Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) & Settlement

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), often called settlement, gives you permission to live in the UK without any time limit on your stay. Once settled, you no longer need to renew a visa, and ILR is usually the step before applying for British citizenship.

There is no single ILR application that suits everyone. The qualifying period, the evidence and even the application form depend on the immigration route you have been following, so the first task is always to confirm which rules apply to you and when you will actually qualify.

Qualifying periods on common routes

The table below shows the qualifying periods in the Immigration Rules at the time of writing. Exceptions and transitional provisions may apply, so your own date should always be checked against your immigration history.

Route	Usual qualifying period
Skilled Worker (and Health and Care Worker)	5 years' continuous residence
Partner of a British citizen or settled person	5 years on the partner route, or 10 years on the 10-year partner route
Innovator Founder	3 years
Global Talent	3 or 5 years, depending on the field and how you applied
Long residence	10 years' continuous lawful residence
Refugee status or humanitarian protection	Depends on when the claim was made (see below)

For refugees and people with humanitarian protection, anyone granted 5 years' leave on a claim or further submissions made before 2 March 2026 generally remains eligible to apply for settlement after 5 years. For claims made on or after 2 March 2026, the Home Office now grants 30 months of leave instead of 5 years (unaccompanied asylum-seeking children still receive 5 years). The government has proposed a longer path to settlement for this group, but that remains a proposal. The settlement application itself is free for people with protection status.

Key requirements

• Time on the route: you must have completed the qualifying period with the right type of permission, subject to the specific rules for your route.
• Continuous residence: generally you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period. Limited exceptions exist, for example for travel disruption caused by a natural disaster, conflict or pandemic, or compelling personal circumstances.
• Life in the UK test: applicants aged 18 to 64 usually need to pass the test, which currently costs £50.
• English language: at the time of writing, speaking and listening at B1 level is required unless an exemption applies (for example if you are under 18 or aged 65 or over, or have a long-term condition).
• Suitability: the Home Office will look at your conduct and immigration history under the suitability rules, including any previous breaches of immigration law such as overstaying.
• Route-specific requirements: for example, Skilled Worker applicants must still be sponsored and meet the relevant salary requirement at the settlement stage.

Home Office fee

The Home Office fee for an ILR application is currently £3,226 per person, including each dependant. This is in addition to the Life in the UK test fee and the cost of any English language test.

Recent and upcoming changes

English at B2 from 26 March 2027. The Immigration Rules have been changed so that most settlement routes, including Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, long residence and several family and private life routes, will require English speaking and listening at B2 level for applications made from 26 March 2027. Until then, B1 remains the standard. If you are close to qualifying, it is worth planning your application date and English evidence with this change in mind.

Earned settlement proposals. In November 2025 the government published a consultation, "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement", proposing that the standard qualifying period for most routes should rise from 5 to 10 years, with reductions for some people (for example based on income or public service) and increases for others (for example where public funds have been claimed). The consultation closed in February 2026. At the time of writing:

• No consultation outcome has been published.
• No implementation date has been announced and no rules have been laid for the 10-year baseline.
• Transitional arrangements for people already on a route to settlement have not been published.

The current qualifying periods therefore still apply. We are monitoring the position and will update our advice as soon as any rule change is confirmed.

Common problems we help with

• Working out the exact date you qualify, especially where you have switched between routes.
• Calculating absences and dealing with trips that exceeded the limit for a good reason.
• Gaps in lawful residence or a previous late application.
• Criminal convictions or other suitability concerns.
• Choosing between applying now and waiting, given the English change and the settlement proposals.

How Stonebridge can help

We review your full immigration history, confirm which settlement route applies and when you are eligible, calculate your absences, and check your English and Life in the UK position. We then prepare the application, organise and review the supporting documents, write representations where there are complications, and deal with the Home Office on your behalf. If you are not yet eligible, we can advise on extending your current permission or on the long residence route, and once you are settled we can help with British citizenship.

If you are approaching the end of your qualifying period, book a consultation and we will check your eligibility and help you plan the right time to apply.