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Complete guide62 articles
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR): the complete guide
Settling in the UK with indefinite leave to remain — who qualifies, the residence and English requirements, the Life in the UK test, costs, and how ILR leads to British citizenship.
What indefinite leave to remain is
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also called settlement, lets you live and work in the UK without any time limit on your stay. Unlike a visa, it does not need renewing, and it is the usual stepping stone to British citizenship. Most people qualify after a set period of lawful residence on a qualifying visa.
ILR is recorded digitally as an eVisa linked to your UKVI account. Keep that account up to date, especially your current passport, so you can prove your status and travel.
Who qualifies — the main routes
Most people reach ILR after five years on a qualifying route: the Skilled Worker visa, a partner or spouse visa under Appendix FM, Global Talent, and several others. Some routes have different qualifying periods — for example, ten years' long residence, or shorter periods for certain Global Talent holders.
Each route has its own form. Work and most other routes use SET(O); the partner route uses SET(M).
Continuous residence and absences
The central requirement is continuous residence: on most routes you must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period across your qualifying years. Exceeding that can break your continuous residence and push your ILR date back.
The rolling calculation catches people out, because the Home Office can check every possible 12-month window, not just calendar years.
English and the Life in the UK test
Most applicants aged 18 to 64 must meet the Knowledge of Language and Life (KoLL) requirement for settlement: pass the Life in the UK test and prove English at level B1 or above. This applies to adult dependants too, even when the online form does not specifically ask for the certificates.
Documents you need
A typical ILR application needs your passport and eVisa or BRP, evidence of your time in the UK and your absences, and route-specific proof — payslips and an employer letter for Skilled Worker, or cohabitation and financial evidence for the partner route. Build a clear, dated record of your absences before you apply.
Costs and how long it takes
The ILR application fee is substantial — over £3,000 per person — so check the current figure on GOV.UK before you apply. On the standard service you usually get a decision within six months; the super priority service aims for a decision by the end of the next working day after your biometrics.
After ILR: the road to citizenship
ILR is usually not the final step. After holding it for 12 months (or immediately, if you are married to a British citizen) you can apply to naturalise as a British citizen. The Life in the UK test pass you used for ILR normally counts again, so keep your reference number safe.
Read more in this guide
Start here
Which SET form do you need? UK settlement forms explained
The SET forms are the Home Office's ILR application forms. A plain-English decision guide to SET(M), SET(O), SET(F) and SET(LR) so you pick the right one.
5 min read
I filed SET(M) on the 10-year partner route — is that wrong?
On the 10-year partner or parent route and filed SET(M), or about to? That is the wrong form. The 10-year route uses a separate online product. Here is how to check and put it right.
5 min read
Short on the ILR fee near your deadline? Honest options that work
Short on your ILR fee with a deadline looming? Here are honest, accurate payment options under UK rules, why applying in time protects your status, and free help.
5 min read
Can you be a sole trader on a Skilled Worker visa?
Running your own business on a Skilled Worker visa is tightly restricted. Here's what GOV.UK actually allows, the 20-hour rule, and the risks to your ILR.
5 min read
How much does ILR cost? A clear guide to indefinite leave to remain fees
ILR costs over £3,000 per person in Home Office fees, plus optional and hidden extras. Here's a clear breakdown, with a worked family example.
5 min read
ILR partner finances: no monthly statements on a dormant savings account?
Your bank only issues statements when there is activity, so you cannot supply six monthly ones. Here is how to evidence held cash savings for partner ILR.
6 min read
Can my child get ILR if their other parent hasn't settled?
Your child completing 5 years in the UK isn't enough for ILR on the Skilled Worker route. What matters is whether both parents are settling. Here's the rule.
5 min read
SET(O) ILR: what to do if the Home Office asks why you didn't include your children
If the Home Office emails asking why your children weren't on your SET(O) ILR application, it's a request for clarification, not a refusal. Here's how to respond and what happens next.
