 28-Day Window?

You can apply for ILR up to 28 days before the date you complete your qualifying period. Not one day before that window opens. Not one day after your current leave expires. The window is exactly 28 days wide, and it is absolute.

The Earliest Application Formula

The calculation method depends on your route. For most work routes and entry clearance holders, practitioners typically calculate from the date of first entry to the UK rather than the visa issue date.

The period between when your visa was granted and when you actually landed generally counts as absence rather than qualifying residence. It's a common trap: people assume the clock starts the day the visa decision arrives in their inbox. It doesn't.

Apply before that date, and you will be refused. No discretion. Even one day is enough.

Qualifying Periods by Route

28-Day Extant Leave Addition

If you apply up to 28 days before your current leave expires, the unused remainder of that leave is added to the new grant. It isn't lost.

Paragraph 39E Overstaying Disregard

A very narrow exception exists for overstaying within 14 days of expiry where the delay was beyond your control. Do not build plans around this. It is a safety rail for genuine emergencies, not a second submission window.

Section 3C Leave

Section 3C leave (Immigration Act 1971) continues your existing permission while your application is pending. It protects your legal status, right up until the moment you leave the Common Travel Area (the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man).

Then it ends instantly, and your application is treated as withdrawn under Immigration Rules paragraph 34K.

What is the 180-Day Absence Rule, and How Do I Calculate It?

It is the single most common cause of ILR refusal. One day over, and you are out: £3,226 gone, clock reset, a new qualifying period to rebuild.

Exceptions do exist in defined circumstances, such as serious illness, conflict or natural disaster, COVID-19 disruption during the pandemic period, or certain occupational grounds. Still, they are narrow, evidence-dependent, and assumed nowhere.

The 180-day rule applies to routes determined by Appendix Continuous Residence. That covers Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Scale-up, UK Ancestry, and their dependants.

The spouse and partner route under Appendix FM works differently. There is no fixed numerical absence cap on that route, but spending the majority of time overseas raises serious doubts about whether you intend to live permanently in the UK, and those doubts can and do lead to refusal.

The Dual Absence Calculation System

Appendix Continuous Residence was amended on 11 April 2024. Which rules apply to you depends on when your qualifying period began, and whether it spans that date.

For Qualifying Periods Beginning Before 11 April 2024

Under the pre-amendment rules, the Home Office Continuous Residence Guidance is explicit. The applicant must not have been absent for more than 184 days in any single absence where that absence started before 11 April 2024. Must not have accumulated more than 548 days in total during any part of the qualifying period before 11 April 2024. Either breach causes refusal unless one of the permitted reasons in CR 3.4 applies.

For Qualifying Periods Beginning On or After 11 April 2024

Maximum 180 days in any rolling 12-month period.

For Qualifying Periods Spanning 11 April 2024

The pre-amendment rules apply to the portion before that date, and the 180-day rolling rule applies to the portion after. Both portions must be compliant, independently. One failure in either: refusal.

When you check the post-April 2024 rolling window, you need to check every possible 12-month period within that portion of your qualifying time, not just calendar years. An October-to-October window can fail even when April-to-April and January-to-January both come out clean. The Home Office checks all of them.

182 days in a single rolling window. Refusal. The October-to-October window is the one that fails, and because Appendix Continuous Residence requires compliance across every rolling 12 months, that single breach is enough. No discretion unless a defined permitted exception applies and is evidenced.

Absence Calculation Rules: Read These Before You Count

• Part-Day Rule. Only full days count. Arrival day = UK day. Departure day = absence day.
• The Visa-Grant Gap. The period between your visa grant and first UK entry generally counts as absence rather than qualifying residence on most work routes. Verify for your specific route.
• Offshore Workers. Oil rigs and ships beyond 12 nautical miles are absent.
• Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey). From 29 July 2025, these count as UK residence for continuous residence calculations, provided your most recent permission was granted in the UK. This is a recent change, and most competitor guides still have not caught up.
• Common Travel Area Travel during a Pending Application. Leaving the CTA while your in-country application is pending treats the application as withdrawn. Immediately.
• Dependent Children. Not subject to absence limits for settlement purposes.

What Counts as a Permitted Absence?

