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Long Residence ILR

If you have been living in the UK for 10 consecutive years or more, you may apply for ILR through long residence.
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Long Residence ILR

You may qualify for indefinite leave to remain if you have been in the UK legally for 10 years, this is known as ‘long residence’.

Indefinite leave to remain is how you settle in the UK. It’s also called ‘settlement’. It gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible. You can use it to apply for British citizenship.

How we can help 

Herrington Carmichael’s Immigration team can provide in-depth understanding of ILR requirements and achieve an incredibly high success rate for our clients.

You can be assured that your application process will be managed in a professional and organised manner.

Applying for Long Residence ILR

Below we have answers all of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to ILR through Long Residence. Please get in touch if your require further clarification or assistance. We offer 10-minute free consultations.

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Usof Shah
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What our clients say about us

We have also greatly benefited from the excellent work of Usof Shah, Immigration Director, whose expertise has been instrumental in helping our members address critical skills shortages in the construction industry. Usof has provided clear, actionable guidance on immigration laws, empowering our members to legally employ skilled foreign workers and sustain their businesses. His commitment extends beyond traditional legal services - he has delivered live webinars and offered free advice to some of our SME members, which was highly valued and, in several cases, helped save their companies. This combination of deep legal expertise, accessibility, and genuine care for clients' success sets him apart from others in the field.

Throughout my UK career, I came across many solicitors and solicitor firms. But Herrington Carmichael is the best so far. Their quick response, wider knowledge, and straightforward decisions come with a very competitive advisory fee. I can easily recommend them, and I did. Their success rate for me is 100%. In a nutshell, they are brilliant.

The individual deals with my requirements and makes sure I fully understand what he is advising and what the best way to proceed is.

Responsive, commercial, and able to explain immigration requirements in clear, simple terms.

The individuals we work with stand out for being approachable, knowledgeable, and responsive. Usof Shah, in particular, has been extremely professional, helpful, and practical in his advice.

Usof Shah stands out for his strong combination of technical expertise, commercial awareness, and responsiveness. He is able to explain complex immigration matters in a clear and practical way while remaining highly approachable and solutions-oriented throughout the process. What differentiates him from competitors is the level of personal attention and ownership he brings to matters. He is proactive, detail-oriented, and demonstrates a strong understanding of the operational and business needs of his clients rather than approaching matters from a purely technical perspective. I have particularly valued his responsiveness, clear communication, and ability to manage matters efficiently under tight timelines. He consistently provides pragmatic advice and maintains a high level of professionalism, which creates a strong sense of confidence and reliability throughout the engagement.

Usof Shah and his team stood out for their professionalism, responsiveness, and clear communication.

Herrington Carmichael’s team stands out for its strong expertise in immigration matters, combined with a highly personalized and responsive service. Over the past few years, they supported me and three members of my family, managing each of our individual cases efficiently and professionally. Compared to other firms, they are notably more organized and responsive.

Thank you for helping me to apply the exceptional assurance and I got the application succeed very quickly.

Usof was a pleasure to work with and his wealth of knowledge on the topic of immigration law was evident. We collaboratively delivered a successful webinar to hundreds of construction professionals on the post-Brexit immigration system and Usof was able to answer complex questions on the spot, demonstrating his attention to detail and professionalism. We would not hesitate to recommend Usof and Herrington Carmichael.

Usof Shah has been a great source of information and guidance both in setting up to become a sponsor and also in getting candidates sponsored.

The team provides useful guidance and support on the pitfalls and processes of being a sponsor. The team helps set everything up to become a sponsor as well as assisting with processing CoS applications.

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Meet our experts

Dedicated professionals ready to assist you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to your most pressing questions about our services and processes.

You will need permission to stay (‘leave to remain’). You can acquire this through any of the immigration categories, or a combination of different categories.

You must have lived in the UK legally for 10 continuous years without gaps (holidays do not count as a gap).

If you are in the UK on a family visa and your partner is British or has settled status, you may be eligible for ILR through your partner.

You can apply as soon as you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you do not need to wait for your visa to expire. However, you must do it before your visa expires otherwise you will need to apply to extend your visa before you can apply for ILR.

The fees charged by Home Office can be found on their official website here.

It takes an average of 6 months to get a decision using the standard service.

You can apply for the priority service to expedite the process.

Your family/dependants would be your partner and children. They can apply separately once they’ve met the eligibility requirements. You cannot include them in your application, they will need to follow the same process as you are.

If your dependants are not eligible to apply and your ILR application is successful, they can apply for one of the following:

  • To remain in the UK as the partner of a settled person. Your partner can include children in their application.
  • To remain in the UK as a child of a settled person in the instance where your partner is not applying.

You will need to provide:

  • Your current passport or another valid form of travel identification
  • Previous passports
  • A recent passport-sized colour photograph
  • Supporting evidence and documents that prove you have ties to the UK. For example: income earned in the UK, rented or owned property, close family.

Situation dependent, you may need to provide other documents.

You can pay an extra £1,000 for super priority service. You will get your decision:

  • If your biometric information appointment is on a week day, you will get your answer at the end of the next working day.
  • If your biometric information appointment is over the weekend, you will get your answer 2 working days after your appointment.

Yes. You will need to make an appointment to give your fingerprints and have a new photograph taken. This will be stipulated during your application process. There is no fee for this.

Your appointment will be made at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point.

Yes. If you are aged 18 to 64 years old, you will need to pass the Life in the UK Test. If you do not pass, you will need to apply to extend your visa instead. You can reapply for ILR.

If you had to pass the English Language requirement as part of your visa application, you will not need to pass this requirement again. You may need to show that you passed it previously.

No. You will no longer need to pay the healthcare surcharge once you have settled status (ILR).

You will be able to:

  • Work
  • Run your own business
  • Study
  • Use public services without paying a surcharge, such healthcare and schools
  • Apply for the use of public funds (benefits) and pensions
  • Apply for British citizenships, after a minimum of 12 months

If you leave the UK for more than 2 continuous years once you have ILR, you will lose it and will need to apply for a Returning Resident Visa.

Yes, an individual who has ILR can live and work in the UK for an unlimited period of time, without needing to apply to extend their visa.

There is no time limit on the amount of time you can spend in the UK with ILR. You should, however, be cautious that your indefinite leave will lapse if you spend more than 2 years outside the UK (or 5 years if settled under the EUSS).

Yes. Once you have had ILR for (usually) a minimum of 12 months, you will be able to apply for British citizenship.

You will need to provide:

  • Your current passport or another valid travel identification
  • Your biometric residence permit (BRP) if applicable
  • All other passports held during your time as a permanent resident in the UK.

If any of the documents are not in English or Welsh, you will need to provide a certified translation.

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