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Is the UK biometrics appointment free, and where do you upload your documents?
Free biometric appointments are available at UKVCAS core service points, and you upload your evidence through your UKVCAS online account. Here's how the process works.
4 min read
EU Citizens and ILR: Can You Verify Your Identity With the UK Immigration ID Check App?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can often verify their identity for ILR using the UK Immigration ID Check app, here's when the app applies and when you need an in-person biometric appointment instead.
4 min read
Can You Travel Abroad With ILR? Absence Limits and Pending Applications Explained
Yes, ILR lets you travel abroad freely, but stay out 2 continuous years and it lapses, and leaving while your application is pending can cancel it. The absence limits and pending-application rules explained.
5 min read
Which ILR Form for a Skilled Worker Visa? It's SET(O)
Applying for settlement on a Skilled Worker visa? The form is SET(O), the online ILR application for work and points-based routes. Here's how SET(O) compares to SET(M), SET(F) and SET(LR), and how to apply.
4 min read
Citizenship and ILR absence limits explained: the 90-day, 180-day and 450-day rules
The UK uses different absence limits for ILR and for citizenship. Here is what the 180-day, 90-day, 450-day and 270-day rules actually mean, and what to do if the Home Office miscounts your days.
6 min read
Can Self-Employment Income Count Towards Skilled Worker ILR? What the Home Office Accepts
Self-employment income does not count towards the Skilled Worker ILR salary requirement, only guaranteed PAYE pay from your sponsor does. Here's what the Home Office actually assesses, what supplementary work is allowed, and the salary evidence you really need.
5 min read
ILR on the Skilled Worker Route: Should You and Your Dependants Apply Together or Separately?
Skilled Worker dependants apply for ILR in their own right after their own 5 years in the UK. You can apply together if everyone qualifies, or separately if a partner or child joined you later.
5 min read
What Happens If Your Employer Loses Their Sponsor Licence Before ILR?
If your employer loses their sponsor licence, the Home Office normally shortens your visa to 60 days. Here are your real options and timescales to find a new sponsor, switch routes, or protect your path to settlement.
5 min read
Can You Apply for ILR Early? The 28-Day Rule Explained
You can apply for ILR up to 28 days before your qualifying period ends, but applying even one day too early means refusal and a lost fee. Here's how to find your earliest valid date and avoid the trap.
5 min read
Going deeper
ILR fee waiver eligibility: who qualifies and how to apply
An ILR fee waiver removes the £3,226 settlement fee, but only on human-rights routes like the 10-year family or private life route. Here is who qualifies, the affordability test, and how to apply.
5 min read
Can you apply for council housing after ILR, and does it affect citizenship?
Once you have ILR you are normally free of 'no recourse to public funds', so you can apply for council housing. Lawful use does not harm naturalisation.
5 min read
Driving conviction and ILR: why the Home Office switched you to the 10-year route, and can you challenge it?
A criminal driving conviction can engage the suitability rules and block ILR on the 5-year route, while still leaving the 10-year route open. Here is why, and how to respond.
5 min read
Do 50–90 day absences under the 180-day ILR limit get questioned?
If you stay under the rolling 180-day limit, a single 50–90 day trip does not break continuous residence, but long absences can draw questions, so evidence them well.
5 min read
Wrong answer on your submitted ILR form: cover letter or new application?
Ticked the wrong Yes/No on your submitted ILR application? A genuine, innocent error can usually be corrected without a whole new application. Here is how.
5 min read
Does ILR lapse if you live outside the UK? The 2-year rule explained
ILR lapses automatically after 2 continuous years outside the UK, and brief visits back won't reliably save it. Here's how the rule works, what the £726 Returning Resident visa involves, and whether it's still worth getting ILR before you move abroad.
5 min read
How long does a standard ILR application take? What the automated emails mean
On the standard (non-priority) service, UKVI usually decides ILR within 6 months of your biometrics. Here's why the automated 'still processing' emails are normal, and when it's fair to chase.
