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Family visa

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Permanent UK settlement with no time limit, no IHS and no work restrictions.

Sourced from GOV.UK · Updated April 2026
The short answer

ILR is the UK's permanent settlement status. After 5 years on a qualifying visa (Skilled Worker, Family, Health & Care, BNO, Ancestry, Innovator Founder, Global Talent) you can apply for ILR. Once granted you live in the UK indefinitely with no IHS payments, no work restrictions, free NHS access and the right to claim public funds.

£3,226Application fee from
—IHS per year
N/A — in-UK onlyDecision (outside UK)
Permanent (lost only by 2+ years continuous absence or revocation)Initial leave

Who can apply

  • 5 years of continuous lawful residence on a qualifying route (10 years for some long-residence cases)
  • No more than 180 days absent in any rolling 12-month period across the qualifying 5 years
  • Last grant of leave (or pending application) is on a qualifying route
  • Pass the Life in the UK Test (24 Q, 75% pass mark, £50, valid for life)
  • Meet the B1 CEFR English requirement (or higher route already met it)
  • Good character — no unspent convictions, no serious immigration breaches, no NHS debt over £500
  • On Skilled Worker / Health & Care: sponsor still licensed and willing to keep employing you at the going rate

How to apply

  1. Audit residence + absencesList every UK departure date in a spreadsheet, calculate rolling 12-month totals, confirm none exceeds 180 days.
  2. Reconcile HMRC vs. visa declarationsPull SA302 and PAYE history. Any mismatch with the salaries declared on past CoS/visa applications is a paragraph 322(5) deception risk.
  3. Pass the Life in the UK Test£50 booking, 24 questions, 75% pass mark, valid for life. Same test counts for citizenship later.
  4. Gather supporting evidencePayslips, P60s, council tax bills, tenancy agreements, utility bills covering the full 5 years.
  5. Apply online & pay£3,226 main fee + optional £1,000 Super Priority. Same fee applies to each dependent family member.
  6. Enrol biometricsUKVCAS appointment — standard £19.20 service or premium centres.
  7. DecisionSuper Priority delivers within 5 working days; standard service typically 8-16 weeks but the published target is 6 months.
  8. After ILR — plan citizenshipAfter holding ILR for 12 months you can naturalise as British (£1,839 total including £130 ceremony). Some Family routes allow citizenship immediately if spouse is British.

Documents you’ll need

  • Current passport AND all previous passports covering the qualifying 5-year period
  • Current BRP / digital share code from your UKVI account (eVisa)
  • Sponsor letter confirming continued employment + salary (Skilled Worker / Health & Care)
  • 12 months of recent payslips and matching bank statements
  • P60s for every tax year in the qualifying period
  • HMRC SA302s / tax records reconciled with declared salary at every visa stage
  • Detailed list of every UK absence in the 5 years with travel evidence (boarding passes / tickets)
  • Life in the UK Test pass certificate
  • B1+ English evidence (degree taught in English, SELT, or country exemption)
  • Marriage / civil partnership / birth certificates for dependants applying together

Good to know

Cost-comparison example (8 April 2026 fees): Set(O) Skilled Worker applicant alone — £3,226 application + £50 LITUK ≈ £3,276. Family of 4 (you + spouse + 2 children) ≈ £12,904 in application fees alone.
After ILR, IHS is no longer payable — you get NHS access on the same basis as a British citizen.
ILR is lost by 2+ years of continuous absence from the UK (Returning Resident visa needed to recover).
Time spent on Visitor, Graduate, Short-term Student or seasonal worker visas does NOT count toward the 5 years.
White Paper 2025: government consulting on extending the qualifying period from 5 to 10 years for new Skilled Worker entrants from 2028 onwards. Current 5-year applicants are protected.

Sub-routes

From Skilled Worker (Set(O))

5 yrs · £3,226 · B1 + LITUK

View

From Family / Partner (Set(M))

5 yrs · £3,226 · A2→B1 English

View

From BN(O)

5 yrs · £3,226 · B1 + LITUK

View

From UK Ancestry

5 yrs · £3,226 · evidence of work

View

10-year Long Residence (Set(LR))

10 yrs · £3,226 · any qualifying route

View

Global Talent (Leader)

3 yrs · £3,226 · Exceptional Talent

View

Global Talent (Potential leader)

5 yrs · £3,226 · Exceptional Promise

View

From Innovator Founder

3 yrs · £3,226 · endorsing body sign-off

View

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

  • 5 years on a qualifying route (Skilled Worker, Health & Care, Family, Global Talent, etc.). Innovator Founder and Global Talent allow 3 years in some cases. Time on Student, Graduate, Visit visas does NOT count.

  • £3,029 application fee. Optional super priority service £800. Life in the UK Test £50. There is no IHS at ILR stage. Family applicants each apply separately at full fee.

  • You must not have been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period during your 5-year qualifying residence. The rule is rolling, not calendar — Home Office checks every possible 12-month window.

  • Yes. ILR can be lost by 2+ years of continuous absence from the UK, or revoked for serious criminal conduct or deception. It does not lapse from short absences.

  • 12 months after holding ILR (or immediately if married to a British citizen). Final 12 months absences must be under 90 days.

Source: GOV.UK — Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) · Last verified April 2026

Written & verified by

UKDesk Editorial — Editor & Researcher

Reads gov.uk, HMRC and ONS source pages, verifies every figure, and writes the plain-English explainers on UKDesk.

Verified against gov.uk · April 2026·Editorial policy
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