10-Year Long Residence ILR: A Guide To Settlement In The UK

In its ‘Earned Settlement’ consultation, published on 20 November 2025, the Government announced its intention to abolish the dedicated 10-Year Long Residence route to settlement and replace it with a new earned settlement framework. While these proposals have not yet been implemented, the announcement has created uncertainty for many migrants who have already completed, or are close to completing, 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK.

If you have reached the 10-year milestone, or expect to do so in the near future, you may still be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) under the existing Long Residence route before any changes take effect. Understanding the current requirements, eligibility criteria and timing considerations may therefore be more important than ever. In this article, we explain how to apply for settlement under the 10-Year Long Residence ILR route, including the continuous residence requirements, absence limits, application process and common issues that can arise.

1. What Is 10-Year Long Residence ILR?

If you have been in the UK for 10 years, you may be eligible to submit an application for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under the 10-Year Long Residence route. Your residence must have been legal and continuous to be eligible for settlement based on a 10-year period. You must also meet the validity, suitability, English language and Knowledge of Life in the UK requirements, unless an exemption applies.

2. Continuous Residence for 10-Year Long Residence ILR

Appendix Continuous Residence defines the criteria for applicants seeking ILR under the 10-Year Long Residence or 10-Year Continuous Residence category. It states that an applicant will meet the continuous residence requirement if they have spent the qualifying unbroken continuous residence period required by their route lawfully in the UK. To meet the criteria for a Long Residence ILR application, you must have been in the UK legally for 10 years without gaps. What constitutes ‘gaps’ in continuous residence will be explored in detail below. 

You can count time spent in the UK with permission on most immigration categories, and the period can also be made up of a combination of different immigration categories. However, time spent in the UK on the following permissions cannot be counted towards your 10-Year Continuous Residence:

• As a visitor, either on a Standard Visitor visa or as a visitor without a visa
• Short-term Student English language
• Seasonal Worker visa
• Permission under Appendix Ukraine Scheme

Additionally, no period of overstaying counts towards the 10-year qualifying period, even where a period is disregarded under the Exceptions for overstayers section of Part Suitability. Time spent in the UK on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release, imprisoned, or in a young offender institution or secure hospital, cannot count towards your 10-year continuous residence. However, if you made an in-time application before your permission expired, and your permission was on a route that can count towards long residence, your leave will have been extended by virtue of Section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 until your pending application was granted. If your pending application was subsequently granted, this does not break your continuous residence and you can rely on any such periods. By contrast, where section 3C leave extends permission on an excluded route, that section 3C period is also excluded for long residence purposes.

Under paragraph 4.1 of Appendix Continuous Residence, continuous residence is not broken in long residence applications where the applicant leaves the UK with valid permission, and returns to the UK with a valid permission, whether on the same or another route, provided they do not exceed the maximum permitted absences. For example, this means that if you are studying in the UK and return home over the summer holidays before your permission expires, then apply for a new visa from outside the UK and return at the start of the academic year, your continuous residence is not broken, even if you held no valid UK visa during your absence.

Time spent with permission in the Republic of Ireland does not count towards long residence. However, time spent lawfully in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man on a route equivalent to a permissible UK route can count as time spent in the UK, provided the applicant’s most recent grant of permission was in the UK.

3. Absence Rules for 10-Year Long Residence ILR

Of course, ‘without gaps’ under the 10-Year Long Residence route does not require you to stay in the UK for 10 years without ever leaving. As of 11 April 2024, you can leave the UK for up to 180 days in any 12-month period without breaking your continuous residence. This requires looking at any 12-month period, not just each calendar year. To help calculate your greatest total absence in any rolling 12-month period, you can use this absence calculator, though please note that this website is specific to EUSS applications, and the advice below may not be applicable to you.

However, for Appendix Long Residence applications where the qualifying period includes time before 11 April 2024, continuous residence will normally be broken if you spent more than 548 days outside the UK in total in any part of the qualifying period before 11 April 2024, or if you had any single absence of more than 184 days where that absence started before 11 April 2024. As was recently clarified in the Long Residence Guidance and the Continuous Residence Guidance, for absences that began before 11 April 2024 and ended on or after that date, the 184-day single-absence limit continues to apply to that absence; the 180-day rolling 12-month assessment starts from the next absence. This is explored in more detail in our article New Guidance Clarifies Long Residence ILR 548-Day Absence Rule. Therefore, although the current guidance has become slightly more restrictive for individual absences, the removal of the 548 day limit for periods falling wholly on or after 11 April 2024 may make the rules easier to satisfy now, a trend which we are not seeing much of in immigration law at present.

