ILR Requirements by Route: What the Rules Require

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) lets you live in the UK without a time limit. What you need depends on your route, from qualifying time to English and the Life in the UK test. The table below sets out each route with a GOV.UK link. The rules are under review. This is general information, not advice on your case.

We offer ILR consultations. Talk to us about your ILR application, or read about help with an ILR application.

What is ILR?

ILR is permission to stay in the UK with no time limit. GOV.UK also calls it settlement. For what it changes day to day, see what ILR gives you.

Is ILR now 10 years or 5 years?

On the GOV.UK route pages we read on 27 October 2026, the qualifying periods are still the ones in the table below. For Skilled Worker, for example, GOV.UK says you must usually have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years.

A move to a 10-year starting point has been proposed by the government. We found no final decision on it. The proposal and what is already in the Immigration Rules are set out in the dated box further down this page.

ILR requirements by route

The table shows what each GOV.UK page says. Where a cell says the page does not say, the route page is silent on that point. Which row applies to a person depends on the visa they hold and the Home Office's own records, so check the official page for your route.

To see the official list of every route, including refugee, armed forces and other routes not in this table, use the GOV.UK ILR page.

Work routes

Skilled Worker. GOV.UK says the earliest application date is 28 days before you have been in the UK for 5 years on a qualifying visa. It adds that an earlier application may be refused. You need to meet the salary requirements and provide a document from your sponsor confirming the job is still needed. GOV.UK says you do not need to prove English again, because it was checked for your original visa.

Scale-up Worker. The Scale-up page also says 5 years lived and worked in the UK. It does not say how the financial requirements are met. It points to another page for that.

Global Talent. The route page gives a range of "from 2 to 5 years" and sends you to the eligibility page for the detail. That page says 3 years for those endorsed as a recognised leader (exceptional talent) by Arts Council England or Tech Nation, or endorsed by the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society or UKRI, or who won an eligible award. It says 5 years for those endorsed as an emerging leader (exceptional promise) by Arts Council England or Tech Nation. The route page also lists other visas whose time Global Talent holders may count, and says time as a partner or child dependant never counts.

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur and Investor). The eligibility page gives 3 or 5 years for Entrepreneur and 2, 3 or 5 years for Investor, depending on jobs created, income generated or funds invested. The main GOV.UK ILR page summarises Tier 1 as "2 or 3 years". The two pages differ, so read the eligibility page for your visa. GOV.UK's Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Investor) pages say you can no longer apply for these visas. They say people who hold one (for Investor, or held one in the last 12 months) can still apply to settle, so the rows stay in the table. None of the ILR pages we read gives a closing date for settlement applications.

Innovator Founder. GOV.UK says 3 years on an Innovator Founder or Innovator visa, and that time on any other visa does not count. You need a new endorsement showing the business-growth requirements. The criteria are on GOV.UK's "Getting endorsed" page, not on the ILR page.

Family routes

Partner on a family visa. The GOV.UK page names three routes, 2, 5 and 10 years, and tells you to check the letter from the Home Office to see which route is yours. The 2-year and 5-year routes need that many continuous years in the UK on a family visa as a partner. The 10-year route needs at least 10 continuous years, and GOV.UK says time on other visas that lead to settlement can be included.

For the relationship, GOV.UK lists:

• husband, wife or civil partner, or a relationship like a marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years
• living together since you last renewed your visa
• an intention to continue the relationship after you apply

On the 10-year route, GOV.UK also says the permission must have been based on the relationship for at least one year. The page says the earliest application date is 28 days before you meet the time requirement.

Partner as a dependant on a work visa. This is a separate page. It lists the work visas the partner's last visa must be, including Skilled Worker, Scale-up Worker and Global Talent. It also covers living together, income and, for some applicants, English and the Life in the UK test.

Long residence

GOV.UK says you must have been in the UK legally for 10 years "without gaps". The page allows up to 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period. Older limits still apply to absences before 11 April 2024: under those, GOV.UK says continuous residence is lost by a single absence of more than 184 days, or by more than 548 days in total.

