The right to remain in the UK indefinitely (ILR) allows foreign nationals to study, work, and live here forever without facing any immigration limitations. If you’re seeking to apply for UK Indefinite Leave to Remain, our professional team of immigration solicitors can provide the expert assistance and guidance you require.
Give us a call at 02033844389 if you need help with your case right away. We can assist you online, over the phone, or in person.
"*" indicates required fields
Foreign nationals can live, study, and work freely in the UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). It is a type of settlement status. If you want to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, you usually need to be a UK resident for at least five years. However, there are some exceptions, such as after three or even two years of residency.
ILR can result from a range of visas for immigrants, such as the skilled worker visa, innovator founder visa, and spouse visa.
A person granted Indefinite Leave to Remain is one step closer to naturalization and full citizenship, allowing them to live in the UK without any limitations.
The particular indefinite leave to remain requirements vary based on the applicant’s unique situation, including the kind of visa they already hold.
The most fundamental prerequisite for ILR is having been in the UK lawfully for a specific time period. However, there are a few requirements that need to be met.
Some people will automatically be granted settled UK status without having to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. These people include:
The Life in the UK test is a prerequisite for the Indefinite Leave to Remain application. The Life in the UK exam, often called the British Citizenship examination, is centered on British culture, history, and customs.
The exam has 24 questions that are created at random on the day of the tests, and it lasts 45 minutes. To pass the test, you need to receive a score of at least 75%.
Additionally, the test is available at more than thirty approved locations and costs £50 to take. But keep in mind that you can only take the exam at one of the five locations close to your home. Moreover, you have at least seven days after the test date to retake it if you don’t pass. In order to pass, you can retake the exam as many times as necessary.
Those aged 18 and under, or 65 and up, will not be required to take the test. Furthermore, an individual will typically be excluded if they have confirmation from a physician attesting to a long-term physical or mental disease.
You will need to bring official identification on test day, such as a passport or driver’s license, along with a letter proving your UK address that is dated within the last three months. Moreover, your Life in the UK pass certificate must be included with your application.
This is part of the application for an indefinite stay to remain. You need to show that you can speak and understand English at a level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Most applicants will need to have a certificate from a recognised test source or be able to show the results online along with their application for indefinite leave to remain.
However, some people will not be required to meet this condition. For instance, people who live in Commonwealth countries or countries where English is the official language will generally be exempt.
People from the following places are included, but not limited to:
Also, the following applicants will not have to show that they can speak English:
To be eligible for ILR status, you shouldn’t have stayed more than 180 days away from the UK in 12 months. There are several exceptions to this regulation, such as if you were in the UK on business or due to unusual circumstances. If you were absent from the UK for any of the following reasons, it would be regarded as an allowed absence:
In general, it is an ideal plan to keep track of any time spent outside the UK since beginning your UK residency.
You will be qualified to submit an application for ILR after meeting the prerequisites for that specific visa’s minimum time frame if you have been residing in the UK lawfully under some type of settlement visa. Furthermore, the applicant must fulfil further conditions.
The visa pathways that lead to UK Indefinite Leave to Remain are as follows:
You will be qualified to submit an application for ILR after meeting the prerequisites for that specific visa’s minimum time frame if you have been residing in the UK lawfully under some type of settlement visa. Furthermore, the applicant must fulfil further conditions.
The visa pathways that lead to UK Indefinite Leave to Remain are as follows:
In order to apply for ILR, you must use the gov.uk website.
When you apply, you’ll have to fill out a form with your details and attach any relevant documents or data related to your current situation.
In order to apply for ILR, you must provide evidence that you meet the criteria set out by your present visa or immigration track.
Along with that, you’ll need to provide evidence of passing the Life in the UK Test, which you can do by presenting your unique reference number.
Then, you will also be required to pay the application cost.
Your specific situation will determine how long you need to have lived in the UK before you may submit an application for ILR. Additionally, foreign nationals can often apply for ILR after 5 years of valid residency in the UK. Furthermore, some of the visas that need five years of presence in the UK are as follows:
In certain circumstances, if you have resided in the UK for no more than 5 years, you can be eligible for ILR status. These situations include those in which you live in the UK under:
After being in the UK for four years, a Commonwealth citizen who served in the armed forces might qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain Sometimes, it takes more than five years to qualify for UK Indefinite Leave to Remain. For people living in the UK for a long time, they’ll need to have spent 10 years if they’re over 18 or 7 years if they’re under 18 before applying for ILR.
