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Long residence ILR: 10 years' lawful UK residence

Long residence is a route to indefinite leave to remain for people who have lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for 10 years. Most permission counts, visitor and some other time does not, dependants cannot be included, and the application fee is £3,226 (£1,407 for a two-year extension if English or Life in the UK is not met).

Long residence is the route that counts time itself. A person who has been in the UK lawfully for ten continuous years, on any mix of most visa types, can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) without having to be on one particular route to settlement.

The detail sits in Appendix Long Residence, Appendix Continuous Residence and the Home Office's long residence guidance (version 26.0, 8 October 2026). This guide sets out how the ten years are counted, what does not count, the 12-month rule, the English and Life in the UK requirements, fees and timing, and what happens when an application is not granted. It describes the position on 10 October 2026. It does not say whether any person qualifies.

The ten years: what counts

The qualifying period is ten years spent lawfully in the UK. Paragraph LR 11.1 of Appendix Long Residence says that, for the whole of the period, one or more of these must apply:

  • the applicant had permission, except permission under Appendix Ukraine Scheme, or permission as a Visitor, Short-term Student (English language) or Seasonal Worker (or under any of their predecessor routes);
  • the applicant was exempt from immigration control;
  • the applicant was in the UK as an EEA national, or the family member of one, exercising a right to reside before 11pm on 31 December 2020 (and until 30 June 2021, or the final determination of an application under Appendix EU made by that date); or
  • the applicant was a British citizen, unless the citizenship has since been taken away.

The Home Office guidance fills in the practical meaning:

  • Time on a Student visa, a Graduate visa or an older Tier 4 visa counts, even if the permission was granted for a short time. Only the short-term student (English language) category is left out.
  • Time with leave extended under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 (while an in-time application is pending) counts, unless the permission being extended was on an excluded route.
  • Time exempt from immigration control, such as a diplomat or a member of the armed forces, counts.
  • Time with permission in the Republic of Ireland does not count. Time in the Crown Dependencies on an equivalent route does.
  • Time on a Standard Visitor visa, Short-term Student, Seasonal Worker or Ukraine Scheme permission is not counted and, in the guidance's words, will break continuous residence for the purposes of the long residence qualifying period.

Some periods can never count. Paragraph LR 11.2 excludes time on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release, and any period of overstaying between periods of permission, including where the overstayer exceptions in Part Suitability apply. The guidance explains the effect: disregarded overstaying does not break continuous residence but does not count towards the ten years either. The Covid extension and grace period from 24 January to 31 August 2020 does count; periods of exceptional assurance between 1 September 2020 and 28 February 2023 do not.

The ten years are counted back from the most favourable of the application date, any date up to 28 days after it, or the decision date (Appendix Continuous Residence CR 1.1). The guidance adds that an applicant cannot rely on an old ten-year period that sits outside the limits in that appendix.

Continuous residence and absences

The ten years must also be continuous. Paragraph LR 12.1 applies Appendix Continuous Residence for the whole qualifying period. Its main test is the absence limit: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period.

Long residence has a special rule for older absences. Under CR 3.3, absences that started before 11 April 2024 are measured against two separate limits: no more than 184 days in any single absence, and no more than 548 days in total, counting only the part of the qualifying period before 11 April 2024. Absences that started on or after that date follow the 180-in-12 rule. GOV.UK's page describes the same position. The Home Office guidance has a worked example of a ten-year period with five absences, showing each tested against the limit that applied when it began.

Our article on the 180-day absence rule explains rolling windows, whole days and the permitted exceptions in detail. For long residence the transitional point is the one that matters most: someone with a long trip a decade ago is not measured against today's limit for that trip, but a trip that began after 11 April 2024 is.

Other events break continuous residence too, including a prison sentence (other than a suspended one), deportation or exclusion, removal directions and a period without permission, subject to exceptions. The Rules and the guidance set out, event by event, what happens to the time before and during it.

The 12-month rule on your current route

Since 11 April 2024 there has been an extra requirement for settlement. Paragraph LR 11.3 says the applicant must have had permission on their current immigration route for at least 12 months on the date of application, or have been exempt from immigration control in the 12 months immediately before the date of application. GOV.UK puts it as: you'll usually need to have held your current permission for one year.