The eligibility page also lists time that cannot be counted, including time on immigration bail, in prison or a secure hospital, or after your permission ran out. Read the full list on the eligibility page.

UK Ancestry and British National (Overseas)

For UK Ancestry, GOV.UK says 5 continuous years on an Ancestry visa and, in most cases, no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months. It lists money, work and Commonwealth citizenship conditions. For BNO, GOV.UK says "if you've lived in the UK for 5 years, you may be able to apply to stay permanently". It calls ILR and settlement the same thing.

ILR requirements for dependants and for a spouse or partner visa

The GOV.UK family ILR page lists separate pages for a partner, a parent, a child (on a family visa or as a dependant on a parent's work visa), an adult dependent relative, and a dependant on an Innovator Founder visa. The partner-as-dependant page says children may be added if they are eligible and sets out conditions on age, independence and documents. The family index page does not give qualifying years. For a spouse or partner visa, see the partner rows in the table.

Can I apply for ILR after 3 years?

Some GOV.UK pages do give 3 years for some routes. These are Global Talent for some endorsements and awards, Innovator Founder, and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur or Investor) in some cases. The Tier 1 (Investor) eligibility page also gives 2 years, depending on the funds invested, and the partner page lists a 2-year route. Most other routes in the table give 5 or 10 years.

Not everyone is on a 3-year route. It depends on the visa, the endorsement and the Home Office's records. To see how dates are counted, you can work out your qualifying date with our calculator. Several GOV.UK pages say the earliest you can apply is 28 days before you meet the time requirement.

What counts as continuous residence, and how long can I be abroad?

Several routes ask for continuous residence, which the Immigration Rules set out in Appendix Continuous Residence. Paragraph CR 3.1 says the applicant must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, unless an exception applies. We checked each paragraph below against the Appendix on 27 October 2026. Under CR 3.4, these absences do not count towards the limit:

• helping with a national or international humanitarian or environmental crisis overseas (if you are on a sponsored route, your sponsor must have agreed to the absence)
• travel disruption due to natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic
• compelling and compassionate personal circumstances, such as the applicant's life-threatening illness, or the life-threatening illness or death of a close family member
• research activity by a Skilled Worker, where the sponsor approved it and the job is in one of the occupation codes the paragraph lists
• research activity by a Global Talent applicant who was endorsed by the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering or UKRI, or who qualified through a prize listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes
• for Appendix Settlement Family Life applications, work, study or supporting family overseas, as long as the family kept up family life in the UK throughout and the UK stayed their permanent home
• a partner's absence on Crown service (a regular member of HM Armed Forces, an employee of the UK, Northern Ireland, Scottish or Welsh governments, or a permanent member of the British Council), where the applicant goes with them

The Appendix has other related paragraphs:

• CR 3.5 treats time lawfully spent in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man as time in the UK, if the most recent permission was granted in the UK.
• CR 3.2 covers absences under permission granted before 11 January 2018.
• CR 3.3 sets the Long Residence limits: more than 548 days in total (where that total was reached before 11 April 2024) or more than 184 days in one absence (where it started before 11 April 2024).
• CR 3.6 and CR 3.7 disregard some earlier absences: before 20 June 2022 for Settlement Family Life, and before 8 October 2024 for HM Armed Forces applications.
• CR 5.1 and CR 5.2 cover partners and children who were absent with the person they depend on.

Each route page may add its own detail. For example, the Global Talent page says some work-related time abroad may not count towards the limit for certain holders.

What are the English language and Life in the UK test requirements?

Many routes ask for English and a pass in the Life in the UK test. GOV.UK's Life in the UK test page says the test is 24 questions in 45 minutes, based on the official Guide for New Residents. Some pages, such as Skilled Worker and Scale-up, say English does not need to be proved again, as they stand today.

The Immigration Rules set this out in Appendix KoLL, short for Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK:

• It sets a minimum of B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages for applications made before 26 March 2027, and B2 for applications made on or after that date.
• It says neither the English nor the Life in the UK test requirement applies to applicants under 18, or aged 65 or over, on the date of application.
• The Skilled Worker and partner pages say "18 to 64". The long residence eligibility page says "18 to 65". Check your own route page.