• Serious illness: of the applicant or a close relative, with medical evidence.
• Conflict or natural disaster: with supporting evidence.
• Skilled Worker in a PhD-level occupation sponsored to work overseas (evidence: sponsor letter confirming the overseas posting and PhD-level occupation code).
• Full-time HM Armed Forces reserve service (evidence: MOD deployment orders or unit confirmation covering the dates of absence).
• Global Talent: Some absences permitted under endorsement conditions (evidence: endorsement letter and supporting documentation).
• COVID-19 disruption: discretion available where absences during the pandemic period were outside the applicant's control.

Which ILR Route Am I On: 5-Year, 10-Year, or Accelerated?

Start with the Home Office approval letter from your most recent application. The form on which your leave was granted tells you which route you are on:

• FLR(M) (Further Leave to Remain for Marriage/Partner) is the 5-year family route
• FLR(FP) (Further Leave to Remain for Family and Private Life) is the 10-year family route
• Leave granted under a Skilled Worker or similar work category is the 5-year work route

SET(M) and SET(O) are the settlement application forms you use at the end of those routes, not route indicators in themselves. The route is determined by the underlying grant of leave, not by the settlement form you eventually file.

Which ILR Route Am I On and How Long is My Qualifying Period?

What Does Not Count Toward the 10-Year Route: Visitor visa time; visitor status conferred at the border; Ukraine scheme permission (verify against current long residence guidance); time on immigration bail; overstaying unless later regularised.

What Does Count: Student visa, Graduate visa, Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, Temporary Worker routes, and Discretionary Leave, where settlement is permitted under the grant terms.

The Governing Appendices

Different parts of the Immigration Rules determine different routes, and knowing which Appendix applies to you matters when you start reading guidance or refusal letters:

• Appendix Continuous Residence: 180-day absence rule for work routes
• Appendix Long Residence: 10-year long residence route
• Appendix FM: family members on the 5-year and 10-year partner/parent routes
• Appendix Settlement Family Life: 10-year family settlement route
• Appendix Private Life: private life settlement routes
• Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse: immediate ILR route (SET(DV))
• Appendix Bereaved Partner: immediate ILR route for bereaved partners

Clock-Reset Rules: The Quiet Risk

Switching from a 5-year route to a new 5-year route in a different category can reset your 5-year clock. The time you have already served still counts toward the 10-year residence route, so it is not lost in the absolute sense; it is just deferred.

Switching from the 10-year route back onto a 5-year route is harsher: time spent on the 10-year route does not count toward the 5-year qualifying period.

Section 3C leave maintains continuous residence during switches made before your current leave expires.

What Are the General Requirements for ILR?

Continuous lawful residence. You must have held valid leave throughout the qualifying period. Section 3C leave counts. Overstaying does not count unless it was later regularised.

Absence limits. Route-dependent (see above).

English Language (B1 CEFR)

You need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from a Home Office-authorised provider. The SELT must assess speaking and listening only, a 2-facet test.

SELT certificates are generally valid for 2 years from the award date. Older expired tests may still be accepted if they are from a current provider on the SELT list and were previously accepted in an earlier immigration application; check the KoLL guidance.

Exemptions from English:

• Nationals of majority English-speaking countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, and British Overseas Territories)
• Aged 65 or over
• UK degree (qualifies automatically)
• Overseas degree with ECCTIS (UK ENIC) confirmation
• Long-term physical or mental condition with medical evidence
• Domestic abuse victims
• Bereaved partners

B2 English, Announced Reform. In March 2026, the government announced that a higher English language proficiency level (B2) would be required to settle in the UK, with commentary suggesting a 26 March 2027 commencement for some cohorts. The exact legal commencement date for each ILR category and the operative Immigration Rules amendment must be verified at publication. Do not treat any specific date as confirmed without checking the current Rules.

Life in the UK Test

24 questions. 45 minutes. 75% pass mark (18 out of 24 correct). £50 per attempt. Must be passed before submitting your ILR application, not after. Once passed, valid for life. You must sit at one of the five test centres nearest to where you live, with a minimum of 7 days between retakes. Exemptions apply for those under 18, aged 65 or over, or with a long-term physical or mental condition.

