Settlement · IAA-regulated advice
UK Long Residence ILR Advice in Birmingham & London
Settle in the UK after 10 years’ continuous lawful residence, even if you’ve moved between visas. We map every visa, gap and trip in your history, tell you plainly whether you qualify, and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is long residence?
Long residence is a route to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for people who have lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for 10 years. You can count time on most visas, or a mix of them, such as Student, then Graduate, then Skilled Worker.
It isn’t based on time alone. You also need to meet the absence limits, English and Life in the UK test requirements, and suitability rules. If you have the 10 years but not yet the English or the test, you can extend your stay for 2 years instead.
✓This is the right route if…
- You’ve lived in the UK lawfully for 10 years, on one visa or a mix
- You’ve had no gaps without permission, or only gaps an exception covers
- Your trips abroad stay within the absence limits
- You have permission now, held for at least 12 months if it was granted on or after 11 April 2024
→Look at another route if…
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Have you lived in the UK lawfully for 10 years in a row?Time as a visitor, on a short-term English course, as a Seasonal Worker or on a Ukraine scheme doesn’t count.
Have you had permission to be here for the whole time, with no gaps?Even a few days between visas can break your residence, unless an exception applies.
Have you spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months?Trips that started before 11 April 2024: no single trip over 184 days, and no more than 548 days in total.
Have you held your current visa for at least 12 months?This only applies if it was granted on or after 11 April 2024.
Do you have English at B1 and a Life in the UK test pass, or an exemption?B2 if you apply on or after 26 March 2027. Not ready? You may be able to extend for 2 years.
Is your immigration and criminal history clear?Prison sentences, false information or NHS debts of £500 or more can lead to refusal.
Eligibility
Long residence requirements
Every day of the 10 years has to count. You must meet every requirement on the day you apply, and you must apply from inside the UK.
10 years’ lawful residence
- Time with permission on almost any visa counts, including as a dependant, but not as a Visitor, Short-term Student (English language), Seasonal Worker or under the Ukraine schemes
- Time exempt from immigration control, or as an EEA citizen or family member living here under EU law before 2021, also counts
- Time on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release doesn’t count
- Time in prison or detention doesn’t count
Time in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man can count too.
Gaps and overstaying
- A gap without permission normally breaks your continuous residence, and the 10 years start again
- It doesn’t break it if you applied within 14 days of your visa ending, with a good reason beyond your control, and that application was granted. The gap itself still doesn’t count towards the 10 years
- Leaving the UK with permission and coming back with a new visa doesn’t break it, if you stay within the absence limits
- You can’t apply while you’re overstaying or on immigration bail, unless the 14-day exception applies
Had a gap, however short? Tell us the dates: whether it breaks your residence turns on the detail.
Time outside the UK
- No more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period
- For trips that started before 11 April 2024, the older limits apply instead: no single trip over 184 days, and no more than 548 days in total
- Time away for serious illness or the death of a close family member, or travel disruption from a natural disaster, conflict or pandemic, doesn’t count
- Being removed or deported from the UK breaks your residence
Check your passports and travel records against your own list of trips.
English and the Life in the UK test
- An approved English test (a SELT) taken in the 2 years before you apply, a degree taught in English, or nationality of a majority English-speaking country
- A GCSE or A level in English from school in the UK, started before you were 18, also counts
- Exempt from both if you’re under 18 or 65 or over, or a physical or mental condition prevents it
- Not ready? You can extend for 24 months, with work and study allowed, and settle later
Book only an approved test: other tests, even at a higher level, won’t count.
Your current visa and suitability
- You must have held your current visa for 12 months, if it was granted on or after 11 April 2024
- A prison sentence of 12 months or more means refusal; shorter sentences and other convictions may lead to refusal
- False information or documents, now or in the past, can lead to refusal
- Unpaid NHS charges of £500 or more, or unpaid Home Office legal costs, can lead to refusal
Not sure whether something in your history matters? Tell us at the consultation: it’s confidential.
Documents
Long residence documents: the easy part
Most people can list the documents. Refusals come from what they show: a missed gap, a long trip or a period that doesn’t count.
What everyone needs
- Your current passport and every passport you’ve held in the UK
- Proof of your current immigration status
- Your visa history across the 10 years
- A full list of your trips outside the UK
- AAn English test certificate or degree, or proof you’re exempt
- Your Life in the UK test pass
Plus certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh. Family members can’t be included: they apply separately.
Costs & timeline
Long residence cost and processing time
The Home Office fee for indefinite leave to remain is £3,226, with no health surcharge. If you extend for 2 years instead, it’s £1,407 plus a £2,070 health surcharge. Settlement decisions usually take up to 6 months.
