ILR application delayed past 6 months? How to chase and escalate
If your straightforward ILR application was submitted in January and you are still waiting in June, you are not alone, and in most cases nothing is wrong. UKVI's published service standard for indefinite leave to remain made inside the UK on the standard service is up to 6 months, and that is a target rather than a hard deadline. The right move is to chase in order: wait until you are genuinely past 6 months, then contact UKVI, then complain if needed, then ask your MP to escalate, and only consider legal action for very long delays. Contacting your MP can prompt movement, but it does not guarantee a faster decision.
- Standard ILR (inside the UK) service standard: up to 6 months from your biometrics date.
- Chase only after you have passed the published timescale.
- A complaint does not expedite a decision, but flags poor service.
- MPs can raise your case with the Home Office, but cannot force a timescale.
First, check you are actually past the service standard
The 6-month clock normally runs from your biometric enrolment, not from the day you paid or pressed submit. Before doing anything, confirm the date and check the current published timescales on GOV.UK, because they are updated periodically. A January submission with biometrics shortly after would typically pass the standard around July, so you may be very close to, but not yet over, the line.
If you are still inside the window, the honest answer is to wait. UKVI rarely gives a meaningful update while a case sits within standard, and chasing early almost never helps.
Step two: contact UKVI through the official route
Once you are genuinely past 6 months, use the official contact UK Visas and Immigration tool. It asks a few questions and routes you to the correct team and contact details (online enquiry form, and in some cases phone or email) for your situation. Keep your reference number, application date and biometrics date to hand.
Be realistic: a chase often produces a holding response confirming your case is still being processed. That is frustrating, but a documented enquiry is useful if you need to escalate later.
Step three: make a formal complaint if the delay is unreasonable
If you are well beyond 6 months with no explanation, you can use UKVI's complaints procedure. You can complain online or in writing, and standard complaints aim for a response within 20 working days.
Importantly, UKVI states plainly that complaints do not affect the decision-making process and will not expedite your application. A complaint is the correct tool for service failure (an unexplained, excessive delay), not a shortcut. If you are unhappy with the response, you can request an independent review and, ultimately, escalate to the Independent Examiner of Complaints.
Step four: ask your local MP to raise it with the Home Office
If direct chasing and a complaint have not moved things, you can ask your local MP to raise the case with the Home Office. You can find yours by postcode using the UK Parliament Find your MP service. MPs generally only act for people who live in their own constituency, so use your home address.
MPs have a dedicated channel into the Home Office for constituent immigration enquiries, which is why a brief, polite email setting out your reference, dates and the fact that you are past the service standard can sometimes prompt UKVI to look at a stalled file.
Recommended escalation order: (1) wait until past the 6-month standard; (2) contact UKVI via the official route; (3) make a formal complaint if the delay is unexplained; (4) ask your MP to raise it with the Home Office; (5) seek legal advice / pre-action protocol for very long delays.
Be balanced about expectations. Some applicants report a decision soon after an MP enquiry; others see no change. The Home Office still decides on its own timescale, and an MP cannot impose a deadline. Treat it as a useful nudge, not a guaranteed fix.
When to get legal advice
For delays that stretch well beyond the service standard with no resolution, it may be worth speaking to a regulated immigration adviser or solicitor about a pre-action protocol letter for judicial review of unreasonable delay. This is a serious step, often the trigger that prompts a decision, but it carries cost and risk, so take proper advice first.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Your circumstances may differ, and only a qualified adviser can assess your specific case.
While you wait, it can help to keep your Life in the UK knowledge fresh if citizenship is your next goal, you can practise free at britpass.app.
Related reading: What to do if your priority ILR application is taking longer than expected and how long a British citizenship application takes.