Suitability: The Part Suitability Framework

The Part Suitability framework replaced Part 9: General Grounds for Refusal on 11 November 2025. Applicants who read older guides will see references to Part 9; those rules no longer apply.

The framework operates in three tiers:

The suitability threshold for settlement is higher than for leave to remain. That is not rhetorical; it has practical consequences. Something the Home Office waved through on your last extension could be what tanks your ILR application.

Does NHS Debt Affect My ILR Application?

Once paid in full, the specific debt bar is removed, and no further waiting period applies to that bar. But suitability is assessed holistically. Caseworkers may still consider the conduct that led to the debt under general suitability grounds. Paying removes one obstacle; it does not guarantee clearance on the same day.

Custodial Sentences

12 months or more: must refuse for settlement. Under 12 months: assessed case by case, and you may still qualify after 5 years of continuous residence since the end of the sentence.

Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR): The Rarely-Used Safety Valve

Outside the formal Immigration Rules, the Home Office retains residual discretion to grant leave on compelling or compassionate grounds. It is known as leave outside the Rules (LOTR). It is not a route you apply for in the ordinary sense. It is a discretion that may be exercised where the Rules produce an outcome that would be unjustifiable on the specific facts. LOTR is rare, narrow, and not a planning tool. But it exists, and it is worth knowing about before accepting a refusal as final.

How Do Caseworkers Actually Assess an ILR Application?

Understanding how the decision is made matters more than any checklist of requirements, because the decision is made by a human being with a database, a template, and a workload, not by a tick-box algorithm.

The Variation Provision: The Life-Saver Nobody Explains

If you do not meet ILR requirements but do meet requirements for limited leave to remain, the caseworker must consider varying your settlement application to permission to stay. It applies to: Appendix FM, Appendix Family Life, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Innovator, and Appendix Hong Kong BN(O). It is mandatory on those routes, not discretionary.

What varying the application means in practice: the original settlement fee is not refunded, but no second application fee is charged. IHS is payable within 14 days. Section 3C leave is maintained throughout. The settlement application is not formally refused at that stage; refusing it would break continuous residence and prevent future settlement.

GEN.3.2 Exceptional Circumstances

In every case that falls for refusal under Appendix FM, the caseworker must consider whether exceptional circumstances would make refusal unjustifiably harsh. It is mandatory, not discretionary. If your refusal letter does not address exceptional circumstances on an Appendix FM application, that is a further potential ground for Administrative Review.

Evidential Flexibility: What It Does and Doesn't Rescue

In Appendix FM cases, caseworkers apply common-sense flexibility to minor formatting errors in documents. That flexibility does not extend to missing specified evidence. A document you forgot to include cannot be rescued by evidential flexibility. Only a minor error in how a document is presented can.

Interview Powers

Caseworkers can arrange an interview if they have doubts about whether a relationship is genuine and subsisting, or whether an applicant intends to live permanently in the UK. An interview invitation is not a refusal, but it is a clear signal that something in your submission has raised a concern. Take it seriously. Prepare. Attend with coherent answers that match the written application.

Key Authorities: MM (Lebanon) v SSHD [2017] UKSC 10; Agyarko v SSHD [2017] UKSC 11; ZH (Tanzania) v SSHD [2011] UKSC 4; KO (Nigeria) v SSHD [2018] UKSC 53; AB (Jamaica) [2019] EWCA Civ 661; R (Afzal) v SSHD [2021] EWCA Civ 1909.

What Documents Do You Need for ILR?

Core Documents: All Routes

• Current valid passport and all previous passports covering the qualifying period
• Life in the UK test certificate or reference number
• English SELT certificate or alternative proof (UK degree confirmation, or ECCTIS letter for an overseas degree)
• Travel history and absence declaration covering the full qualifying period
• Current eVisa status: no new BRPs have been issued since the end of 2024; the status is held digitally in your UKVI account

If Passports Are Lost or Destroyed

You are not automatically disqualified. Alternatives accepted by caseworkers include: employer letters confirming employment dates; payslips; P60 and P45 documents; bank statements; tenancy agreements; NHS correspondence; official correspondence from your local council; DWP or HMRC letters.

