Indefinite leave to remain if you’ve been in the UK for 10 years (long residence)
Eligibility
You must have permission to stay (‘leave to remain’).
You must also have been in the UK legally for 10 years without gaps (known as your ‘continuous residence’). This can include time on most immigration categories, or a combination of different immigration categories.
You’ll usually need to have held your current permission for one year.
If you have a family visa and your partner is British or settled in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave as a partner instead.
Knowledge of language and life
If you’re aged 18 to 65 years old, you must:
- pass the Life in the UK Test
- prove you have sufficient English language skills
If you do not meet these 2 requirements you can apply to extend.
Continuous residence
Continuous residence is time you’ve spent in the UK without gaps.
You can leave the UK during the continuous residence for up to 180 days in any 12 month period.
You cannot count time spent in the UK:
- on a Standard Visitor visa or as a visitor without a visa
- on a Short-term study visa
- on a Seasonal Worker visa
- on any of the Ukraine schemes
- on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release
- in a prison, young offender institution or secure hospital
- after your permission ran out (‘overstaying’) - this includes if you were given a grant of ‘exceptional assurance’ to stay in the UK because of COVID-19
You also cannot count time spent in Ireland, the Isle of Man or Channel Islands.
If you spent time abroad before 11 April 2024
There are different rules for periods of time abroad that started before 11 April 2024.
You will not have continuous residence if you were abroad for more than:
- 184 days in a row
- 548 days in total
Only periods of time abroad that started before 11 April 2024 count towards the 548 days.