Indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship – how to stay in the UK for good
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) still comes after five years on most UK work routes, whatever you may have read about ten. Here is what applies in autumn 2026 to ILR, the EU Settlement Scheme and British citizenship – the fees, the absence limits and the English rule that tightens in March 2027.
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) lets you live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, apply for benefits if you are eligible and, later, become a British citizen. The biggest news of 2025–2026 is only a proposal: the Home Office has consulted on doubling the standard wait from 5 to 10 years, but the Immigration Rules still say 5 for most work routes. What has changed: fees rose on 8 April 2026, and the English level for settlement rises to B2 on 26 March 2027.
When can you apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)?
| Route | Usual qualifying period | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker | 5 years | No more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months; apply no earlier than 28 days before 5 years |
| Global Talent | 3 years for leaders and researchers, 5 for potential leaders | Researchers' time abroad doing research counts |
| Innovator Founder | 3 years | Current rules |
| Partner of a British or settled person | 5 years | 10 years if you do not meet the financial requirements |
| Refugee or humanitarian protection, claim made by 1 March 2026 | 5 years | No ILR fee; later claims get 30 months' permission at a time |
| Long residence | 10 years' continuous lawful residence | No more than 180 days abroad in any 12 months (absences from 11 April 2024) |
Source: the Home Office and UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration), read 23 September 2026.
Skilled Workers usually need a salary of at least £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher (£25,000 for some health and education jobs). If you are 18 to 64, you must pass the Life in the UK Test and, for now, prove English at B1. Decisions usually take up to 6 months; priority costs £500 extra for a decision within 5 working days.
Is the ILR qualifying period going up to 10 years?
Not yet. In November 2025 the Home Office consulted on 'earned settlement'. It proposes a default of 10 years instead of 5, cut for contribution – by 5 years for a taxable income of at least £50,270, or 7 years at £125,140 – and extended by 5 or 10 years for claiming benefits. Workers sponsored in jobs below degree level (RQF 6) would face 15 years and refugees 20, while partners of British citizens and Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders would keep 5.
The consultation closed in February 2026 with more than 200,000 responses, which the government says it is still considering; the Rules changes of 9 July and 3 September 2026 did not implement it. The paper proposes applying the new periods to everyone without ILR, subject to possible transitional arrangements, but EU Settlement Scheme status is out of scope. On track for 5 years? Plan for 5, and check again before you apply.
One change is already law. From 26 March 2027 the English requirement for settlement rises from B1 to B2 on most routes, including Skilled Worker, Global Talent, long residence and family routes – and it applies to people already on the way. The Home Office estimates about 200 hours of learning between the levels, so start early (part 11).
What does ILR cost, and how do you keep it?
| Application | Fee in autumn 2026 | Change on 8 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain, per person | £3,226 | Up from £3,029 |
| ILR with refugee or humanitarian protection status | No fee | – |
| Life in the UK Test | £50 | Unchanged |
| EU Settlement Scheme | Free | – |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen, adult | £1,839 (£1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee) | Application fee up from £1,605 |
| Registering a child as a British citizen | £1,000 | – |
| British citizenship for Irish citizens | £853 per adult (£723 plus the ceremony fee), £607 per child | Application fees unchanged |
Source: the Home Office fee tables, read 23 September 2026.
With ILR you count as 'ordinarily resident' for NHS hospital care, and an ILR application carries no Immigration Health Surcharge. Children born in the UK after you get ILR or settled status are normally British automatically. Your ILR sits in your eVisa, viewed free in your UKVI account – keep your passport details up to date there.
ILR can be lost: it ends automatically if you stay outside the UK (and Ireland and the Crown Dependencies) for 2 years or more at a time. Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme survives up to 5 years abroad (4 for Swiss citizens).