A variety of supporting documentation must be included with your Indefinite Leave to Remain application. Furthermore, this pertains to you and any dependents who are making a request on your behalf.
It is important to keep in mind that the documents you submit should be the original ones. Moreover, you will have to justify if you are not able to provide the original documents. The Home Office will be lenient if you are unable to obtain the original documents due to exceptional situations.
Typically, the following information and documents are required from you:
Form Set (O) and Form Set (M) are the two main forms used for applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Form Set (M) is for applying for UK ILR if you’re the partner or parent of someone settled in the UK. Moreover, for other ILR applications, like Investor, Global Talent, Long-term Worker, Skilled Worker, PBS dependants, and UK Ancestry visas, you use Form Set (O).
The cost of Indefinite Leave to Remain is £2,885 right now. Please note that super priority processing (completed within 24 hours) costs an extra £1000 and priority processing (completed within 5 days) costs £500 if you are qualified.
An additional £19.20 is required to register biometric information, which is an essential part of the ILR application procedure.
Each dependent applicant must pay the entire £2,885 application cost if they are applying on behalf of a family.
There is no set timeline, however, an Indefinite Leave to Remain application will be approved within six months.
One of the most common visa categories is the Spouse Visa. It is for those people who want to live with their partners in the UK. In most cases, after 5 years of legal residence in the UK, a spouse of a permanent resident may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
You can initially obtain a Spouse Visa valid for 30 months, and you can renew it for another 30 months after that time. When the Spouse Visa Extension time expires, a spouse may file for ILR if they meet all of the requirements.
Your name, date of birth, fingerprints, and a picture of your face are all included in your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), which serves as a form of identity. It will also include information about your immigration status, any terms and conditions associated with your stay, and the benefits and services that you are eligible for.
Before submitting an ILR application, you must obtain a BRP if you don’t already have one. Additionally, after we receive your application, we will provide you with information on how to obtain your BRP.
As a type of long-term residency, Indefinite Leave to Remain allows its holders to live and work in the UK without facing any limitations. In addition to having unrestricted access to free NHS treatment, you will be able to work and study in the UK.
It is significant to remember that under some conditions, UK ILR status may be withdrawn. Revocation of ILR status may occur if:
A denied application might be disappointing. First and foremost, you need to know why your application was turned down. The rejection letter will explain the grounds for the rejection. Moreover, the best course of action is to resubmit the application after making the necessary corrections if there is an obvious error on it.
Additionally, if you believe the Home Office unfairly turned down your application, you can challenge their decision. If you think they missed something important in your application, like key evidence, you can ask for an administrative review. Moreover, another immigration officer will take a fresh look at your application.
You may be able to file an official legal appeal against the Home Office’s decision in specific circumstances. Moreover, if you are unable to proceed, it will be stated in your letter of refusal.
If you choose to file an appeal against the Home Office’s decision, the UK Immigration Solicitors can help you every step of the way with our appeal package. To learn more, give us a call at 02033844389 right now. Alternatively, if you’d like, you can get in touch with the Home Office directly.
There are a number of reasons why an ILR application might be turned down. The authorities can turn down ILR applications if:
At UK Immigration Solicitors, we know how upsetting and stressful it can be when your ILR application is turned down or the application of a family member who depends on you is turned down. We have a lot of experience overturning ILR denials and giving our clients the best chance of victory. Call our ILR lawyers at 02033844389 right now to talk to one of them.
A significant step towards obtaining British citizenship is obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain. However, after a specific amount of time, you will not automatically acquire British citizenship if you have been living under ILR status.
As long as your situation hasn’t changed substantially, you can apply for British citizenship after being in the UK for a full year under ILR. To obtain complete British citizenship, you need to fill out and submit a request to the Home Office for British citizenship by naturalisation.
As a British citizen, you will soon be able to submit an application for a British passport and enjoy all of the advantages of citizenship.
The EU Settlement Scheme is an alternative to Indefinite Leave to Remain available to nationals of the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. Moreover, the EU Settlement Scheme allows successful candidates to live and work in the UK without any restrictions beyond June 30, 2021.
To be eligible in most situations, you must have lived in the UK before December 31, 2020. Moreover, if you qualify for the scheme, your immediate family members can join the scheme and enjoy the same privileges as you.
