Long Residence (10-Year) Route to Settlement

To qualify for ILR on the long residence route, you must demonstrate 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK. This is one of the most technical aspects of the application. Each period of leave must have been lawful — meaning you held valid leave to remain or enter throughout. Any period where your leave expired before a new visa was granted could break continuity, unless it falls within a permitted exception.

The following types of leave do not count towards the 10 years:

• Leave as a visitor (Standard Visitor Visa)
• Short-term student leave (less than 6 months)
• Leave as an overstayer or illegal entrant
• Leave outside the Rules granted under exceptional circumstances in some cases

Periods of leave that do count include leave as a student (Tier 4/Student route), skilled worker (Tier 2/Skilled Worker), family member, spouse or partner, and many other substantive leave categories. If you have switched between different visa categories over the years, all of those periods can be combined — provided there are no unlawful gaps between them.

The Home Office requires you to account for your entire 10-year period in the application, listing each visa, the dates it was valid, and any absences from the UK. Preparing a detailed immigration history chronology before applying is strongly recommended.

The most common reason long residence applications fail is breach of the 180-day absence rule. You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any single 12-month period during the 10-year qualifying period. Critically, this is assessed over rolling 12-month windows — not just calendar years — so a cluster of absences that straddles the turn of a year may still trigger a breach.

Absences are counted by counting the number of days you were outside the UK. The day of departure and the day of return are both counted as days in the UK under UKVI's current practice — but you should check the latest guidance, as this has varied. Travel records, boarding passes, and passport entry/exit stamps are all evidence of absences.

There is a limited discretionary exception for absences that were beyond your control — for example, if you were stranded abroad due to a medical emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, or a natural disaster. The Home Office may exercise discretion where absences were compelling, compassionate, and unavoidable, but this is not guaranteed. You must provide detailed evidence explaining why the absence was unavoidable.

Even if you have not breached the 180-day rule, gaps between visas (where your previous leave expired before a new visa was granted) can break continuity. A gap of up to 28 days is sometimes acceptable under the Rules if it was not your fault, but any gap is a risk. If you have any gaps in your leave history, seek advice from an OISC-regulated adviser before applying.

A long residence ILR application requires comprehensive documentary evidence covering the full 10-year period. The Home Office will check your travel history using their own records, but you must also provide evidence confirming your identity, your leave history, and your continuous residence. Required documents typically include:

• All passports held during the 10-year period — current and expired — showing your biographic details and any entry/exit stamps or visa vignettes
• A complete visa history — copies of all Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and any decision letters
• Evidence of residence throughout the period: utility bills, bank statements, tenancy agreements, payslips, and letters from employers or educational institutions
• GP or dental registration letters showing you have been registered with UK healthcare providers
• Evidence of your English language ability (an approved qualification at B1 CEFR or above, or a degree taught in English)
• Confirmation of passing the Life in the UK test (valid for life once passed)

Where original documents are unavailable — for example, an old BRP that has been surrendered or a passport that has been lost — you should explain this in a covering letter and provide as much alternative evidence as possible. Home Office records accessed via a Subject Access Request (SAR) can sometimes fill gaps in your own records.

Applicants for ILR on the long residence route must normally satisfy two knowledge requirements: the Life in the UK test and the English language requirement.

The Life in the UK test is a computerised multiple-choice test covering British history, culture, values, and society. It must be taken at an approved test centre in the UK. The test costs £50. There is no limit to the number of times you can take it, but you must pass it before applying. The test result does not expire once passed. Exemptions apply to applicants aged 65 or over and those with a physical or mental condition that prevents them from meeting the requirement.

The English language requirement for ILR on long residence requires you to demonstrate ability at B1 CEFR level or above. Acceptable evidence includes:

• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider at B1 level or above in speaking and listening
• A degree or academic qualification taught in English (at an institution recognised by UK ENIC)
• Nationality of a country where English is an official language and a majority of the population speak it

The application fee for ILR on the long residence route is £2,885 per person (correct as of 2025). This is a significant outlay, and there is no fee waiver for most applicants. If your application is refused, the fee is not refunded.