Skilled Worker ILR
Qualifying time, rolling absences, sponsor confirmation and salary checks.
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ILR guides and planning tools
Use these guides to organise the questions behind a settlement application. They explain what to check; the Immigration Rules and GOV.UK remain the authoritative sources.
Choose the route you are relying on
Spouse and partner ILR
Five-year family route planning, relationship and financial evidence.
BN(O) ILR
Continuous residence and practical preparation for the BN(O) route.
EUSS status
Pre-settled status, settled status, residence evidence and the route towards citizenship.
Long Residence
Ten years of lawful residence, historic leave and date-sensitive absence rules.
Route names can look similar while their settlement requirements differ. Do not add periods of leave together until the current appendix permits that combination. If you have switched route, had a gap or hold multiple passports, start a grant-by-grant timeline before treating a calculator result as an application date.
Calculate and test the timeline
ILR date calculator
A route-aware planning estimate and prompts for the evidence to check.
Eligibility checker
Questions that identify possible routes; it does not decide eligibility.
Absence calculator
Record travel and inspect rolling periods rather than relying on a yearly total.
When can I apply?
Why the qualifying date and the permitted application window need separate checks.
A calculation is a useful audit prompt, not a Home Office decision. Confirm the relevant start date, leave type, application window and every absence with your grants, travel records and the current rule text. For a borderline period, keep the original evidence behind each entry.
Rules, requirements and applying
General ILR requirementsHow to apply for ILRDocuments checklistBiometrics, UKVCAS and eVisaPayroll and tax evidenceFees and budgetingProcessing timesContinuous residenceThe 180-day absence ruleHow to count absence daysAbsences over 180 daysAbsence letter templateLife in the UK testEnglish requirement
Our application guides are deliberately practical: they help you reconcile dates, identity history, route evidence and test certificates. They cannot tell you whether a discretion will be exercised or whether a document bundle is sufficient in an individual case.
Blog topic hubs
Find guidance for the stage you are at.
Start with the topic closest to your question, then check the linked article and its official sources for your circumstances.
Before you apply
Prepare route-specific dates, evidence and application steps.
While an application is pending
Check work, travel and next steps while UKVI considers an application.
Life after ILR
Understand status, family and practical changes after settlement.
Travel and eVisa
Keep passport, UKVI account and travel evidence in step.
Work and self-employment
Check employer, sponsorship and work-condition questions.
Family and children
Find route and evidence guidance for partners, children and relatives.
Public services and daily life
Check healthcare, housing, study and civic questions after settlement.
If settlement is not the next step
If you cannot apply for ILR yet
Questions to check before extending permission, changing route or relying on a different settlement path.
British citizenship after ILR
A readiness guide to residence, absence, language, Life in the UK and good-character checks after settlement.
Settlement and citizenship are separate decisions with different residence tests. Do not reuse an ILR calculation as a citizenship result, and do not allow existing permission to expire while exploring another route.
Changes and policy headlines
Start with the ILR updates centre, then use our ILR rules tracker, Skilled Worker update and Earned Settlement tracker to separate a rule in force from a published future change, a proposal and an unknown. A headline does not change your entitlement unless official wording says that it does and identifies the people it covers.
For transparency, read our methodology, primary sources and corrections policy. This site is independent planning information, not a Home Office service, immigration adviser or law firm.