Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Permanent UK settlement with no time limit, no IHS and no work restrictions.
£3,226
N/A — in-UK only
Permanent (lost only by 2+ years continuous absence or revocation)
Overview
What is the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)?
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.
Which sub-route applies to you?
Switching between tabs reveals the fees, eligibility and gov.uk source for that specific variant.
- 5 years continuous on Skilled Worker route
- Max 180 days absent in any rolling 12-month period
- Sponsor still employing you at the going rate
- Application fee
- £3,226
- Time to ILR
- 5 years
Eligibility
Are you eligible?
You must meet every condition below — Home Office caseworkers refuse on the first one missed.
- 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
Costs
What it costs in 2026
Two compulsory costs apply: the application fee and the Health Surcharge (IHS). Priority service and dependants sit on top.
ILR cost for a single applicant
- ILR application (Set M/O/F)£3,226Source: 8 Apr 2026 Home Office fee table
- Life in the UK Test (one-off)£50Source: gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test
Each dependent adult or child pays £3,226 application separately. Super Priority adds £1,000 per applicant.
Documents
What you'll need to provide
Group your evidence under these four headings. Missing or mis-categorised documents are the second most common refusal reason after salary.
Identity
3- Current passport AND all previous passports covering the qualifying 5-year period
- Current BRP / digital share code from your UKVI account (eVisa)
- Marriage / civil partnership / birth certificates for dependants applying together
Finance
4- 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
Sponsor / Course
1- Detailed list of every UK absence in the 5 years with travel evidence (boarding passes / tickets)
Health & qualifications
2- Life in the UK Test pass certificate
- B1+ English evidence (degree taught in English, SELT, or country exemption)
How to apply
Step-by-step
Audit residence + absences
List every UK departure date in a spreadsheet, calculate rolling 12-month totals, confirm none exceeds 180 days.
Reconcile HMRC vs. visa declarations
Pull SA302 and PAYE history. Any mismatch with the salaries declared on past CoS/visa applications is a paragraph 322(5) deception risk.
Pass the Life in the UK Test
£50 booking, 24 questions, 75% pass mark, valid for life. Same test counts for citizenship later.
Gather supporting evidence
Payslips, P60s, council tax bills, tenancy agreements, utility bills covering the full 5 years.
Apply online & pay
£3,226 main fee + optional £1,000 Super Priority. Same fee applies to each dependent family member.
Enrol biometrics
UKVCAS appointment — standard £19.20 service or premium centres.
Decision
Super Priority delivers within 5 working days; standard service typically 8-16 weeks but the published target is 6 months.
After ILR — plan citizenship
After 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.
Watch out for
Things that catch people out
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.
FAQ
Common questions
Frequently asked
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.
Apply for the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on gov.uk
Free, official, no agents. Bookmark the URL — it's the only place to legally apply.