Private Life ILR

Eligibility depends on whether you are applying as an adult or a child.

Child Eligibility:

If you were born in the UK and have already lived in the UK for 7 continuous years since your birth, you can immediately apply for Private Life ILR.

If the above is not applicable, you can apply for Private Life ILR on the basis of:

• You received a visa on the basis of your private life between the ages of 18 and 24
• You arrived in the UK as a child
• You lived in the UK as a child for 5 continuous years with a visa

You can include time spent on any qualifying visa that leads to ILR on your application. You will need to have had a visa on the basis of your private life for at least one year on the day that you apply.

Adults

To be eligible, you need to:

• Be over 18 years old
• Have been given a visa on the basis of your private life in the UK
• Have lived continuously in the UK for a minimum of 10 years with a qualifying visa

You can include time spent on any qualifying visa that leads to ILR on your application. You will need to have had a visa on the basis of your private life for at least one year on the day that you apply.

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 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.

You do not need to prove that you meet the English Language requirements if you apply to settle as an adult on the basis of your private life.

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.