Paragraph LR 11.4 removes the requirement where the applicant's current permission was granted before 11 April 2024. The guidance clarifies that the period of permission does not need to have been for 12 months or longer, so long as the person has been on the same route for at least 12 months.

This rule is about the current route, not the whole ten years. A person who has switched between routes within the last year can have a full ten-year history and still not meet it. The reverse also holds: staying on one route for a year does not make up for a shortfall in the ten years.

English language and Life in the UK

Settlement on this route needs two things unless an exemption applies: English language ability and the Knowledge of Life in the UK.

English. Paragraph LR 13.1 asks for English in speaking and listening at level B1 where the date of application is before 26 March 2027, and at level B2 where the date of application is on or after that date. Our article on B2 English for settlement sets out the routes, the exemptions and the approved tests. Exemptions in Appendix English Language include being aged 65 or over, under 18, or having a condition that prevents the person meeting the requirement; nationals of the listed majority-English-speaking countries and holders of qualifying degrees also meet it.

Life in the UK. Paragraph LR 14.1 applies Appendix KOL UK, which requires a pass in the Life in the UK test unless the person is aged 65 or over, under 18, or has a condition that prevents them. The test costs £50, must be booked at least three days ahead, has 24 questions in 45 minutes and needs 75% to pass. GOV.UK's long residence page says people aged "18 to 65" must pass the test and prove English. The Rules exempt people aged 65 or over, so the Rules are the legal test.

If a person meets the suitability, qualifying period and continuous residence requirements but not the English or Life in the UK requirements, the appendix says they may apply for permission to stay instead. That is the two-year extension described below.

Fees, timing and travel

GOV.UK sets the fee according to what you apply for: £3,226 for indefinite leave to remain, and £1,407 to extend your stay. The Home Office fee table dated 8 October 2026 shows both lines with no change. Fingerprints and a photo are taken at an appointment at a UKVCAS service point, and GOV.UK says there is no fee for that.

On timing, GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 6 months of providing your fingerprints and photo, and may be contacted if the application is complex, for example if documents need verifying or an interview is needed. A decision on an extension is usually within 8 weeks.

Faster services are limited. The GOV.UK long residence page offers the super priority service for an extra £1,000, with a decision by the end of the next working day after the biometrics appointment on a weekday, or two working days after if the appointment is at the weekend. The faster-decision tables list long residence as available for super priority and not for the £500 priority service when identity is proved at a UKVCAS appointment.

You can apply as soon as you meet all the requirements. The caseworker guidance says an application being considered more than 28 days before the ten-year period is complete must be refused, while one considered within 28 days of the end can be granted if everything else is met. A refused early applicant can reapply once the period is complete, or up to 28 days before.

The travel rule from the other ILR routes applies here too. GOV.UK says you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision, and that if you do, the application will be withdrawn and the fee will not be refunded.

The healthcare surcharge is not charged on an ILR application. GOV.UK adds one condition: "You need to pay the healthcare surcharge if you apply for indefinite leave to remain but are only given limited leave." An extension application under this route also requires any Immigration Health Charge to be paid (LR 1.2).

Dependants, the two-year extension and refusals

Dependants. The appendix says there is no provision for dependants of a person on the Long Residence route to apply on this route. GOV.UK says you cannot include family members in your application. A partner or child who has their own ten years can apply separately. Those who do not can apply to remain as the partner or child of a settled person once the main applicant has settled.

The extension. A person who meets the qualifying period and continuous residence rules but not the English or Life in the UK requirements can apply for permission to stay. Under LR 7.1 it is granted for 24 months. The conditions in LR 8.1 are no access to public funds, work (including self-employment and voluntary work) permitted, and study permitted subject to the ATAS condition.

If the application does not succeed. The Rules allow a decision maker who is not satisfied the settlement requirements are met to vary the application, rather than simply refuse it. Under LR 15.2 an application can be varied to one for permission to stay on the Long Residence route, or on one of two other bases: as a partner, parent or child under Appendix FM, or under Appendix Private Life. LR 15.3 says no additional application fee is required for the permission to stay, the settlement application fee is not refunded, and any required Immigration Health Charge must be paid. If the Immigration Health Charge is not paid or waived, the permission-to-stay application is rejected as invalid and the settlement fee is still not refunded (LR 15.4). If none of those requirements is met, the applicant is refused settlement (LR 15.7). Our articles on a refused ILR application and on refusals more generally explain review options.

