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Pathway

UK Long Residence

United Kingdom Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

After ten years of continuous legal residence, you may be able to settle permanently in the UK through the long-residence route. You can combine time on many immigration routes, but some periods do not count. The rules for time spent abroad depend on when the absences occurred.

Qualifying period
10 years
Knowledge
English and Life in the UK normally required from age 18 through 65

Summary

The UK’s long-residence settlement route combines qualifying time on most lawful immigration routes, excluding periods such as visitor, short-term student, seasonal-worker, and certain exceptional schemes. The absence calculation can depend on when each trip occurred, so older travel histories need careful checking.

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Eligibility

The 10-year period can normally combine qualifying permission from different routes. Time as a visitor, short-term student, seasonal worker, under the Ukraine schemes, on immigration bail, in prison, or in certain other excluded situations cannot be counted.

Continuity depends on the dates and length of absences as well as overstaying history. For an absence that began on or after April 11, 2024, the usual rule is no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period. Earlier travel is assessed under transitional rules, so a historic trip should not be judged only by the current formula.

An applicant normally needs current permission and normally must have held permission on the current route for at least 12 months. That minimum does not apply if the current permission was granted before April 11, 2024. People aged 18 to 64 generally must meet the English-language and Life in the UK requirements unless a listed exemption applies. The English level is B1 for applications before March 26, 2027 and B2 from that date.

More about this route

The applicant must also meet the rules for current permission and, unless exempt, English language and the Life in the UK Test.

Combine only qualifying periods and apply the correct travel rules
  1. Reconstruct the full immigration history List grants, applications, gaps, refusals, and excluded categories.
  2. Audit the ten-year residence and travel record Use the applicable rules for older and newer absences.
  3. Check current-permission and testing conditions Confirm the relevant 12-month rule and language and Life in the UK requirements or exemptions.
  4. Apply before permission expires Retain evidence supporting every part of the claimed period.

Ten years since arrival is not necessarily ten qualifying years. Different historic travel rules may apply within the same application.

Policy watch 2 developments we’re tracking
Long-residence settlement English rises from B1 to B2
Enacted — not yet in effect

Long-residence settlement English rises from B1 to B2

Current official stage: Immigration Rules laid with a deferred commencement date

Long-residence settlement applications made from 26 March 2027 will require B2 English unless exempt. The ten-year lawful-residence calculation and Life in the UK requirement remain separate tests.

Timing: The B2 settlement requirement takes effect on 26 March 2027. Applications made before that date remain subject to the rules then in force; applicants planning to file on or after it should prepare for B2 unless an exemption applies.

Last checked
References
Read the full briefing
The separate long-residence route may be removed
Consultation — not currently law

The separate long-residence route may be removed

Current official stage: Consultation closed; government analyzing feedback

The consultation expressly proposes ending the separate long-residence route and replacing its role with the adjustable earned-settlement model. Current long-residence rules remain in force, and no final transition plan has been published.

Timing: The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. GOV.UK currently says the government is analyzing feedback. No general implementation date has been announced, and current settlement rules remain in force unless and until Immigration Rules changes take effect.

Last checked
References
Read the full briefing

What This Route Allows

Indefinite leave to remain permits residence and work in the UK without a normal visa expiration date. It can support a later British-citizenship application after the separate residence, character, language, test, and timing requirements are met.

Dependents do not automatically receive settlement through the main applicant's long-residence application. Each family member needs an immigration route that fits their circumstances.

What This Route Is Not

It is not simply a count of 10 years since first arrival. Excluded statuses, excessive absences, overstaying, and gaps in permission can change the qualifying period.

It is not British citizenship, and indefinite leave can lapse after an extended absence from the UK. Applicants with complex historical status or travel records should obtain individualized advice before filing.

Next Steps

  1. Obtain the full immigration-status history and list every grant, application, gap, and refusal.
  2. Build a dated travel table for the entire 10-year period.
  3. Remove periods that the official rules say cannot count and apply the correct absence rule to each trip.
  4. Confirm the current-permission and 12-month rules.
  5. Complete the English and Life in the UK requirements or document an exemption.
  6. Apply before current permission expires and retain evidence for every part of the claimed period.

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Discussed in these reports

Similar long term residence pathways in other destinations.

Sources