Long Residence
You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain if you’ve been in the UK legally for 10 continuous years (known as ‘long residence’).
Indefinite leave to remain is how you settle in the UK. It’s also called ‘settlement’. It gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible. You can use it to apply for British citizenship.
You must meet all the eligibility requirements.
Eligibility
You must have permission to stay (‘leave to remain’).
You must also have been in the UK legally for 10 years without gaps (known as your ‘continuous residence’). This can include time on most immigration categories, or a combination of different immigration categories.
You’ll usually need to have held your current permission for one year.
If you have a family visa and your partner is British or settled in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave as a partner instead.
Knowledge of language and life
If you’re aged 18 to 65 years old, you must:
pass the Life in the UK Test
prove you have sufficient English language skills
If you do not meet these 2 requirements you can apply to extend.
Continuous residence
Continuous residence is time you’ve spent in the UK without gaps. You can include time spent in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
You can leave the UK during the continuous residence for up to 180 days in any 12 month period.
You cannot count time spent in the UK:
on a Standard Visitor visa or as a visitor without a visa
on a Seasonal Worker visa
on any of the Ukraine schemes
on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release
in a prison, young offender institution or secure hospital
as a British citizen if you’ve had your British citizenship removed from you
after your permission ran out (‘overstaying’) - this includes if you were given a grant of ‘exceptional assurance’ to stay in the UK because of COVID-19
If you spent time abroad before 11 April 2024
There are different rules for periods of time abroad that started before 11 April 2024.
You will not have continuous residence if you were abroad for more than:
184 days in a row
548 days in total
Only periods of time abroad that started before 11 April 2024 count towards the 548 days.
Fees and how long it takes
The fee depends on what you’re applying for.
What you’re applying for | Fee |
|---|---|
Indefinite leave to remain | £3,226 |
Extend your stay | £1,407 |
You’ll also need to have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken - there’s no fee for this.
You’ll usually get a decision within 6 months of providing your fingerprints and photo.
You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. If you travel, your application will be withdrawn, and you will not get a refund of your application fee.
Get a faster decision on your application
If you’re applying to settle you can pay an extra £1,000 for the super priority service. You’ll get a decision:
by the end of the next working day after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday
2 working days after providing your biometric information if your appointment is at the weekend
Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.
If your application is successful
You’ll get an eVisa (a digital record of your identity and immigration status).
Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access to your eVisa. You’ll need to create a UKVI account.