For guidance on Indefinite Leave to Remain, get in touch with us at any of our offices in the UK, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham.
It may be difficult and time-consuming to qualify for indefinite leave to remain. Our goal at UK Immigration Solicitors is to serve every one of our clients with excellence because of this. A skilled immigration attorney will handle your case, evaluating your circumstances and offering you advice on what to do next. Additionally, we will get all of your instructions on how to fill out and send in your application to the Home Office.
Request via email or give us a call at 02033844389 to start your ILR application.
Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is a form of permanent residency in the UK that allows foreign nationals to live and work in the country without any time restrictions. Once granted ILR, individuals do not need to apply for further visas or permits to stay in the UK.
ILR status can be obtained after a certain period of lawful residence in the UK, usually after having held a qualifying visa for a specific duration. It also provides a pathway to British citizenship for those who meet the necessary criteria. However, ILR can be revoked if an individual does not comply with immigration laws or leaves the UK for an extended period.
There are several ways to obtain an Indefinite right to remain in the United Kingdom. Usually, this happens when you’re in the UK with permission for one of these reasons:
On a continuous and permanent basis of lawful residency An individual with ancestry.
In addition, refugees resettled in the UK via the Gateway Protection Programme will automatically be granted immediate right to remain. Dependent children of British citizens or individuals who are permanent residents of the UK may be awarded immediate permission to remain indefinitely.
If a person leaves the UK for two years or longer while holding ILR, they may lose their status. You should ensure that your time spent outside the UK does not exceed five years and does not violate ILR criteria if you are a returning resident, which means you have left the UK for a long period of time and then returned.
The document you will obtain after submitting an ILR application is referred to as an ILR card. In order to receive an ILR card, you must also fulfil several requirements. As of October 2013, this also entails earning an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) speaking and listening certification.
When applying for jobs, renting real estate, and seeking citizenship, you can use the card or certificate you receive when granted UK ILR as evidence of your settled status.
Yes, if you are between the ages of 18 and 65, you will have to pass the Life in the UK test as part of your citizenship or immigration application.
This standard exam assesses your familiarity with British history, traditions, and customs. You must receive a score of 75% or above on the test to pass and ensure that you meet this portion of the criteria for qualifying for UK Indefinite Leave to Remain. Moreover, you can take the test as many times as necessary, but there is a charge to take it, and you must pay it each time you try to pass it.
If you would like to know more about how to get ready for the Life in the UK test, please contact one of our expert immigration solicitors who would be pleased to assist you with your test or ILR visa.
Even though this depends on the specifics of each case and the sort of conviction, any unspent convictions will likely have an impact on your application for ILR under the suitability conditions.
Even if you have a spent conviction, it might still impact your ILR application, depending on the type of conviction. To guarantee the highest probability of success, we would highly advise discussing your conviction with an immigration specialist before compiling your application.
You might be eligible to temporarily extend your current visa and stay in the UK if you are not yet eligible for the ILR. We refer to this as “Further Leave to Remain.” Moreover, if you entered the country as a visitor, you normally can’t stay longer than six months, though there are certain rare exceptions when you might be able to change to a different type of visa.
Make sure to ask for an extension before your current permit ends. If you stay longer without permission, authorities might tell you to leave.
We at UK Immigration Solicitors can help with any applications, including those that need to be appealed in the event of a rejection. Being the top immigration specialists in the UK, we have an outstanding record of submitting ILR applications. Among our offerings are:
For more information about ILR visas or applying for ILR, please feel free to contact one of our immigration solicitors by phone at 02033844389 or through our online contact form.
As per UK immigration regulations, Commonwealth citizens may be eligible for ILR if they fulfil the requirements and have been residing in the country for five years with a UK Ancestry visa.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have that visa, you can still apply if you meet the requirements using the standard routes, such as the spouse or work visa.
Additionally, certain Commonwealth nationals are granted the “right to abode” in the UK, allowing them to live and work there without being subject to immigration laws. Some might even be able to directly apply for British citizenship.
If you are a citizen of the UK, Ireland, or the United Kingdom, or you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will enjoy the “right of abode,” or the right to remain in the country. Certain Commonwealth citizens may also have the same “right of abode” in the United Kingdom.
Having the right to remain in the UK means you can live in the nation without being subject to immigration controls.
Inline form for homepage
"*" indicates required fields