5 min read
Does time on a Charity Worker (Temporary Work) visa count toward Skilled Worker ILR?
Time spent on a Charity Worker (Temporary Work) visa does not count toward Skilled Worker settlement. Your 5-year ILR clock starts from your Skilled Worker grant.
4 min read
Getting ILR as a Skilled Worker: how does your dependant partner extend?
When the main Skilled Worker applicant settles, the dependant partner keeps extending on the same route until their own 5-year ILR, not a spouse visa.
5 min read
BRP expired? How to prove your ILR with an eVisa
Your indefinite leave to remain doesn't expire even though your BRP card did. You now prove settled status through your eVisa and a share code, here's how to set up access.
5 min read
SET(M): how much proof of living together do you need?
For SET(M) you prove you've lived together since your last visa, about 2.5 years on the 5-year route, not the full 5. There's no fixed number of documents, and letters in one name still count.
5 min read
Child born outside the UK needs her own ILR first
ILR is settlement, not citizenship. A child born outside the UK can't get a British passport just because a parent gets ILR. Here's the real route.
5 min read
SET(O): does "other countries you have lived in" mean since birth or since you arrived in the UK?
On the SET(O) form, "other countries you have lived in" means every country you have lived in over your lifetime, including your country of birth, not just countries since you arrived in the UK.
5 min read
I replied to the Home Office's document request but there's no decision — what next?
You sent the documents UKVI asked for, the decision date passed, and emails go nowhere. How to confirm your documents are linked and escalate.
5 min read
SET(M) qualifying period: does the 5 years start from your visa date or your arrival date?
Your SET(M) 5-year clock usually runs from the valid-from date on your partner visa, not the day you landed. Here is how UKVI counts it.
5 min read
Do you have to declare an old civil court judgment on your ILR application if it was set aside or withdrawn?
Being told a writ should be withdrawn is not the same as a judgment being set aside. How to check the official register and decide what to declare on ILR.
5 min read
Which ILR form for the 10-year family or private life route: SET(M), SET(LR) or the partner and parent application?
On the 10-year partner or parent route you apply through the “partner and parent applications” service, not SET(M) or SET(LR). Here is the right form for each route.
5 min read
Skilled Worker visa expires before your 5 years are up — can you still get ILR?
Your Skilled Worker visa ends before you complete 5 years' residence. Here's why you usually need to extend first, and why student time doesn't count.
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I had a limited company under my Skilled Worker visa — will it affect my ILR?
Had a side limited company on your Skilled Worker visa and now dissolved it? Here is what actually matters for your ILR application.
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How hard is it to get a priority ILR slot before you travel? A Skilled Worker guide
Planning to travel weeks after applying for ILR? Here's how priority and super priority slots work for Skilled Worker settlement, and the one rule that can sink your trip.
5 min read
Expired eVisa share code in your Life in the UK test account: does it delay ILR?
An expired share code from when you booked your Life in the UK test does not invalidate your pass or delay your ILR. Here is what actually matters.
4 min read
Does a 9-month absence reset the ILR clock for a Skilled Worker dependant?
Left the UK for around nine months and worried your ILR clock has reset? Here is how a single long absence affects continuous residence for Skilled Worker dependants under the 180-day rule.
5 min read
Evidencing continuous lawful residence for 10-year ILR (with a visa-switch gap)
Worried a short gap between visas breaks your 10-year long residence ILR? Here's how continuity, absences and a visa switch are actually assessed, and which documents prove it.
5 min read
Does a gap in your visa break the Skilled Worker ILR clock?
A break in lawful leave usually restarts the 5-year Skilled Worker settlement clock. Here is what counts, what does not, and where the 10-year long residence route fits in.
5 min read
The ILR document checklist: what you need to apply for settlement
A clear, scannable ILR document checklist: passports, eVisa, continuous residence and absence records, Life in the UK, plus Skilled Worker and partner route documents.
