How to get UK permanent residency (ILR) in 2026

11 min read · Updated 14 October 2026

Indefinite leave to remain comes after 5 years through work, marriage or ancestry, after 3 years for talent and business founders and after 10 years of long residence. The fee is $4,300 per person, and you need the Life in the UK test and English.

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Key facts	2026
How long	5 years through work, marriage and ancestry, 3 years for talent and founders, 10 years of long residence
Language and exam	intermediate English and the Life in the UK test for $70
Income	salary at or above the work route threshold; for spouses, family income from $39,000 a year
Fee	$4,300 per person from 8 April 2026
Duration	indefinite, lost after 2 years in a row outside the UK
To citizenship	12 more months with settlement; spouses of citizens at once
What may change	the government is preparing a 10-year baseline; 5 years still apply

Data checked: 07.10.2026

Permanent residence in the UK is called indefinite leave to remain (ILR). You get it after living in the country for the required time on a visa with a route to settlement: 5 years on a work or family visa or the UK Ancestry visa, 3 years on a talent or founder visa, 10 years on any lawful visas in a row. Adults pass the Life in the UK test and prove their English; the fee from 8 April 2026 is $4,300 per person.

In 2025 the government proposed a move to so-called earned settlement: a 10-year baseline, shortened for high income, fluent English and contribution to society and extended for benefits and breaches. In 2026 these rules have not been adopted, and the previous timelines apply to all routes. Below: the routes, the rules on absences, documents, costs, how to get approved the first time and what matters for citizens of different countries.

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How many years until permanent residence in the UK

Residence ground	Years to permanent residence	Special conditions
Skilled Worker visa	5 years	salary at or above the route threshold on the date of application, the job continues
Global Talent visa	3 or 5 years	3 years for exceptional talent and some research routes, 5 years for exceptional promise
Innovator Founder visa	3 years	the endorsing body confirms the business is growing
Spouse or partner of a citizen or settled person	5 years	two periods of 2.5 years, family income from $39,000 a year
UK Ancestry through a grandparent	5 years	for Commonwealth citizens
Long residence on any lawful visas	10 years	continuous, years of study count
Student and Graduate visas	do not lead to settlement on their own	count only towards 10 years of long residence
Ukraine schemes	do not lead to settlement	a switch to a visa with a route to settlement is needed

The time runs continuously: a new visa is applied for before the old one ends, otherwise the count may start again. Years on visas without a route to settlement, such as a visitor visa or the Ukraine schemes, do not count towards the 5 years.

There is no longer an investor visa in the UK: it closed in 2022, more on the page UK investor visa. For people with achievements there is the UK Global Talent visa with settlement after 3 or 5 years.

Who can apply for permanent residence in the UK

You can apply for permanent residence once you have lived in the UK for the required time on a visa with a route to settlement and meet your route's conditions on the date of application. The application is made online, usually no earlier than 28 days before you complete the qualifying period.

Skilled Workers, with the employer confirming the job continues and a salary at or above the threshold;
holders of the Global Talent and Innovator Founder visas;
spouses and partners of citizens and settled persons who have lived together for the whole period;
children of settled persons and of those settling at the same time;
anyone who has lived in the country for 10 years in a row on lawful visas.

Family members usually apply together with the main applicant, but adults meet the conditions themselves: they pass the Life in the UK test and prove their English. If the family arrived later, each member waits for their own qualifying period.

How residence time and absences are counted

The time is counted from the date of entry on the visa or its grant inside the country. On 5-year routes absences are limited to 180 days in any 12 months. Spending more abroad breaks continuous residence, and the count starts again.

The same 180-day rule applies on the long residence route, and gaps between visas are allowed only if short and with a new application made in time.

Applicants list their trips themselves, and the Home Office checks them against border data. Write the dates down straight away: a mistake in the dates can be treated as false information.

After settlement the rule is simpler: the status is lost after more than 2 years in a row outside the United Kingdom. The status is confirmed by an eVisa: plastic cards have not been issued since 2025.

Documents for permanent residence in the UK

passport and the eVisa of your current route;
the Life in the UK test certificate;
proof of intermediate English: a test from the approved list or a degree taught in English;
for the work route, a letter from the employer confirming the job and salary, and payslips;
for spouses, evidence of living together for the whole period and of family income;
a list of all trips abroad during the period;
biometrics at an application centre.

Documents not in English are translated with confirmation of the translation's accuracy. The questions about convictions and immigration breaches in the form are mandatory, and the answers are checked against databases.

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Language and exams

Adults aged 18 to 64 prove English at the intermediate level of the European scale and pass the Life in the UK test: 24 questions on history, laws and traditions, with a pass mark of 75%. The test costs $70 and is taken at an accredited centre.

People aged 65 and over and children under 18 are exempt from both, and so are people with certain medical conditions on a doctor's report. The test certificate does not expire and later works for citizenship too.

