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Skip to content Ready to make the UK your permanent home? After five years of residency, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), giving you the freedom to live, work, and stay in the UK without immigration limits.
For more information on ILR eligibility criteria, and how to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 5 years, call our trusted immigration advisors at 02033844389 or send us an email. We’re always here to help!
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One way to get permanent residency in the UK is to apply for indefinite permission to remain, or ILR. After establishing five years of qualified residence in the UK, most applicants will be eligible to apply for permanent resident status.
But keep in mind that this 5-year rule comes with some rules and limits. Among these are the maximum amount of time you are allowed to spend outside the UK on a single visa and the restrictions on changing your visa during those five years.
Time spent outside the UK can be counted towards your five-year residency requirement under certain exceptional circumstances.
You may be able to apply for permanent resident status (IRS) with a shorter time frame than the usual five years if you hold a certain type of visa.
You will be eligible to apply for British citizenship when you have spent twelve months in the UK with IRL.
If you’re applying for ILR after 5 years in the UK, contact our expert immigration solicitor at 02033844389 for legal advice.
To be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain, you typically need to spend at least five years in the UK, according to most UK visas. The following UK visas require 5-year ILR applications:
If you’re seeking Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) but have fewer than five years of qualified residence, you may be able to apply for it through some visas. The majority of visas in that category are reserved for highly talented persons, investors, and entrepreneurs. Here we’ve covered the specific visas and how to qualify for permanent resident status in five years or less.
Keep in mind that not all UK visas let you apply for ILR after 5 years or less. Ten years of qualified residency is required for a few additional visas/permits, including Long residency.
If you are married to a British citizen or an established person in the UK, you can join your spouse in the UK with a UK Spouse visa, which is also called a Marriage visa,
Under the 5-year route to settlement, a spouse visa entry clearance application is often approved if all the requirements listed in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules are met.
If you have been a spouse for five years and have used the 5-year procedure to apply for a spouse visa, you may be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
You must use the SET (M) application form to apply for ILR as a Spouse online if you are on a Spouse visa (under the 5-year route) and meet the other standards.
If you are married to a British citizen or permanent resident, and you fulfil certain conditions, you may be able to apply for ILR through the 5-year route:
All ILR spouse visa requirements must be satisfied. If you need legal assistance or an evaluation of your eligibility, contact our team of qualified immigration solicitors at 02033844389.
The Skilled Worker visa, formerly referred to as the “Tier 2 (General) Work visa,” allows international workers to work in the UK for an approved employer.
It is possible to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) as a skilled worker after five years on a UK skilled worker visa, which is both a long-term work visa and a route to settlement.
Skilled Workers can apply for ILR if they have been on a Skilled Worker visa for 5 years (under a 5-year route) and meet the other standards.
To apply for ILR as a Skilled Worker, you need to fill out the SET (O) application form online. This is necessary if you have lived and worked in the UK for five consecutive years.
If you want to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), you have to fulfil these conditions:
When someone leaves their home country because they are afraid of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political views, or position in a certain social group, they are given refugee status (under the 5-year route).
During their five-year stay in the UK, refugees are granted the right to work, study, and access healthcare.
After five years, refugees may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which grants permanent status and the path to British citizenship.
If you are a refugee seeking Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK, you need to ensure that you fulfil specific criteria. Among them are:
You’ll need to give:
We have provided a general list of documents above. Depending on your situation and the type of your ILR application, you may be asked to provide extra documents. Contact our London based immigration lawyers for assistance in compiling the necessary paperwork for your ILR application.
To apply for ILR, fill out an application form online. Before you do that, make sure you have a visa that lets you stay for 5 years.
There are two forms for obtaining indefinite leave to remain. Form Set (M) is for spouses, parents, or children of people who have already settled in the UK or who are British citizens. For everyone else, Form Set (O) needs to be filled out.
The information required on your indefinite leave to remain application form will differ based on the immigration route you are taking.
The application fee for indefinite leave to remain is £2,885. No matter the outcome of your application, this money is non-refundable. Keep in mind that there may be other costs as well. Applications are usually looked at in 6 months, but if you pay extra, you can get a result sooner.
It usually takes three to six weeks for the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application to be processed. But you might be able to get a faster decision if you use a priority service.
During this time, the Home Office can look over the application, verify documents, and ask for more information or an interview if necessary.
People who want to stay in the UK legally should apply well before their current leave ends.
You may be able to use the “Super Priority Service” to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and get a decision faster, by the end of the next business day (within 24 hours). Along with the ILR application fee, there is also a “Super Priority Service” fee that you must pay.
When applying for ILR, you have the option to select the “Priority Service” for a quicker decision (within 5 working days). Along with the ILR application cost, there is a separate “Priority Service” fee that you must pay.
When considering immigration to the UK, an indefinite leave to remain is among the most essential, sought-after, and complex options for foreign individuals looking to make a permanent home.
UK Immigration Solicitors can help you become one of the tens of thousands of people each year who are given indefinite leave to stay in the UK.
We provide full-service, expert legal services to individuals like you who are seeking settled status so that you can begin a new life in the UK. Our team can help you through every step of the process and give you advice that is specifically tailored to your needs.
We can help you with the ILR application process, figure out how long you have lived in the country continuously, or give you tips on how to improve your chances of getting your application accepted.
Also, we can help you if you want to apply for British citizenship and a British visa once you have settled in the UK.
For more information on the services we offer and what we can do for you, contact one of our advisers at 02033844389 or contact us online today.