Applying in the UK
| Home Office application feeindefinite leave to remain | £3,226 |
| Immigration Health Surchargenot charged on indefinite leave | £0 |
| Life in the UK testif you haven’t passed it already | £50 |
| Home Office total, per applicantto settle, before an English test and any faster decision service | £3,276 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026 and GOV.UK, and the Immigration Health Surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. To settle, you can pay £1,000 extra for super priority, which usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day. The 2-year extension costs £1,407 plus a surcharge of £1,035 a year (£2,070). English test costs vary by provider. Our consultation fees →
Map your 10 years
Before you applyList every visa, gap and trip abroad, and pass the Life in the UK test and any English test you need.
Apply in the UK
Week 0Online application and fee, then fingerprints and photo at a service point. Don’t travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision.
Decision
Usually within 6 monthsWith super priority, usually by the end of the next working day. Complex cases can take longer.
Not ready to settle?
Extend for 24 monthsIf you have the 10 years but not the English or the test, you can extend, usually decided within 8 weeks, then apply to settle once you pass.
British citizenship
Usually 12 months after ILRYou’ll need to meet the residence, good character and other requirements.
Avoid a refusal
Common long residence refusal reasons
Long residence cases turn on the detail of your history. These are the issues we check first.
A gap between visas
A few days without permission can break your continuous residence, unless an exception applies. Even then, the gap doesn’t count towards the 10 years.
We check: every visa’s start and end date, and every application date.
Old and new absence rules mixed up
Trips that started before 11 April 2024 have one set of limits; later trips are limited to 180 days in any 12 months.
We check: every trip against the right rule, and any exception that applies.
Applying too soon on a new visa
If your current visa was granted on or after 11 April 2024, you must usually have held it for 12 months before you apply.
We check: when your current permission was granted and the first date you can apply.
Counting time that doesn’t count
Visitor time, short-term English study, immigration bail and time spent overstaying don’t count towards the 10 years.
We check: which periods count, and whether you have 10 years without them.
The wrong or an expired test
Tests must be approved, at the right level, and taken in the 2 years before you apply. From 26 March 2027 the level rises to B2.
We check: your test or exemption before you book anything.
Past immigration or criminal issues
Convictions, false information, unpaid NHS debts or not declaring something can lead to refusal on suitability grounds.
We check: your history, and tell you plainly about any risk.
How we help
Our long residence services
Start with an honest look at your 10-year history, then choose a review or a full application for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We go through your visas, gaps and trips and tell you plainly whether you qualify now, and if not, when.
Residence review
We check your visa history and absences against the Rules, before and after 11 April 2024.
Full application
We prepare and submit your settlement or 2-year extension application, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
British citizenship
We help you apply to become British when you’re eligible.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. Where a case needs a higher level of advice, such as an appeal or detailed representations about a break in your residence, we explain your options and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser straight away.
FAQs
Long residence questions, answered
Can I combine different visas to reach 10 years?
Yes. Time with permission on most visas counts, including time as a dependant, so Student, Graduate and Skilled Worker time can all add up. Time as a Visitor, on a short-term English course, as a Seasonal Worker or under the Ukraine schemes doesn’t count.
What if I overstayed or had a gap between visas?
A gap without permission usually breaks your continuous residence. It doesn’t if you applied within 14 days of your visa ending with a good reason beyond your control, and that application was granted, but the gap itself still doesn’t count towards the 10 years. Gaps before 24 November 2016 follow an older 28-day rule. Get advice before you apply.
How many days can I spend outside the UK?
No more than 180 days in any 12-month period. For trips that started before 11 April 2024, the older limits apply instead: no single trip over 184 days and no more than 548 days in total. Time away for serious illness, a death in the family or travel disruption from a natural disaster, conflict or pandemic doesn’t count.
Can I use long residence to extend my visa?
Only if you already have the 10 years. If you meet the residence and suitability rules but not yet the English or Life in the UK test requirement, you can extend for 24 months for £1,407 plus the health surcharge, with work and study allowed but no access to public funds. You can then apply to settle once you meet them.
Can my partner and children apply with me?
No. There’s no provision for dependants on this route, so each family member must qualify on their own. Once you’re settled, your partner and children may be able to apply to stay as the family of a settled person.
I’ve lived here 10 years, but not always lawfully. What can I do?
Long residence needs lawful residence throughout. If you’ve lived here a long time without permission, you may be able to apply on the basis of your private life instead. Those cases often need a higher level of advice, so we’ll explain your options and refer you if needed.
What happens if I don’t meet the long residence rules?
If the Home Office thinks you might qualify to stay as a partner, parent or child, or on private life grounds, it can treat your application as one of those instead. There’s no extra application fee, but you must pay the health surcharge, and the settlement fee isn’t refunded.
How long does a long residence decision take?
Settlement applications are usually decided within 6 months of giving your fingerprints and photo, or by the end of the next working day with super priority (£1,000). Extensions are usually decided within 8 weeks. Don’t travel abroad while you wait, or your application will be withdrawn.
Related routes
Other settlement routes
Ready when you are
Home, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.