Worked Examples of Long Residence Absence Calculations

The Home Office guidance outlines various examples to clarify the approach taken to calculating absences under the transitional arrangements:

An applicant under Appendix Long Residence:

• completed a 10-year qualifying period on 20 January 2025
• had a total of 5 absences from the UK during the 10-year qualifying period:
  • absence 1 – 1 July 2015 until 28 November 2015
  • absence 2 – 1 January 2017 until 31 May 2017
  • absence 3 – 1 October 2018 until 28 February 2019
  • absence 4 – 1 April 2024 until 1 July 2024
  • absence 5 – 1 August 2024 until 20 January 2025

As the qualifying period included time both prior to 11 April 2024, and on or after 11 April 2024, these 2 periods are considered individually in accordance with the relevant rules for that period, to assess whether continuous residence is broken.

Prior to 11 April 2024, and during their 10-year qualifying period, the applicant had 3 completed absences (so they left and returned to the UK prior to 11 April 2024). These 3 absences:

• did not exceed the applicable individual absence limit of 184 days
• did not exceed the total absences limit of 548 days

Continuous residence was therefore not broken in the 3 absences which completed prior to 11 April 2024.

The applicant had 2 further absences during their 10-year qualifying period; an absence from 1 April 2024 until 1 July 2024, and an absence from 1 August 2024 until 20 January 2025.

The absence from 1 April 2024 until 1 July 2024:

• did not exceed the individual absence limit of 184 days (which is the applicable limit for any absence that started prior to 11 April 2024)
• did not exceed the total absences limit of 548 days, which applies to periods prior to 11 April – the total absences included for the purpose of calculating the 548-day limit are:
• the period of absence from 1 April 2024 until 10 April 2024
• the 3 absences which were completed prior to 11 April 2024

The absence from 1 August 2024 to 20 January 2025:

• did not exceed the applicable individual absence limit of 180 days in any 12-month rolling period (which applies to absences that commenced on or after 11 April 2024) – the earliest 12-month rolling period is from 1 August 2024, as this was the beginning of the first absence to start on or after 11 April 2024 – see Calculating the length of absences

Continuous residence is therefore not brokent hroughout the qualifying period.

4. What if I Have Excess Absences for Long Residence ILR?

The 10-year continuous residence rules allow exceptions for excess absences in specific cases. The Home Office refers to these periods as permitted absences, meaning that some or all of a period spent outside the UK may not be counted, and therefore not considered to break your continuous residence if you are in excess of the limit. Some of these more common exceptions are:

• Travel disruption due to natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic;
• Compelling and compassionate personal circumstances, such as the life-threatening illness of the applicant, or life-threatening illness or death of a close family member.

However, the burden is on the applicant to prove their circumstances meet an exception and should be discounted. Moreover, this is a high threshold as the limit is considered to be generous, and can be said to provide sufficient leeway for common life events such as family emergencies, holidays, or work commitments abroad that may arise. However, the limit also ensures that applicants have maintained a genuine connection with the UK by requiring them to remain within the applicable absence limits for the qualifying period. For further information on permitted absences, see our previous article on Permitted Absences Under Continuous Residence.

If your absences would not be considered to be ‘permitted’, you can also wait for them to fall outside the relevant 10-year qualifying period provided you continue to hold valid leave to remain in the UK. There is no requirement that your ILR Long Residence application begins when you first enter the UK. To wait for your absences to fall away, you should continue to extend your leave via a grant of limited leave to remain, and apply once your preceding 10-year period falls within the applicable absence limits, including the transitional 184-day single-absence and 548-day total absence limits for the period before 11 April 2024 and the 180-day rolling 12-month limit for the period on or after 11 April 2024.

5. Other Breaks in Continuous Residence: What to Avoid

Time spent in the UK as a visitor does not count towards your qualifying period. More importantly though, any time spent in the UK as a visitor will break continuous residence, meaning re-entering the UK as a visitor between two grants of leave to remain will break your continuous residence. The same applies to time spent with permission under Appendix Ukraine Scheme, as a Short-term Student English language, or as a Seasonal Worker. Therefore, when re-entering following a new entry clearance application, your continuous residence period will restart.

6. When Does the Qualifying Period Start for 10-Year Long Residence ILR?

It is often assumed that your qualifying period can only begin on the date you first entered the UK. However, Appendix Long Residence LR 11.2 sets out periods which will not count towards the qualifying period for Long Residence:

• time spent on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release; and
• any period of overstaying between periods of permission before 24 November 2016 even if a further application was made within 28 days of the expiry of the previous permission; and
• any period of overstaying between periods of permission on or after 24 November 2016 even if the Exceptions for overstayers section of Part Suitability applies to that period of overstaying; and
• any current period of overstaying where the Exceptions for overstayers section of Part Suitability applies.

