Long Residence ILR

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.