Alternatives GOV.UK mentions. A person who has lived in the UK for a long time but not lawfully and continuously for ten years may be eligible under Appendix Private Life. Some Commonwealth citizens who were continuously resident on or before 1 January 1973 are referred to the Windrush scheme, and the guidance tells caseworkers that such people should not apply for long residence. The long residence page also points EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein citizens who, or whose family member, started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 to the EU Settlement Scheme, which may still be open to them.

Finding a regulated adviser

Counting ten years across several visas, deciding how a gap or an old overstaying period is treated, and working out which date to apply on are all matters of immigration advice. Only a person the law qualifies, such as a solicitor, a barrister or an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC), may give it. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

How long do you have to live in the UK for ILR under long residence?

Ten years of continuous lawful residence. Time with most permission counts, but Standard Visitor, Short-term Student (English language), Seasonal Worker and Ukraine Scheme time does not, and overstaying between periods of permission never counts.

How much does long residence ILR cost?

£3,226 for indefinite leave to remain, per the GOV.UK long residence page and the 8 October 2026 fee table. The two-year extension for people who do not meet the English or Life in the UK requirements is £1,407. Super priority adds £1,000.

Can I include my family on a long residence application?

No. Appendix Long Residence makes no provision for dependants. A partner or child who has their own ten years can apply separately; others may be able to apply as the partner or child of a settled person after the main applicant settles.

How many days can I spend abroad on the long residence route?

No more than 180 days in any 12-month period. For absences that started before 11 April 2024 the older limits apply: no more than 184 days in a single absence and 548 days in total for that earlier part of the period.

Do I need B2 English for long residence ILR?

Paragraph LR 13.1 asks for speaking and listening at B1 for applications made before 26 March 2027 and B2 for applications made on or after that date, unless an exemption applies, such as being 65 or over.

What happens if my long residence application is refused?

The decision maker may vary it to a permission-to-stay application on the same route, under Appendix FM or under Appendix Private Life. The settlement fee is not refunded, and any Immigration Health Charge must be paid. If none applies, settlement is refused.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • ILR absences: the 180-day rule explained — For most routes to indefinite leave to remain, the Rules say you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, counted on a rolling basis for permission granted since 11 January 2018. A short list of absences does not count, and time on long residence before 11 April 2024 follows older limits.
  • B2 English for UK settlement from 26 March 2027 — The Immigration Rules already say that, for applications for settlement made on or after 26 March 2027, speaking and listening English must be shown at level B2 instead of B1 on a long list of routes, including Skilled Worker, Long Residence, Global Talent, Private Life and partner and parent settlement. It is a rule that has been laid, not a proposal, and it applies to people already on the path.
  • ILR fee in 2026: £3,226 per person and extras — Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) costs £3,226 for each person applying, and the Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026 shows no change from the current fee. Most applicants aged 18 to 64 also pay £50 for the Life in the UK Test, and can pay £500 or £1,000 more per person for a faster decision where the application type allows it. There is no health surcharge for ILR.
  • ILR refused: what happens to your status — Refusal of indefinite leave to remain (ILR) does not by itself tell you how long you can stay: that depends on whether your current permission has expired and whether you applied before it did. If you did, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends your leave while a review or appeal could be brought or is pending. A new application made within 14 days of the refusal, or of the review or appeal window ending, is not treated as overstaying (SUI 13.1).
  • Section 3C leave: your status while a decision is pending — If you apply to extend or change your UK leave before it expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends that leave on the same conditions until the application is decided, and while an appeal or administrative review is possible or pending. It does not apply to late or invalid applications, and it ends if you leave the UK.
  • Overstayed your UK visa: what the rules say — Overstaying means staying after your permission has ended. Under Part Suitability a short gap can be disregarded in limited cases (an application within 14 days with a good reason beyond your control, or after an in-time application was refused or rejected). Overstayers have no right to work, rent or claim benefits, and leaving can trigger re-entry bans of 12 months to 10 years.
  • UK visa refused: appeal, administrative review or reapply? — Your refusal letter says whether you can ask for an administrative review (£80; 14 days in the UK, 28 days outside, 7 if detained) or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (£82 or £144; 14 or 28 days). Appeals are only for refused protection or human rights claims and a few other decision types. Making a new application withdraws a pending administrative review.