Settlement: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Last verified 4 September 2026 against GOV.UK sources·Page updated 4 September 2026
| What it is | Permanent residence: no time limit, no sponsor, any work |
|---|---|
| Qualifying period | 5 years on most routes under current rules (Global Talent: 3 possible) |
| Absences | Work routes: max 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12 months |
| Requirements | English (B1 now; B2 from 26 March 2027 on affected routes — BN(O) excluded) and the Life in the UK test |
| Fee | £3,226 per applicant; no IHS |
| Watch | 'Earned settlement' 10-year proposal — not yet law |
Indefinite Leave to Remain is permanent residence: no expiry, no sponsor, freedom to work for anyone, and the gateway to British citizenship. It is the destination most long-term routes are built around.
Qualifying routes and periods
Under current rules, five years of continuous lawful residence on a qualifying route leads to ILR — Skilled Worker, the partner route, Innovator Founder (three years if the business succeeds) and Global Talent (three years for exceptional talent and academics, five otherwise) among them. Time on Graduate, HPI, Youth Mobility, Student and GBM routes does not normally count towards these route-specific five-year periods — though lawful residence on many of them can count towards the separate 10-year Long Residence route. Skilled Workers must still meet the salary threshold in force at the time of the ILR application.
Continuous residence and absences
The 180-day continuous residence calculator finds the rolling 12-month window with the most days abroad from your trip dates.
On work routes governed by Appendix Continuous Residence, you must not spend more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period — it is not a calendar-year test, so track absences continuously. The partner route works differently: there is no fixed 180-day cap, and the Home Office instead assesses whether you and your partner intend to live together permanently in the UK, weighing the length of and reasons for absences.
Requirements and cost
ILR applications need English (currently B1; rising to B2 on affected routes from 26 March 2027) and the Life in the UK test. The fee is £3,226 per applicant, so a family applying together pays several times that, with no health surcharge, since ILR carries NHS access directly.
The earned settlement proposal
The government has proposed replacing the standard five-year period with a ten-year “earned settlement” model, with shorter or longer periods based on contribution. The consultation closed in February 2026, and as of September 2026 no rule change has been made — the five-year routes remain law, and transitional arrangements for people already in the UK are undecided. If you are approaching five years, applying under the current rules rather than waiting is the prudent course. Track this on the changes timeline.
Related guides
- British citizenship by naturalisation From ILR to a British passport: residence and absence limits, the good character test, £1,839 in fees — and what to check about your own nationality law first.
- EU Settlement Scheme: settled and pre-settled status Who the scheme still covers, late applications, pre-settled status and the move to settled status, joining family members and family permits, absences, and citizenship.
- Returning Resident visa: coming back after settlement has lapsed When ILR lapses after two years abroad (five for settled status), what the Returning Resident route requires, what is granted, and the alternatives if it is refused.
- Long Residence: ILR after 10 years Settlement based on 10 years of lawful UK residence on any combination of routes — how the 2024 rules count your time and absences.
- Skilled Worker visa Sponsorship, the £41,700 salary threshold, degree-level job requirement, B2 English and the path to settlement — the UK's main work visa explained.