What Is ILR? Benefits of ILR in the UK

Quick answer

ILR is permanent permission to stay. You can live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if eligible.
Under the current rules most work and family routes lead to ILR after 5 years. The government has proposed making 10 years the norm.
ILR lapses if you spend more than two years in a row outside the UK. British citizenship does not.
From 26 March 2027, most settlement applicants will need B2-level English, up from B1.

Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is permanent permission to live in the UK. It ends visa renewals and time limits: you can live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you are eligible. Under the current rules, most people qualify after five years on a work or family visa.

What is indefinite leave to remain?

ILR, also called settlement, is an immigration status. It is not citizenship and it does not give you a British passport. What it does is remove the time limit on your stay, along with most of the conditions attached to a visa.

People reach ILR at the end of a visa route: years on a Skilled Worker visa, a partner visa or another qualifying route, followed by an application to the Home Office. Once granted, it has no expiry date, though it can be lost (see below).

The benefits of ILR

No more visa renewals

You stop applying, and paying, to extend your stay every few years. You also stop paying the immigration health surcharge.

Work for anyone, or for yourself

Your right to work is no longer tied to a sponsor, a job or a set number of hours. You can change employer, work freelance, or start a business.

Access to benefits

ILR gives you the right to apply for benefits, as long as you meet each benefit's own rules.

Study at home fees

ILR can make you eligible for home tuition fees and student finance. There is a catch: you usually also need to have lived in the UK for 3 years before your course starts.

Bring your partner to the UK

As an ILR holder you count as "settled", so you can sponsor a partner to join you, as long as you both meet the family visa rules, including the financial requirement. Our guide to getting a spouse visa in the UK explains what that involves.

Children born in the UK after ILR are British

A child born in the UK after you get ILR is a British citizen from birth. A child born before you got ILR is not automatically British, but can usually be registered as one while they are under 18.

A route to British citizenship

ILR is usually the step before naturalisation. Most people can apply for citizenship once they have held ILR for 12 months and lived in the UK for 5 years. If you are married to a British citizen, you do not have to wait the 12 months, and the residence period is 3 years. The citizenship application costs £1,839, including the £130 ceremony fee.

What ILR does not give you

A British passport. For that you need citizenship.
A vote in general elections. These are open to British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens. ILR on its own does not change that.
Freedom to leave for long periods. ILR lapses if you spend more than two years in a row outside the UK. If that happens, you would usually need a returning resident visa, which requires strong ties to the UK.
Complete security. The Home Office can revoke ILR in limited cases, for example if it was obtained by deception or you are liable to deportation.

British citizenship has none of these limits, which is why many people go on to naturalise.

Who qualifies, and how long it takes

These are the qualifying periods in the Immigration Rules as of October 2026:

Skilled Worker: 5 years
Partner on a family visa: 5 years, or 10 years on the 10-year partner route
Innovator Founder or Global Talent: 3 years
UK Ancestry: 5 years
British National (Overseas): 5 years
Long residence: 10 years' continuous lawful residence, which can combine different visas

Some routes do not lead to ILR at all. Time on a Global Business Mobility visa, for example, does not count. Your exact date depends on when your qualifying visa started and any time spent outside the UK.

What you need to apply

Continuous residence. On most routes you must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period. There are limited exceptions, for example a humanitarian crisis, travel disruption or compelling personal circumstances.
The Life in the UK test. Most applicants aged 18 to 64 must pass it. It costs £50 and has 24 questions in 45 minutes. Book at least 3 days ahead.
English. Most routes currently need English speaking and listening at level B1. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the level rises to B2. You are exempt if you are under 18, 65 or over, or a national of a majority English-speaking country.
The application fee. £3,226 per person, at the rates in force from 8 April 2026.
The route's own requirements. Each route has conditions of its own on top of these, so check yours before you book the test.

The planned changes: "earned settlement"

The government wants to change how people qualify. Its proposal, consulted on between November 2025 and February 2026, would make 10 years the standard qualifying period, with shorter periods for some people (higher earners, some public-service workers, Innovator Founder and Global Talent holders) and longer periods for others. Partners, parents and children of British citizens would keep a 5-year route.

The government has said it intends the new rules to apply to people already in the UK who do not yet have ILR. It has also said it will not take settled status away from people who already have it.

As of October 2026, the consultation outcome has not been published and the qualifying periods in the Immigration Rules have not changed. If you are close to qualifying, check your dates now. Rules can change with little warning, and the government has said its new rules would reach people who are already here.

Questions people ask

What is ILR?

ILR stands for indefinite leave to remain, also called settlement. It is permanent permission to live in the UK, with no time limit on your stay. You can live, work and study here for as long as you like and apply for benefits if eligible. It is not citizenship, and it does not give you a British passport.

What are the benefits of ILR in the UK?

No more visa renewals or health surcharge, freedom to work for any employer or for yourself, access to benefits if you are eligible, possible home fees for university, the right to sponsor a partner, British citizenship for children born in the UK afterwards, and a route to naturalisation, usually after 12 months.

How long does it take to get ILR?

Under the current rules, 5 years on most work and family routes, 3 years for Innovator Founder and Global Talent, and 10 years on the long-residence route. The government has proposed making 10 years the standard, with shorter periods for some, but as of October 2026 the rules have not changed.

Can ILR be taken away?

Yes, in limited cases. ILR lapses if you spend more than two continuous years outside the UK. The Home Office can also revoke it if it was obtained by deception or if you are liable to deportation. The government has said its planned settlement changes will not remove ILR from people who already hold it.

Is ILR the same as British citizenship?

No. ILR lets you stay permanently, but you keep your existing nationality and passport. Citizenship gives you a British passport, a vote in general elections and no two-year absence rule. Most people can apply for citizenship after holding ILR for 12 months; spouses of British citizens need not wait.

How much does ILR cost?

The Home Office fee is £3,226 per person, at the rates in force from 8 April 2026. You also need to pass the Life in the UK test, which costs £50, and prove your English, usually through an approved test, unless you are exempt. Legal fees are separate.

Will the 10-year rule affect me?

Possibly, if you do not yet have ILR. The government has proposed applying its new settlement rules to people already in the UK, with a 5-year route kept for family members of British citizens. As of October 2026 the rules have not changed. If you already hold ILR, the government has said it will not take it away.