ILR on the 10-Year Long Residence Route allows individuals who have legally resided in the UK for a continuous period of ten years to apply for permanent residency. This status, also called “settlement,” provides indefinite permission to live, work, and study in the UK and is a pathway to British citizenship.

Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for ILR on the 10-Year Route, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Lawful Leave to Remain:
  Applicants must currently have valid leave to remain in the UK.
• 10-Year Continuous Lawful Residence:
  1. Continuous Residence Requirement: Applicants must have spent ten consecutive years residing legally in the UK, which can include time spent on various visas or immigration categories.
  2. Current Leave Requirement: Applicants will usually need to have held their current permission to stay for at least one year before applying.
• Continuous Residence Rules:
  
  1. Absences must not exceed 180 days in any 12-month period during the 10-year qualifying period.
  2. Total time outside the UK must not exceed 548 days over the entire 10-year period.
  3. Applicants cannot include time spent in the UK under the following categories:
     
     • Standard Visitor Visa, Short-term Study Visa, or Seasonal Worker Visa.
     • Immigration bail, temporary admission, or temporary release.
     • Time in prison, young offender institutions, or secure hospitals.
     • Any period of overstaying after visa expiry, including stays with “exceptional assurance” during COVID-19.
  4. Time spent in Ireland, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands also does not count toward the 10-year period.
• Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK:
  
  1. If aged 18 to 65, applicants must:
     
     • Pass the Life in the UK Test.
     • Prove English language skills (B1 CEFR or higher).
  2. If these requirements are not met, applicants may need to extend their leave to fulfil these conditions.

Required Documentation
Applicants will need to provide:

• A current passport or valid travel document.
• Their biometric residence permit (if available).
• All previous passports covering the 10-year period.
• Certified translations of any documents not in English or Welsh.

Important Points

• Applications must be made from within the UK.
• Applying 28 days before completing the 10-year qualifying period is recommended to ensure compliance with continuous residence requirements.

Please contact our UK immigration lawyer for immediate assistance by sending an email to us at contact@aaraflaw.co.uk and one of our UK immigration lawyer shall call you back. Alternatively, you can call us on 0203 442 0292 .