Which ILR Form for a Skilled Worker Visa? It's SET(O)
If you are applying to settle in the UK after five years on a Skilled Worker visa, the form is SET(O). SET(O) is the online application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in "various immigration categories" — including Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and the old Tier 2 (General) route. You do not choose between paper forms any more: you start your application on GOV.UK and the online system takes you through the SET(O) route automatically.
- Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 → SET(O) (online).
- Paper SET(O) was withdrawn in 2018 — it is online only.
- The ILR fee is £3,226 per person applying.
- You can apply up to 28 days before you complete 5 years.
- Partner of a British citizen or settled person → SET(M), not SET(O).
What the SET(O) form actually is
SET(O) stands for "Settlement — Other." It is the catch-all ILR form for people settling through work and points-based routes rather than through a family relationship. The official GOV.UK publication is titled "Settle in the UK in various immigration categories: form SET(O)." The same form covers a long list of categories — Tier 2 and work-permit holders, points-based dependants, businesspersons and investors, UK ancestry, bereaved partners, and "other purposes not covered by other forms."
For a Skilled Worker, this matters in a practical way: when you reach the ILR stage, you do not search for a form called "Skilled Worker ILR." You go to the GOV.UK page Indefinite leave to remain if you have a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 or Tier 2 visa, click "apply," and it routes you into the online SET(O) application.
Which form matches which route
The SET form you need depends on why you qualify, not which country you are from:
- SET(O) — Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 (General), Global Talent, Innovator Founder, Scale-up, Representative of an Overseas Business, UK ancestry, and other work/points-based routes.
- SET(M) — if you are the spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of a British citizen or someone with settled status (the "5-year partner" route).
- SET(F) — for a child applying for settlement with or to join a settled parent.
- SET(LR) — the 10-year long residence route, for people who have lived lawfully in the UK for 10 continuous years across any combination of visas.
So if you are on a Skilled Worker visa qualifying through employment, it is SET(O). If you switched to relying on a marriage to a British or settled partner, you may instead be on the partner route and use SET(M) — your route, not your job title, decides the form.
Don't assume your dependants use a different form. Your partner and children on a Skilled Worker dependant visa usually apply on the same SET(O) application as the main applicant, or can be added to it. Check the online form's instructions before submitting separately.
How you apply (and what it costs)
You apply online and pay £3,226 per person. After submitting, you book a biometrics appointment to give your fingerprints and photo and upload your documents. Standard processing is up to 6 months, but you can pay extra for faster decisions — around £500 for the priority service and £1,000 for super priority. Read more on timing in our super-priority ILR guide.
All ILR applicants on the Skilled Worker route must also have passed the Life in the UK test and met the English language requirement before they apply. If you have not booked or sat it yet, start with our free Life in the UK practice and the 2026 test guide.
This is general information, not legal advice. Salary thresholds, qualifying periods and the settlement rules for Skilled Workers are changing — if your situation is unusual (gaps in employment, redundancy, route switches), get advice from a regulated OISC adviser or immigration solicitor before you apply.