EU Settlement Scheme: from pre-settled to settled status
The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is only for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who lived in the UK by 31 December 2020, and their families; later arrivals use visas. The main deadline was 30 June 2021, and late applications need 'reasonable grounds'. Irish citizens do not need to apply.
| Rule | What applies | Since or from |
|---|---|---|
| Settled status | Usually 5 years' continuous residence, with at least 6 months in the UK in any 12-month period | – |
| Automatic extension and upgrade | Pre-settled status is extended by 5 years before expiry and may be converted automatically, based on 30 months of tax and benefit records in the last 60 months | Check updated 9 April 2026 |
| Removal | Pre-settled status is removed from people who have clearly stopped living here, starting with 5 years' absence; you are contacted first | 9 April 2026 |
| Joining family members | Apply within 3 months of the latest legal entry to the UK (was 90 days from first arrival) | 8 October 2026 |
| Expired BRPs (biometric residence permits) | No longer accepted as identity evidence in EUSS applications | 9 December 2026 |
Source: the Home Office, read 23 September 2026.
Non-EEA family members, joining family members and under-18s are not converted automatically, so they apply themselves. Citizenship usually follows 12 months after settled status.
How do you become a British citizen?
| Requirement | Standard rule | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | 5 years, and physically in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application | 3 years for the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen |
| Absences | No more than 450 days in the 5 years and 90 days in the last 12 months | – |
| Status | ILR or settled status held for 12 months | No wait if married to a British citizen |
| English | B1 or higher, or a degree taught in English | Aged 65 or over; nationals of countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia |
| Life in the UK Test | 24 questions in 45 minutes; 75% to pass | Under 18, or 65 and over |
| Decision and ceremony | Usually within 6 months; ceremony within 3 months of the invitation | – |
Source: the Home Office and UKVI, read 23 September 2026.
You must also be 18 or over, intend to keep living here and be of good character; applications made after 10 February 2025 that include illegal entry will normally be refused. Settled status never tested English or life in the UK, so EU citizens must pass both first. Say Anna, an EU citizen with settled status for over a year, wants a British passport: she passes both tests first, then applies.
Irish citizens have their own route: since 22 July 2025 they can register as British after 5 years' residence with no English or Life in the UK Test. The UK allows dual citizenship, but your other country may not. Citizenship reform along the same lines would need new primary legislation, and we found no such bill.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Work out your date: 5 years on most routes, with no more than 180 days abroad in any 12 months | Now |
| 2 | Book the Life in the UK Test and an English test at B1 – or B2 if you apply from 26 March 2027 | Months before your date |
| 3 | Apply for ILR | No earlier than 28 days before you reach 5 years |
| 4 | EU citizens: keep your passport details current in your UKVI account; EUSS Resolution Centre: 0300 123 7379 | Now |
| 5 | Apply for British citizenship | 12 months after ILR or settled status – at once if married to a British citizen |
| 6 | Check whether the earned settlement proposal has become rules | Before you apply |
Source: the Home Office and UKVI, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- GOV.UK – Check if you can get indefinite leave to remain · gov.uk
- Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026 and 8 October 2026 · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – ILR if you have a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 or Tier 2 visa · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – ILR if you've been in the UK for 10 years (long residence) · gov.uk
- Home Office – Earned settlement consultation (A Fairer Pathway to Settlement) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK news 5 March 2026; Explanatory memoranda HC 259 and HC 584 · gov.uk
- Explanatory memorandum to Statement of Changes HC 1691 (5 March 2026) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Indefinite leave to remain in the UK: your rights and status · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – ILR rights and status; GOV.UK – eVisas · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – EUSS page; Home Office – EUSS status automation update April 2026 · gov.uk
- Explanatory memorandum HC 584 (3 September 2026) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Apply for citizenship if you have ILR or settled status · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Check if you can become a British citizen · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Citizenship ceremonies · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Life in the UK Test · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Prove your knowledge of English for citizenship and settling · gov.uk
- Home Office – Good character: caseworker guidance · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Dual citizenship · gov.uk
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.