Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): Complete 2026 Guide

TL;DR

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is permanent UK residence — no expiry date, no work restrictions, full NHS access, route to British citizenship. Most work and family visa holders qualify after 5 years of continuous lawful residence, with no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month rolling period. The application fee is £3,029 per person; you must pass the Life in the UK test and demonstrate English at B1. Processing takes up to 6 months on standard service.

How much does ILR cost?

The ILR application fee is £3,029 per applicant (gov.uk visa fees). There is no Immigration Health Surcharge on ILR — settled status grants NHS access on the same basis as British citizens.

For a family of four, ILR is roughly £12,000 in fees alone — a substantial sum that catches many applicants by surprise. Plan and save for it well in advance. Children under 18 are charged the full adult fee.

Once granted, ILR has no recurring fee. If your BRP needs replacing later (lost, stolen, expired physical card) the standard replacement fee applies (~£100).

Who is eligible after 5 years?

ILR after 5 years is the standard outcome for most work and family visa routes:

You can combine time on different qualifying routes. For example, time on a Tier 2 General visa before switching to Skilled Worker counts toward the same 5 years.

The Long Residence route grants ILR after 10 years of continuous lawful residence on any combination of visas (including Student, Graduate). This is a separate route under paragraph 276B of the Immigration Rules.

What absences are allowed?

You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month rolling period during the 5 years.

Important details:

• Rolling period, not calendar year — so April 2025 to April 2026 is one window; May 2025 to May 2026 is another. Each must be ≤180 days.
• Days of departure and arrival count as days in the UK
• Reasons for absence don't matter for the calculation — work travel, weddings, holidays, family emergencies all count the same
• Exceptions exist for serious illness, family bereavement, or research that requires overseas travel — but caseworkers apply these strictly

Track your absences continuously throughout your visa. The Home Office cross-checks against eGate / passport stamp records. If you've lost track, you can request a Subject Access Request from the Home Office to see what records exist on you.

If you've breached the 180-day rule, you can either delay the ILR application until you're inside the limit again, or apply with a written explanation accepting that refusal is likely.

What documents do I need?

Standard ILR bundle:

• Current passport plus all passports held during the 5-year qualifying period
• Biometric Residence Permit (current)
• Life in the UK test pass certificate
• English language evidence at B1 (CEFR) — usually the same certificate accepted at your initial visa
• Evidence of continuous residence:
  • Payslips and bank statements covering the whole 5 years
  • P60s for each tax year
  • Council tax bills, utility bills, tenancy agreements
  • Employer letters confirming the timeline
• For work routes: current employer letter confirming role, salary, and ongoing CoS
• For family routes: marriage certificate, evidence of subsisting relationship, partner's BRP / passport
• TB test certificate if from a listed country (rare — most ILR is in-country)
• Translation of any non-English document by a certified translator

ILR applications often have the largest bundles of any UK visa — 100-300 pages is normal for someone covering 5 years across multiple jobs / addresses / family changes. Use our free Bundler to assemble it in the canonical UKVI order, and the Compressor to fit the 6 MB UKVCAS upload limit.

What is the Life in the UK test?

A 24-question multiple choice test on British history, government, geography, culture and law. You must score at least 75% (18 correct out of 24) to pass. The test:

• Costs £50 per attempt
• Is taken at one of around 30 official test centres across the UK
• Has a 24-hour minimum gap between attempts (no daily-attempt grinding)
• Is valid indefinitely once passed (you don't need to retake for citizenship later)

The test is based on the official Home Office handbook. Most candidates pass on the first attempt with 4-6 weeks of study using the handbook plus practice tests.

You're exempt if you're:

• Under 18 or over 65
• Have a long-term medical condition that prevents test-taking (specific medical exemption process)

There is no exemption for being from an English-speaking country, having lived in the UK for many years, or having a UK degree.

How long does ILR take to process?