How much permanent residence in the UK costs and how long it takes

Item	Cost
Application for permanent residence, each family member, from 8 April 2026	$4,300
Life in the UK test	$70
English test	at the test centre's rate
Immigration health surcharge on temporary visas, before settlement	$1,400 a year per adult
Citizenship after settlement	$2,300 plus a $180 ceremony
Our support	a manager will calculate it in the chat

The settlement fee is $4,300 for each family member, including children. Faster processing is available for an extra fee, though not in every case.

Standard processing takes up to 6 months. If you apply before your visa ends, you remain in the country lawfully while the application is decided.

The health surcharge is not paid on settlement: it is paid only for the years on temporary visas.

Settlement fees and tests for a family of three - from $13,000. We will calculate the exact amount for your family in the chat.

The $4,300 fee is paid once, so the dates and documents are checked first

Mistakes here cost more than the fee: it is not refunded, a trip beyond 180 days in 12 months breaks continuous residence, a salary below the threshold on the date of application or a test outside the approved list stops the application, and an inaccurate date in the travel list counts as false information. Murblz specialists count your trips by date, check the salary, tests and documents before you pay the fee, choose the filing date with the coming reform in mind and prepare the next step to citizenship.

The cost of support depends on the route and the family; a manager will calculate it in the chat.

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How to get permanent residence in the UK approved the first time

keep absences within 180 days in any 12 months;
on the work route, keep the salary at or above the threshold on the date of application and change jobs only with a new visa;
pass the Life in the UK test and take an English test from the approved list;
for spouses, document your life together and family income above the threshold;
keep a clean immigration record: work only with the right to work, no gaps between visas;
answer every question in the form accurately, including about convictions.

A decision can be reviewed or the application made again, but the fee is not refunded. That is why we check trips, salary and documents before the fee is paid.

What permanent residence in the UK gives and how it differs from citizenship

Question	Permanent residence	Citizenship
Term	indefinite, lost after 2 years in a row abroad	for life
Work and study	without limits	without limits
Passport and travel	you keep your own country's passport and its visa rules	a British passport
Benefits and public healthcare	available	available
Long absence	the status is lost after 2 years	not lost

You can apply for citizenship 12 months after settlement, and spouses of citizens straight after getting it. You need 5 years in the country, no more than 450 days abroad in 5 years and 90 days in the last year; the fee is $2,300 plus a $180 ceremony. The UK allows dual citizenship. More on the page UK citizenship.

Who can apply: rules by citizenship

The settlement rules do not divide applicants by nationality: the conditions are the same for citizens of every country. The difference lies at entry: the visa, the checks on money and banks.

People who came under the Ukraine schemes switch to a work, family or other visa with a route to settlement to stay for good.

British banks check the source of funds in detail for every newcomer, so bank statements and documents on the origin of savings are prepared in advance. Years on a work or family visa count the same for everyone.

If the reform is adopted, it will apply equally to all nationalities. In the draft the government proposed applying the new timelines also to people already living in the country who have not yet settled, so the filing date is worth planning early.

This topic in other countries

Permanent residence in other countries:

About this country:

FAQ

How do I get permanent residency in the UK?

Live in the country for the required time on a visa with a route to settlement: 5 years on a work or family visa, 3 years on a talent or founder visa, 10 years on any lawful visas. Then pass the Life in the UK test, prove your English and apply online with the $4,300 fee.

How many years until permanent residency in the UK?

In 2026, 5 years on most routes, 3 years for talent and business founders and 10 years of long residence. The government is preparing a 10-year baseline, but those rules have not been adopted yet.

How much does UK permanent residency cost?

From 8 April 2026 the fee is $4,300 for each family member, the Life in the UK test is $70 and the English test is at the centre's rate. Citizenship later costs another $2,300 plus a $180 ceremony.

What is ILR in the UK?

Indefinite leave to remain, the UK's permanent residence: the right to live, work and study without time limits. It is lost after more than 2 years in a row outside the UK.

Can I get UK permanent residency after studying?

Student and Graduate visas do not lead to settlement on their own: those years count only towards 10 years of long residence. It is faster to switch to a Skilled Worker visa and complete 5 years on it.

How long can I be out of the UK before permanent residency?

No more than 180 days in any 12 months on the 5-year routes and on the long residence route. After settlement the status is lost after more than 2 years in a row abroad.

How do I get UK permanent residency through marriage?

Live 5 years on a spouse or partner visa of a citizen or settled person, in two periods of 2.5 years. You need family income from $39,000 a year, English, the Life in the UK test and evidence of living together.

What will the UK settlement reform change?

The government proposed a 10-year baseline, shortened for high income and fluent English and extended for benefits and breaches. Final rules were promised for 2026; for now the previous 5 years apply.

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