ILR 5-Year Route: Application Support for Workers and Families

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is UK permanent settlement — the right to live, work, and study in the UK without any immigration time limit. It is the essential final step before eligibility for British citizenship (which requires one year of ILR for most applicants). ILR removes all immigration conditions on your permission to be in the UK.

The 5-year route to ILR is the most commonly used settlement pathway. It is available to applicants who have spent five continuous years lawfully in the UK on certain qualifying visa categories. Applications can be submitted up to 28 days before the five-year qualifying period is completed.

Earned Settlement: The Five-Year Rules Still Apply

The government has consulted on replacing the 5-year route with a 10-year “earned settlement” baseline for most routes, and has proposed applying it to people already in the UK who have not yet settled. The consultation closed in February 2026. As of October 2026, no new settlement rules have been laid before Parliament, so the 5-year route is still in force. If you are close to your five-year qualifying date, we can confirm when you can apply under the current rules.

Core Requirements for ILR (All Routes)

Regardless of the qualifying visa category, all ILR applications under the 5-year route require:

• Five continuous years of lawful residence on the qualifying visa, starting from the date the first qualifying visa was issued.
• Absence limit: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying 5 years. This is assessed on each 12-month window separately, not averaged across the full 5 years.
• Valid leave to remain on the qualifying route at the time of application.
• Life in the UK Test: must be passed before submitting the ILR application. Valid indefinitely once passed.
• English language: for most routes, CEFR Level B1 in speaking and listening where the application is made before 26 March 2027, and Level B2 where it is made on or after that date, unless an exemption applies. Skilled Worker and Scale-up main applicants do not have to prove English again where they apply before 26 March 2027.
• Good character: no significant criminal history, no deception or fraud in any immigration application, no breach of immigration conditions, tax compliance.
• Salary requirement (Skilled Worker only): must be earning at or above the applicable salary threshold on the ILR application date.

Application Process and Timing

ILR applications are submitted online through the GOV.UK immigration portal. After online submission, applicants book a biometrics appointment at a UKVCAS service point. Processing takes approximately 6 months under the standard service, though priority and super-priority services are available at additional cost.

Key practical rules:

• Apply no earlier than 28 days before your five-year qualifying date. Applying before this window will result in refusal.
• Do not travel outside the Common Travel Area (UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man) after submitting your ILR application. Leaving the CTA after submission is treated as a withdrawal of the application.
• Family members (spouse, children) can apply for ILR at the same time as the main applicant, provided they individually meet the relevant requirements. Each family member pays a separate application fee.

Application fees apply per person. Priority service (5 working days) costs an additional £500. Super-priority service (next working day) costs an additional £1,000. The ILR fee is not refundable if the application is refused. Unlike visa extensions, ILR applications do not require payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge.

In November 2025, the UK government published its Fairer Pathway to Settlement consultation, proposing to replace the standard 5-year ILR route with a 10-year earned settlement baseline for most categories. The consultation closed in February 2026. The government has proposed that the new rules would apply to people already in the UK who have not yet been granted settlement, and the Home Secretary has said the final policy will be published later in 2026.

As of October 2026, none of the proposals is in the Immigration Rules and no start date has been set, so the 5-year route is still in force. The consultation proposed that these groups would keep a shorter route. These are proposals, not rules:

• Partners and spouses of British citizens (Appendix FM) — proposed to keep 5 years.
• Hong Kong BNO visa holders — proposed to keep 5 years.
• Global Talent Visa and Innovator Founder Visa holders — proposed to keep the 3-year pathway.
• High earners: those earning £50,270 or above for at least 3 years may qualify for a 5-year route; those earning £125,140 or above may qualify for a 3-year route.

For Skilled Workers and most other work categories, the proposed baseline under earned settlement is 10 years. If you are approaching your 5-year qualifying date, applying as soon as you qualify under the current rules is the advisable course of action.