It is worth noting that there is no mention of an absence at the start of the qualifying period not being ‘counted’ towards a qualifying period. Your 10-year long continuous residence period can therefore start on the day you were first granted entry clearance.

The guidance states that, when calculating periods of continuous residence: ‘the time between the grant of entry clearance and the date of arrival is a period during which they had permission on that route and should be treated as a period of lawful residence.’ The decision maker must take the time between the grant of entry clearance and the date you entered the UK as an absence, which counts towards your total absences.

There is no provision in the Rules that precludes you from making an application where you were outside the UK on the start date of the qualifying period, nor are you precluded from including this initial absence in your qualifying period.

7. When Can I Apply for Long Residence ILR?

An application for Long Residence ILR can be made up to 28 days before completing 10 years in the UK, but no earlier. Any applications that are considered more than 28 days before the qualifying period is completed will be refused, on the basis that the applicant has not completed the required period of permission in the UK.

When calculating your qualifying period, the decision maker must count backwards from whichever of the following is most beneficial to you:

• The date of application;
• Any date up to 28 days after the date of application;
• The date of decision.

Which of these is most favourable will often depend on your total absences from the UK, and whether you opt for priority services to get a faster decision. According to GOV.UK, you will usually receive a decision within 6 months if applying using the standard service. However, if your application is deemed to be complex, it may take longer. Therefore, if you have a high number of absences at the start of your qualifying period, 28 days after the date of application, or the date of decision may be more favourable for you, to allow some of your absences to fall away.

The downside of this requirement is that ILR applications can no longer be based on a historic period of continuous residence, as to qualify, the 10-year period must continue up to one of these three dates.

If your current permission was granted on or after 11 April 2024, you must also have held permission on your current immigration route for at least 12 months at the date of application. Home Office guidance confirms that the period of permission itself does not need to have been granted for 12 months or longer, provided you have been on the same route for at least 12 months. This requirement does not apply where your current permission was granted before 11 April 2024.

8. What Evidence Do I Need to Apply for Long Residence ILR?

When preparing a Long Residence ILR application, it is important to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that you meet the relevant requirements under the Immigration Rules. The documents required will vary depending on your circumstances, but applicants should generally ensure that they have access to their current and previous passports, travel documents and records of their immigration history covering the relevant 10-year qualifying period.

Applicants should also retain evidence of their grants of permission, including Home Office decision letters, biometric residence permits where applicable, and UKVI account records confirming their immigration status. Where reliance is placed on periods of section 3C leave, evidence of in-time applications and the dates on which those applications were submitted and decided may be important.

Given the significance of the continuous residence requirement, applicants should prepare a clear schedule of all absences from the UK during the qualifying period. This should normally be supported by passport stamps, travel records, boarding passes or other evidence where available. Where an applicant seeks to rely on an exception for a permitted absence, they should provide documentary evidence supporting the circumstances in question, such as medical evidence, official travel disruption notices or other relevant records.

Careful preparation of supporting documentation before submission can help to reduce delays and minimise the risk of avoidable queries from the Home Office.

9. Common Reasons Long Residence ILR Applications are Refused

Long Residence ILR applications are often refused because of technical issues relating to eligibility or evidence, rather than because an applicant has failed to spend 10 years in the UK. Absence calculations can cause difficulties, particularly where the qualifying period includes residence before and after 11 April 2024. Applicants may incorrectly calculate absences or overlook the transitional rules relating to the 184-day single-absence limit and the 548-day total absence limit.

Refusals may also arise where there are gaps in lawful residence, periods of overstaying that cannot be counted towards the qualifying period, or time spent on immigration routes that are excluded from long residence. Similarly, re-entering the UK as a visitor between grants of permission can break continuous residence and prevent an applicant from qualifying.

Applications can also encounter difficulties where an applicant seeks to rely on a permitted absence exception but the Home Office is not satisfied that the circumstances fall within the relevant exception, or considers that insufficient evidence has been provided. This is particularly important in cases involving COVID-19-related absences. Although travel disruption due to a pandemic can constitute a permitted absence, the Home Office may scrutinise the reasons for an applicant’s continued absence from the UK and whether it was genuinely outside their control. 

In some cases, particularly where an applicant remained outside the UK after travel restrictions had eased or undertook a further period of overseas residence later in the pandemic, the Home Office may take the view that the absence resulted from personal choice rather than unavoidable travel disruption. Applicants relying on a permitted absence exception should therefore ensure that they provide detailed evidence explaining both the circumstances of the absence and why they were unable to return to the UK sooner.