Work Route Specific (Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Scale-Up)

• Employer letter confirming employment, current salary, and job title at ILR
• Payslips covering the qualifying period
• P60 documents
• Bank statements showing salary receipts (must show transaction history, not just account balances; a screenshot of the current balance is not enough)
• Confirmation that the salary meets the settlement salary threshold

Family Route Specific (Spouse/Partner)

Marriage or civil partnership certificate. Cohabitation evidence covering the full qualifying period, not just the recent 30 months.

Family route documentation is determined by Appendix FM-SE (Specified Evidence), which sets out the exact form and quantity of evidence required. Appendix FM-SE is prescriptive: it does not reward creativity in document choice, only compliance with the specified evidence list.

Cohabitation Evidence Tiers

Forms by Route

Can You Travel While Your ILR Application is Being Processed?

No. Leaving the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man while your ILR application is pending results in it being treated as withdrawn immediately under Immigration Rules paragraph 34K.

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is the boundary. Cross it, and your application is over.

Section 3C leave protects you while your application is pending. The moment you leave the CTA, that protection evaporates. There is no warning. There is no notification. There is no refund.

If travel is unavoidable before a decision, your only option is to wait for the decision. If the situation is genuinely urgent, seek regulated legal advice immediately; there is no administrative workaround.

What is the Earned Settlement Proposal, and Should You Rush?

The Home Office consultation "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement" was published in November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The government's 2026 immigration white paper has confirmed the general direction of reform.

But at the time of writing, none of the proposed changes has been passed into law. Transitional provisions, commencement dates, and which cohorts will actually be affected are all still subject to legislation. The current ILR rules remain in full force. Verify the position before relying on any of what follows.

Proposed Route Changes (Not Yet in Force)

Routes That Would Retain Current Timelines

The 10-year long residence route is proposed for abolition under these reforms, removing the flexible safety net currently available to people who have spent time in several visa categories.

Most people will not qualify for the faster route. The reductions apply only to high earners and specified public-service workers. For everyone else, the 10-year default is the baseline.

Reductions in the Waiting Period (Only the Largest Applies)

• Earnings over £50,270/year: -5 years
• Earnings over £125,140/year: -7 years
• Specified public service roles (NHS, education): -5 years
• English at C1 level: -1 year
• Community contributions (volunteering, etc.): -3 to 5 years

Extensions in the Waiting Period (Only the Largest Applies)

• Public funds claimed for less than 12 months: +5 years
• Public funds claimed for more than 12 months: +10 years
• Illegal entry, arrived on a visitor visa and overstayed more than 6 months: up to +20 years (maximum 30-year total)

The financial impact is real. Migration Observatory figures put the current 5-year path at approximately £9,900 in total fees. A 10-year path works out closer to £16,900, a £7,000 difference that falls on the applicant, not the employer.

For context, a 10-year standard settlement route is comparable to Switzerland and Japan. A 15- to 30-year route would be unusual among all high-income countries. For reference: Germany sits at around £200, Canada at around £700, and the United States H-1B route at around £8,200.

ILR Vs British Citizenship: What is the Difference?

It is the most-asked post-ILR question. The short version: ILR is settlement. Citizenship is nationality. One can be taken from you. The other rarely is.

The Post-ILR Citizenship Path

Standard: 12 months holding ILR before applying for naturalisation. Fees: £1,709 application + £130 ceremony = £1,839 total.

Immediate, no 12-month wait: spouses and civil partners of British citizens under Section 6(2) BNA 1981.

Unmarried partner of a settled non-British person: 12-month wait applies, even after ILR.

Citizenship Absence Requirements (Different From ILR)

These are determined by separate nationality law frameworks, not by Appendix Continuous Residence. Plan for them as a second set of rules, not an extension of the first.

Spouses of British citizens (3-year qualifying period): Max 270 days outside the UK in the 3 years before application; max 90 days in the final 12 months.

All others (5-year qualifying period): Max 450 days total; max 180 days in any 12 months; max 90 days in the final 12 months.

True Total Journey Cost: Single Applicant (2026 Figures)

ILR Can Be Revoked, and Revocation Doesn't Require Physical Removal

Grounds include national security, liability to deportation where removal is not currently possible, and refugee status that has ceased. Once revoked, the individual has no permission to remain, even if they remain physically present in the UK.