Standard processing is up to 6 months (gov.uk processing times). Most decisions come within 2-3 months but caseworkers can take the full 6 months for complex cases.

Priority service (£500) reduces this to 30 working days. Super-priority (£1,000) gives a next-working-day decision in many cases — especially valuable if you have a job offer abroad with a deadline, or a family member's visa expiring.

Once granted, your ILR is a permanent grant — there is no expiry date. The physical Biometric Residence Permit will have an end date but only the card expires; your immigration status remains indefinite.

What's the difference between ILR and British citizenship?

After 12 months on ILR (or 3 years if married to a British citizen and meeting other rules) you can apply for British citizenship. The application is separate, requires another Life in the UK pass, and culminates in the Citizenship Ceremony.

ILR can be lost if you spend more than 2 continuous years outside the UK — Returning Resident visa is the remedy if this happens by accident, but it's not guaranteed. British citizenship is permanent once granted.

What happens if my ILR application is refused?

ILR refusals can be deeply disruptive — your underlying visa may also be expiring, leaving you with limited time to remedy.

You may have:

• Right to administrative review (14 days to lodge) if the decision was a caseworker error
• Right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal in cases where Article 8 ECHR is engaged
• Judicial review in cases of procedural unfairness

Common refusal reasons:

• Excessive absences (the most common)
• Continuous residence broken by a gap in valid leave
• Life in the UK test result not yet on the system (don't apply on the same day as the test)
• Failure to declare a criminal conviction or driving offence
• Sponsor's licence revoked during the 5 years (Skilled Worker route)

Engage an IAA-registered immigration adviser for ILR refusals — the stakes are high and remedies are time-limited.

Sources

• gov.uk: Indefinite Leave to Remain
• gov.uk: Immigration Rules Appendix Settlement
• gov.uk: Visa fees
• gov.uk: Life in the UK test
• gov.uk: Find an immigration adviser
• House of Commons Library: Migration policy

Common questions

1. 01

   How much does Indefinite Leave to Remain cost in 2026?

   The ILR application fee is £3,029 per applicant. There is no Immigration Health Surcharge on ILR — once granted, you have access to the NHS on the same basis as British citizens. Priority service costs an additional £500; super-priority is £1,000 for next-working-day decision.

2. 02

   Who is eligible for ILR after 5 years?

   ILR after 5 years is the standard route on most work and family visas: Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Innovator Founder, Global Talent, Spouse / Family, Sole Representative, and certain legacy routes (Tier 1 Investor, Tier 1 Entrepreneur). Time on Student, Graduate, Visitor, or Youth Mobility does not count toward the 5 years.

3. 03

   What is the Life in the UK test?

   The Life in the UK test is a 24-question multiple-choice test on British history, culture, government and laws. You must score at least 75% (18 of 24 correct) to pass. The test costs £50 and is taken at one of around 30 official test centres across the UK. You can prepare from the official Home Office handbook.

4. 04

   What absences are allowed during the qualifying period?

   You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month rolling period during the 5 years. This is checked across each 12-month window, not just calendar years. Compelling reasons for excessive absences (serious illness, COVID disruption, work obligations) can be considered but rarely result in ILR being granted with breaches.

5. 05

   What documents do I need for ILR?

   Valid passport (current and all held during the 5 years), Biometric Residence Permit, English language evidence at B1 (CEFR) — usually the same certificate from your initial visa, Life in the UK test pass certificate, evidence of continuous residence (P60s, payslips, bank statements, council tax bills), employment evidence if on a work route (current employer's letter, ongoing CoS), and TB test certificate if applying from listed country.

6. 06

   What's the difference between ILR and British citizenship?

   ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) is permanent UK residence. British citizenship is full nationality including a UK passport, voting rights in all elections, and easier travel rights. After 12 months on ILR (or 3 years if married to a British citizen), you can apply for citizenship. The application is separate, costs £1,580, and requires another Life in the UK pass and the Citizenship Ceremony.