5 min read
ILR application delayed past 6 months? How to chase and escalate
Standard ILR application stuck past the 6-month service standard? Here's how to chase UKVI, complain, ask your MP to help, and what to realistically expect.
5 min read
How long does ILR take on a spouse visa? Processing times explained
How long ILR takes on the spouse/partner route: the 6-month standard service guideline, super priority and priority options, fees and what can slow a decision.
4 min read
ILR form only asks about my current sponsor — is that right?
Changed Skilled Worker jobs but your SET(O) form only asks about your current sponsor? That's normal. Here's why past sponsors don't need re-declaring.
4 min read
SET(M) checklist doesn't mention proof of address? Here's why you still need it
Your auto-generated SET(M) checklist may not list proof of address, but partner ILR rules require evidence you've lived together. Here's what to include.
5 min read
Adult dependent child ILR: does my casual student work hurt?
You're an adult dependent child applying for ILR via SET(O). Here's whether occasional university student work breaks the 'leading an independent life' test.
5 min read
ILR child safeguarding email: must your kids apply too?
Got a Home Office child safeguarding email after your settlement application? Here's what the section 55 enquiry means and how to respond.
5 min read
Home Office asked for evidence of your first-year ILR absences?
After a priority Skilled Worker ILR application, the Home Office can email asking to evidence early absences. What it means and how to respond well.
4 min read
Applying for ILR Under the Ankara Agreement: What You Need to Know
The Ankara Agreement is one of the lesser-known routes to ILR in the UK. If your visa is expiring and you're ready to apply for settlement, here's what the process involves.
5 min read
Can You Use the Priority Service for ILR on the Global Talent Route?
If you're applying for ILR on the Global Talent route, you may be wondering whether the priority service is available and whether it's worth using. Here's what applicants need to know.
4 min read
Super Priority ILR: What to Do If Your Application Is Taking Longer Than Expected
The super priority service promises a next-day ILR decision, but some applicants wait months with no update. Here's what "extremely complex" means and what you can do about it.
5 min read
Will New Immigration Rules Affect Your ILR Application If You Apply Before They Come Into Force?
Planning to submit your ILR application just before new immigration rules take effect? Here's how rule changes work in practice and whether submitting early protects you.
4 min read
Can Redundancy Affect Your ILR Application on a Skilled Worker Visa?
Completing 5 years on a Skilled Worker visa is a huge milestone, but what happens if redundancy is looming at exactly the same time as your ILR application? Here's what you need to know.
6 min read
What Happens If You Miss Travel Dates on Your ILR Application?
Not sure you have every entry and exit from the UK recorded for the past 5 years? You're not alone, here's what the Home Office expects and what happens if your travel history has gaps.
5 min read
When Should You Apply for ILR on a Spouse Visa? Understanding Your Expiry Date
Arrived on a 5-year spouse visa but your eVisa shows "Dependant" and an expiry date more than 5 years away? Here's how to make sense of it and when to apply for ILR.
5 min read
Can You Use Your BRP Issue Date to Calculate Your ILR Qualifying Period?
Many Skilled Worker dependants are confused about which date starts their 5-year ILR qualifying period, and whether the BRP date can help them avoid a costly visa extension.
5 min read
Skilled worker visa salary threshold for ILR: do you need £25,600, £29,000, or £41,700?
If your salary threshold changed during your time on a skilled worker visa, here's which salary you actually need to meet when applying for ILR in 2026.
5 min read
When can my dependants apply for ILR on the skilled worker route?
If your family joined you in the UK on a skilled worker visa, their ILR eligibility date might be different from yours. Here's how to work it out.
5 min read
Ready to pass
My ILR was refused — what are my options?
An ILR refusal is not the end. Your realistic options, administrative review, reapplying, or appeal, depend on why you were refused and how long you have to act.
5 min read
I applied for ILR a day early — will it be refused?
Submitted your ILR application one day before your eligibility date? Here is why a single day early is within the rules, when applying early actually becomes a problem, and what to do if you went too far.
5 min read