Returning Resident Route

If ILR lapses due to 2 or more years abroad, you must apply for entry as a Returning Resident before travelling to the UK. The Home Office assesses your family, property or business ties in the UK, the length of your previous residence, and your reasons for time spent abroad. If approved, ILR is restored on re-entry. It is the closest thing to a reset button, but neither quick nor guaranteed.

Dual Nationality

The UK permits dual nationality. Whether your home country permits it is not something the UK Government controls; it depends on your home country's nationality law. For some applicants, losing their home nationality on naturalisation is a serious consideration that pushes them toward ILR-only as the long-term destination. ILR lets you keep your home passport without having to make that decision.

What Happens if Your ILR Application is Refused?

A refusal feels final. Often, it is not. There are five distinct routes forward, and picking the right one depends entirely on the reason given in the refusal letter.

Most Common Refusal Reasons

• Absence miscalculation, over 180 days in a single rolling 12-month window
• Financial threshold not met at the settlement stage
• Relationship evidence insufficient or inconsistent across the qualifying period
• SELT certificate expired, or the wrong test booked (4-skill instead of 2-facet)
• Life in the UK certificate not included in the submission
• Undisclosed suitability issue, criminal record, NHS debt, previous overstaying
• Application submitted more than 28 days before the qualifying period completes

How Long Does ILR Processing Take?

Standard processing runs up to 6 months from the point when you have both submitted your application and proved your identity. Straightforward cases are often resolved more quickly, though GOV.UK does not publish a median processing time.

If UKVI identifies exceptionally complex issues, a decision can take longer than 6 months, and priority fees will not be returned if that happens.

For most ILR routes (SET(O), SET(M), SET(LR), SET(F), SET(AF), BN(O) settlement), Super Priority is only available through a UKVCAS biometric appointment, not through the UK Immigration: ID Check app. Innovator Founder settlement is the single exception.

Priority fees are non-refundable if processing exceeds the target timeframe. The fee buys a queue position, not a guaranteed timeline. If UKVI requests additional evidence, the processing clock pauses for all service tiers.

eVisa

ILR is granted as a digital status in your UKVI account. No new BRP is issued. Before travelling, starting a new job, or agreeing to a tenancy after ILR is granted, make sure your UKVI account is active, your current passport is linked, and your digital status is verified correctly.

Employers, landlords, and universities verify your status through a share code, a nine-character code generated from your UKVI account. There have been reported delays in ILR grants linked to passport records. Check your eVisa before you actually need it, not on the morning of your flight.

The Single Most Important Thing to Remember About ILR

Indefinite Leave to Remain is not a reward for time served. It is a test of precision. The applicant who succeeds is the one who correctly counts every absence day, submits exactly within the 28-day window, and treats this application not as a formality but as the most expensive exam they will ever sit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the ILR fee in 2026?

The ILR application fee is £3,226 per applicant from 8 April 2026; there is no family discount, and every dependant, including children, pays the full amount. Priority service adds £500 per person; Super Priority adds £1,000. Super Priority for ILR is generally only available through a UKVCAS biometric appointment, not the UK Immigration: ID Check app, except for Innovator Founder settlement.

Do I pay the Immigration Health Surcharge with ILR?

No, ILR applicants are fully exempt from the IHS, which currently stands at £1,035 per year for adults on temporary visas. If you stop paying IHS at ILR, everything you have already paid across the qualifying period is gone for good.

How many days can I spend outside the UK and still qualify for ILR?

For absences after 11 April 2024 on routes governed by Appendix Continuous Residence, no more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. For absences before 11 April 2024 on the same routes, no more than 184 days in any single absence and no more than 548 days in total. If your qualifying period spans 11 April 2024, both sets of rules apply to their respective portions and both must be satisfied independently.

Can I leave the UK while my ILR application is being processed?

No. Leaving the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man while your ILR application is pending will cause it to be treated as withdrawn immediately under Immigration Rules paragraph 34K: no refund, no appeal, no warning.

Am I on the 5-year or 10-year ILR route?

If your current leave was granted on Form FLR(M) (family) or as a Skilled Worker or similar work category, you are on the 5-year route. If it used Form FLR(FP), you are on the 10-year route. SET(M) and SET(O) are the settlement forms used at the end of the route, not route indicators in themselves. When in doubt, check your Home Office approval letter.

