ILR requirements and how to apply

Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is settlement: permission to live in the UK with no time limit, work for anyone, use the NHS without the surcharge, and apply for citizenship after 12 months. The requirements depend on the route you have been on, but four things apply to nearly everyone: a qualifying period, continuous residence, English and the Life in the UK test, and a clean record.

Rules are changing. The government is consulting on an earned settlement model with a 10-year baseline. Nothing is in the Rules yet except a rise in the English level to B2 from 26 March 2027. Read ILR changes 2026 before you decide when to apply; the short answer is that if you qualify now, apply now.

Qualifying periods by route

Route	Years	Our page
Spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of a British or settled person	5	ILR as a spouse, as an unmarried partner
Skilled Worker (and most sponsored work routes)	5	ILR as a Skilled Worker
Global Talent, Innovator Founder	3 or 5, depending on the endorsement	ILR
Partner or child on the 10-year family or private life route	10	Spouse, 10-year route
Long residence (any lawful leave)	10	Long residence
Child who has lived in the UK seven years	Via the child route, then settlement	Child route
Victim of domestic abuse on a partner route	Immediate application	ILR for victims of domestic abuse
Refugee or humanitarian protection	5 (grants from 2 March 2026 are shorter; see our asylum pages)	Asylum
EU Settlement Scheme	5 years' residence, then settled status	Settled status

Time on different routes can sometimes be combined (for example, Skilled Worker then Global Talent), but not time as a visitor, student or on the Graduate route, which never count towards the five-year work route.

Continuous residence and the 180-day rule

On the five-year work routes you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. Family routes do not have a numeric limit, but long absences call the relationship and the intention to live together in the UK into question. The long residence route counts total absences (548 days over the ten years, 180 in any 12 months). Keep a list of every trip with dates; the Home Office checks against travel records.

Gaps in permission break continuity. A late extension application, even by one day, can reset the clock unless it is within the Home Office's limited allowances.

English and the Life in the UK test

English: B1 now; B2 for applications from 26 March 2027. An approved test, a degree taught in English, or nationality of a majority English-speaking country.
Life in the UK test: £50, 24 questions, 45 minutes, 75% to pass, and it never expires. Exempt if under 18, 65 or over, or unable to take it because of a long-term condition. See our guide.

Money

On family routes the financial requirement applies again at settlement: £29,000, or £18,600 plus child amounts for couples on the route before 11 April 2024, or the savings alternative.
On work routes you must still be paid at or above the going rate for your job on the day you apply.

Record and conduct

Unspent convictions, deception in a past application, unpaid NHS debt above £500 and HMRC tax discrepancies are the usual reasons for refusal. A conviction with a prison sentence of 12 months or more normally bars settlement. Tell your solicitor about anything, however old; it is far worse discovered than disclosed.

Fee and timing

Fee: £3,226 per person, from 8 April 2026, with no health surcharge. There is no fee waiver for ILR.
When: up to 28 days before you complete the qualifying period, and before your current permission expires.
How long: the Home Office aims for six months on the standard service. Super priority (£1,000, decision the next working day) is available for most routes when capacity allows.
Your current permission continues while the application is pending, as long as you applied before it expired.

After ILR

ILR lapses if you spend two years outside the UK (five for settled status). It can be lost for serious crime.
Family members do not get ILR automatically; each applies in their own right.
Citizenship: after 12 months with ILR (immediately if married to a British citizen), with five years' residence and the same English and Life in the UK evidence. See British citizenship and naturalisation.
Travel: ILR does not give visa-free entry to Europe; see travelling with UK ILR.

What we do

Fixed-fee ILR applications on every route: an eligibility check first, then the document list, the absence calculation, the application and covering letter, and the Home Office until the decision. See indefinite leave to remain solicitors or ask a question.