Generally, applicants should ensure that they provide sufficient evidence of their immigration history, residence and absences. Missing documents, inconsistencies in the evidence, or a failure to substantiate periods relied upon for continuous residence may lead to difficulties with an application. Finally, applicants must satisfy the relevant suitability requirements in addition to the residence requirements. Issues relating to criminality, deception, adverse immigration history or other suitability concerns may affect eligibility for settlement, depending on the circumstances of the case.

10. Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK Requirements for Long Residence ILR

Unless an exemption applies, applicants aged 18 or over and under 65 must pass the Life in the UK Test and meet the English language requirement. For applications made before 26 March 2027, Appendix Long Residence requires English language ability in speaking and listening at CEFR level B1 or above. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the required level will be CEFR level B2 or above, unless an exemption applies. You can find the approved test providers for the English language requirement, and you can book your life in the UK test.

11. Long Residence ILR Processing Times and Application Fees

As discussed above, GOV.UK states that applicants usually get a decision within 6 months if applying using the standard service. However, super priority service is available for settlement applications, costing £1,000 per applicant. This means you’ll get a decision by the end of the next working day after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday, or two working days after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on the weekend or bank holiday. However, even when you opt for super priority, your decision may take longer if your case is deemed to raise exceptionally complex issues and they require further time to consider your case. Therefore, super priority is not always advisable.

The application fee for indefinite leave to remain is currently £3,226. You will also need to have your biometric information taken, consisting of your fingerprints and photograph. There is no fee for providing biometric information itself, although UKVCAS appointment or optional service costs may apply depending on the service point and services selected. If your application is successful, you will receive an eVisa, which is a digital record of your immigration status, and you will need access to a UKVI account.

12. Benefits of Indefinite Leave to Remain After 10-Year Long Residence

If your application for Indefinite Leave to Remain is granted, you are entitled to live in the UK indefinitely without any time restrictions.

Gaining ILR through the 10-Year Long Residence route also encompasses work authorisation, meaning you no longer need separate permission to work, and there are no restrictions on job type, hours, or salary. You can also start a business in the UK or become self-employed.

You are generally entitled to free NHS healthcare if you are settled in the UK and ordinarily resident, and you may apply for benefits and other public services if you meet the relevant eligibility criteria. You are free to study in the UK, but student finance, loans or grants depend on the applicable student support, course, residence and eligibility rules.

Any child born in the UK while you hold ILR will normally automatically be a British citizen. Children born before this time may now be eligible to be registered as British. You may also be able to bring non-British family members to join you in the UK, but dependants cannot be included in a long residence application and may need to apply separately if eligible, or under a family route if the relevant requirements are met.

You may travel in and out of the UK, but you should ensure that your eVisa is linked to your current passport or travel document and that you can prove your status when travelling. However, if you stay outside the UK, Ireland or the Crown Dependencies for 2 or more years at a time, your indefinite leave to remain will lapse. You’ll need to apply for a Returning Resident visa before you can return to the UK to regain your ILR status.

Importantly, ILR is a key requirement for naturalisation as a British citizen. You will normally have to hold ILR for 12 months before applying, unless you are married to a British citizen, in which case the 12-month waiting period does not usually apply.

13. The Future of the Long Residence Route 

In a Commons statement on 20 November 2025, the Home Secretary announced a move away from the familiar “five-year route” model towards a baseline 10-year qualifying period with the potential for “Earned Settlement”. The Government’s ‘Earned Settlement’ consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. 

The Home Secretary’s announcement proposed that most routes will move to a 10-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), replacing the five-year pathway which exists for most routes. Settlement would no longer be framed as a predictable endpoint after time completing the qualifying period. Instead, while residence in the UK would start the clock, the point at which a migrant would be eligible to apply for ILR would depend on their contribution, integration and compliance.  

As a result of the introduction of the 10-year baseline, there will no longer be a separate ‘Long Residence’ route, with this route effectively abolished in its current form. The rationale appears to be that, if settlement generally requires 10 years’ residence, there is less need for a distinct route allowing migrants to qualify for ILR after accruing 10 years of lawful residence across different immigration categories. 

Instead, long residence would be absorbed into the wider settlement framework, with eligibility determined not only by length of residence but also by an assessment of contribution, integration and compliance. Any changes are not expected to take effect until Autumn 2026, but this does not leave those already in the UK on routes to settlement with a huge amount of time to prepare for potential changes. 

It is not clear what transitional arrangements, if any, will apply to those already in the UK on immigration routes to settlement. It is possible that, if the transitional protections are narrow, some migrants could find their route lengthened mid-journey. Evidence of contribution and integration will become more important either way.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

What is 10-Year Long Residence ILR?