Will the Earned Settlement 10-year rule apply to me?

No ILR rule changes have taken effect at the time of writing; the current rules remain in force. If you are eligible to apply within the next 6 months, apply now and lock in the current pathway. If you arrived after 2022 and are not yet settled, monitor Home Office announcements closely.

Can I lose my ILR status?

Yes, ILR lapses automatically after 2 consecutive years outside the UK, and can also be revoked in cases of deportation, deception, or where refugee status has ceased. British Overseas citizens, British subjects, British protected persons, certain armed forces personnel, and UK government employees are exempt from the 2-year lapse rule.

What is the Part Suitability framework?

Part Suitability replaced Part 9: General Grounds for Refusal on 11 November 2025, giving caseworkers a structured framework to refuse ILR based on criminality, immigration breaches, document inconsistencies, and financial or tax credibility. It operates in three tiers: must refuse, should normally refuse, and may refuse.

What happens if my ILR application is refused?

A refusal is not final. You have five options: Administrative Review (within 14 calendar days for caseworker errors), variation to limited leave (mandatory consideration on most family and private life routes), a fresh application, a human rights appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, or judicial review. Which one applies depends on the reason stated in your refusal letter.

Is ILR the same as British citizenship?

No, ILR gives permanent residence but can lapse after 2 consecutive years abroad, does not confer British citizenship, and grants limited voting rights. British citizenship is a permanent nationality status that cannot be lost through absence, comes with a British passport, and gives full voting rights in all elections.

Can I apply for ILR before my qualifying period is complete?

You can apply up to 28 days before your qualifying period completes. Apply earlier and you are refused; no discretion, even one day is enough. Apply after your leave expires and you become an overstayer. On most work routes, calculate from the date of first entry to the UK rather than the visa issue date.

What English test do I need for ILR?

You need a B1 Secure English Language Test (SELT) assessing speaking and listening only, a 2-facet test. Do not book a 4-skill test. Approved providers include Trinity College London and the IELTS SELT Consortium. The certificate must generally be within 2 years of the award date at the time of application.

What if my passport expires while my ILR application is pending?

Renew your passport and update your UKVI account with the new passport details. Your Section 3C leave continues regardless of passport validity, so the application itself is not jeopardised. However, you will need a valid passport linked to your UKVI account before you can travel or use your eVisa once the decision is issued.

Are Monzo, Revolut, and Starling bank statements accepted for ILR?

Yes. Online-only bank statements are generally accepted, provided they show full transaction history and are either printed on headed paper or accompanied by a letter from the bank confirming the account. Screenshots of balances are never sufficient.

How long does Administrative Review actually take?

The Home Office does not publish a target processing time. In practice, decisions typically arrive within 3 to 6 weeks for straightforward cases, though complex reviews can take longer. UKVI does not provide interim updates; you will usually hear nothing until the decision itself is issued.

What if my employer refuses to provide a letter for my ILR application?

An employer's refusal is not an automatic disqualifier. Payslips, P60 documents, HMRC records, and bank statements showing salary receipts can collectively build the same evidential picture. The burden falls on you to assemble an alternative record. Where employment is disputed, HMRC employment history print-outs are often decisive.

What if my relationship breaks down after my ILR is granted?

ILR is personal to you. If your relationship ends after ILR is granted, your status is unaffected; ILR does not lapse because of a relationship breakdown. The position is different if you are still on a partner visa and the relationship ends before you reach ILR; in that case, your leave may be curtailed. If you are a victim of domestic abuse, the immediate SET(DV) route may apply regardless of how long you have been in the UK.

What if my sponsor loses their job after my visa is granted but before I apply for ILR?

If your Skilled Worker sponsor loses their licence or you lose your job, your leave may be curtailed. You typically have 60 days from curtailment to either find a new sponsor and switch, or make any other lawful application. If curtailment occurs, continuous residence is not automatically broken, provided you make a valid in-time application before the curtailed leave expires.

Can I submit documents in a foreign language?

No. All documents submitted to UKVI must be accompanied by a certified English translation. The translator must confirm their name and qualifications and certify that the translation is accurate. Uncertified translations and machine-generated translations are not accepted. Submit the original foreign-language document alongside the certified translation, not a translation alone.