GOV.UK's Life in the UK test page also lists other exemptions, such as having already passed the test or having a long-term physical or mental condition. For English, GOV.UK's news story says proof must come from a Home Office-approved test provider. Some route pages also allow a degree taught or researched in English.

What are the new ILR rules in the UK for 2026?

Last reviewed: 27 October 2026. We checked the GOV.UK pages named below on that date. This box changes more often than the rest of the page.

What GOV.UK shows as current

• The route pages in the table above state the qualifying periods shown there.
• The 180-day rule in Appendix Continuous Residence applies as described above.
• The English standard for settlement is changing. GOV.UK's news story of 5 March 2026 describes a rise from GCSE level to A-level equivalent, taking effect in March 2027. Appendix KoLL sets B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027.
• On 27 October 2026 we read the three 2026 Statements of Changes listed by GOV.UK: HC 1691 (5 March 2026), HC 259 (9 July 2026) and HC 584 (3 September 2026), and the Home Office's explanatory memorandum for each, and searched their full text. We found no change to the qualifying periods in the table and no earned settlement rules in any of them.
• The settlement changes we found in them are narrower. HC 1691 raises the English standard for settlement to B2 from 26 March 2027 and cuts initial refugee leave from 5 years to 30 months. HC 584 removes the five-year continuous residence requirement for dependent children on the BN(O) route, and removes outdated Tier 1 (Investor) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) entry clearance and extension provisions. HC 259 counts neonatal leave as allowable absence for the Scale-up earnings requirement.

Proposed, and not final law on the sources we found

• On 20 November 2025 the government set out proposals in a statement called A fairer pathway to settlement. It proposed moving the starting point for settlement from 5 years to 10, with some shorter and some longer periods for different groups.
• The statement says partners of British citizens would stay at 5 years.
• The earned settlement consultation closed on 12 February 2026. Its page, last updated 28 November 2025, says the government is analysing the feedback and that the outcome will be published later.
• We found no final decision on GOV.UK, and none in the Statements of Changes above, on 27 October 2026.

Statements of changes to the Immigration Rules are listed on GOV.UK's statement of changes page. Check it for anything newer than this page. For our own summary of the proposals, see rule changes proposed for ILR.

Is ILR better than settled status?

Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme is a form of indefinite leave. GOV.UK describes settled status as indefinite leave to enter or remain under the EU Settlement Scheme. It is granted under Appendix EU of the Immigration Rules, and GOV.UK says settled status gives you the right to live in the UK permanently.

The difference is who each route is for. GOV.UK says the scheme is for people from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and their families. The other routes in this article are for people on work, family, long residence and similar visas. Most people are not choosing between them. For a view on your own situation, speak to an adviser.

What happens after you apply?

Several GOV.UK pages say you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision, and that your application will be withdrawn if you do. These include the Skilled Worker, Scale-up Worker, Global Talent and Tier 1, Innovator Founder, UK Ancestry, partner on a family visa, partner as a dependant and long residence pages. The BNO settle in the UK page lists the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Check the page for your route.

For the papers to send, see documents to send, route by route. For costs, see our guide to ILR fees.

To see how we help, read about help with an ILR application.

Sources and last reviewed

The rules section was last checked against these pages on 27 October 2026.

• Indefinite leave to remain (GOV.UK)
• Skilled Worker ILR and Scale-up Worker ILR
• Global Talent, Tier 1 Entrepreneur or Investor ILR and its eligibility page
• Innovator Founder ILR
• UK Ancestry ILR and BNO settle in the UK
• Family ILR, partner on a family visa and partner as a dependant
• Long residence and long residence eligibility
• Appendix Continuous Residence and Appendix KoLL
• Life in the UK test
• Higher standard of English now required to settle in the UK, A fairer pathway to settlement and the earned settlement consultation
• Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Investor)
• Statements of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1691, HC 259 and HC 584
• EU Settlement Scheme, what settled and pre-settled status means, if you have indefinite leave to enter or remain and Appendix EU