Indefinite Leave to Remain

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also called settlement, gives the holder the right to live and work in the UK indefinitely without immigration conditions. Most routes require 5 continuous years of lawful residence, during which the applicant must not have been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period (the continuous residence rule). The application is made on form SET(O) or the relevant route-specific form, submitted online. The fee is £3,226 per applicant (2026/27). ILR is lost if the holder is absent from the UK for 2 or more continuous years. After holding ILR for 12 months (or 3 years for spouses/partners of British citizens), you can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation. The Life in the UK test and English language requirement must be met. ILR holders can access most public funds on the same basis as British citizens.

What it means in practice. ILR removes the conditions attached to your stay. There is no sponsor, no salary threshold, no restriction on the work you can do or the hours you can study, and no recourse-to-public-funds condition. What it does not give you is a passport, a vote in general elections, or absolute security — it is leave, and leave can lapse through long absence or be revoked in serious cases. Different routes have different qualifying periods, so check yours rather than assuming five years.

A worked example. Chen has been in the UK on the Skilled Worker route for five years. Before applying he counts his absences in each rolling twelve-month period and finds one year where trips home and a work secondment totalled 174 days — just inside the 180-day limit. He books and passes the Life in the UK test, gathers evidence of continuous employment with his sponsor, and applies on the relevant settlement form. Twelve months after ILR is granted, he becomes eligible to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation.

Common pitfalls. Absences are the classic destroyer of applications, and people count calendar years rather than rolling twelve-month periods, which is not the same thing. A second is losing ILR by accident: two continuous years outside the UK ends it, and returning after that needs a Returning Resident visa that is not guaranteed. A third is failing to keep evidence — payslips, P60s, and travel history are needed years later, and reconstructing them after the fact is painful.

How it relates to other terms. Most people reach ILR through a work route such as the Skilled Worker visa within the points-based system, or through a family or long residence route. Holders have an unrestricted right to work and an unlimited right to rent with no follow-up checks. Status is now normally proved digitally through an eVisa rather than a biometric residence permit, and no further Immigration Health Surcharge is payable once ILR is granted.

What to do next. Read our settlement and ILR guide and audit your absences before you apply, since that is where most refusals originate. If you have been here a long time on mixed statuses, check the long residence route. When you are ready to go further, read British citizenship.