Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Indefinite leave to remain is how you settle in the UK. It’s also called ‘settlement’. It
gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for
benefits if you’re eligible. You can use it to apply for British citizenship.
There are different ways to apply for indefinite leave to remain based on your
circumstances.
If you work in the UK
You may be able to apply if you have a work visa.
You must usually have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years. If you have a tier 1 visa,
it can be 2 or 3 years. If you have an Innovator Founder or Global Talent visa, it can be
3 years.
You may also need to meet the salary or financial requirements- this depends on your
visa.
If you have family in the UK
You may be able to apply if you have a partner, parent or child or other relative settled in
the UK- either as a British citizen or a person with indefinite leave to remain.
How you apply depends on which visa you have and how your family member settled.
If you’re a Commonwealth citizen
You can apply if you’ve been living in the UK for 5 years on a UK Ancestry visa.
Some Commonwealth citizens have ‘right of abode’ in the UK. This means you can live
or work in the UK without immigration restrictions. Check if you can apply to prove you
have right of abode in the UK.
You may be eligible for citizenship instead, for example by applying under the Windrush
scheme.
Other ways to apply
You may be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain if you:
- are a refugee or have humanitarian protection or Discretionary Leave
- are returning to the UK having previously had indefinite leave to remain
- served in the armed forces