After you have lived legally in the United Kingdom for a certain length of time (usually between two and five years), you may be able to apply to live in the United Kingdom permanently, depending on the category of visa you have.

Categories

UK visa categories that lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain include:

• UK ancestry visa (after 5 years)
• Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) / Work Permit (after 5 years)
• EU nationals and dependants (after 5 years)
• Marriage visa / unmarried partner visa (after 2 years)
• Long residence (after 10 years legal residency in the UK or after 14 years as a combination of illegal and legal residency in the UK).
• When the applicant first come to the UK( for example children who are given permission to join a parent settled in the UK)

Life in the UK test

New requirements for applicants to have a knowledge of language and life in the UK were introduced on 2 April 2007.

In order to apply for permanent residence, you will normally first need to show that you have enough knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom.

Time

You must not send your application more than 28 days before the end of your qualifying period. However, you must make your application before your current permission to stay in the United Kingdom expires.

People with ILR can work and they enjoy a range of other entitlements. They are also able to make a range of applications under immigration law, for example for family members to join them, that cannot be made by people who are in the UK on a temporary basis.

Can you lose your ILR?

It is possible to lose the right of ILR. The most common way ILR is lost is by being away from the UK for two years or more. There are also powers to deprive people of ILR where they have committed a serious crime or pose a threat to national security.

European Union Nationals

European Union (EU) nationals and their family members are not granted ILR. Rather, they acquire ‘permanent residence’ when they have been in the UK for five years.

Fees

For more information on Fees, please click here Fees

Naturalisation

Once you have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain you may also be eligible to apply for British naturalisation as a UK citizen provided you meet the requirements for British citizenship.