Long Residence (10-Year) ILR Route
The 10-Year Long Residence route allows someone who has lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for 10 years to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain — regardless of which specific visa categories they held along the way. This is what sets it apart from most other settlement routes: rather than requiring 5 years on a single category like Skilled Worker, it lets you combine time spent across different long-term visas (study, work, family, and others), provided that time was continuous and lawful throughout. It's a valuable option for people whose immigration history doesn't fit neatly into one settlement pathway — but it's also one of the most detail-sensitive applications in UK immigration law, where a single miscalculated absence or an overlooked gap in permission can mean refusal after a decade in the country. Our solicitors carry out a full residence history audit before any application is submitted.
Who This Visa Is For
You may qualify for this visa category if you are:
Anyone who has lived in the UK continuously and lawfully for 10 years, across any combination of long-term visa categories (e.g. Student, Skilled Worker, family/partner routes, or others)
People whose visa history includes route switches, extensions, or gaps that make them uncertain whether they qualify
Applicants without a direct settlement pathway through their current visa category, but with a long, largely unbroken UK residence history
Anyone unsure whether their absences from the UK fall within the permitted limits
This route is not based on human rights or family/private life grounds (that's covered separately under Appendix Private Life) — it's a straightforward, if strict, calculation of lawful and continuous residence.
A Major Reform Is Coming: Earned Settlement
In a Commons statement on 20 November 2025, the Government announced plans to move away from the current settlement framework towards an "Earned Settlement" model. Under the proposals, the standard qualifying period for settlement across most routes is expected to increase from 5 to 10 years, with eligibility determined not just by length of residence but also by an assessment of contribution, integration and compliance. As part of this, the current standalone Long Residence route may effectively be absorbed into the wider settlement framework rather than continuing as a distinct category.
Ministers confirmed in a Westminster Hall debate on 2 February 2026 that the Government intends to proceed with this framework, with changes expected to take effect from autumn 2026. Transitional protections for people already partway through a settlement pathway have not yet been confirmed. If you're approaching your 10-year point, or building residence towards it, this is a live and moving area — timing your application correctly could matter more than usual over the coming months.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, you must show:
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10 years of continuous, lawful residence — meaning valid leave to enter or remain for every single day of that period, with no overstays or breaches of visa conditions
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Compliance with the absence limits: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period, for time falling after 11 April 2024 (transitional rules involving a 548-day total and 184-day single-absence limit apply to periods before that date)
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That your continuous residence has not been broken by a criminal conviction, deportation, or an overstay
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The English language requirement (generally CEFR B1) and the Life in the UK Test, unless you qualify for an exemption (for example, being over 65, or having a long-term condition that prevents you from taking the test)
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That you hold valid leave at the time of application, and are not on immigration bail or in breach of the Immigration Rules
How We Help — Our Process
Free Initial Consultation
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Residence History Audit
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Documentation
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Evidence Gathering
Application Preparation & Submission
Key Facts
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Application timing: you can apply up to 28 days before completing your 10-year qualifying period — not before
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Standard fee: £3,029 for ILR (2026), plus the Life in the UK Test fee and any required translation costs
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Super Priority Service: an additional £1,000 for a decision by the end of the next working day after biometrics, subject to availability
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Processing time: the published standard service is around 6 months
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Right of appeal: a refusal engages Article 8 ECHR (right to private and family life), so there is generally a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal