Long Residence ILR: calculator and rule guide

You need a continuous period of ten years' lawful residence and normally need current permission for at least one year on the date of application, unless an exception applies. Immigration histories can be complex: lawful periods can include different categories, but gaps, late applications and invalid applications require careful analysis.

Do not mix historic and current tests. For absences that began before 11 April 2024, historic limits may apply: no more than 184 days in a single absence and no more than 548 days in total. For absences beginning on or after 11 April 2024, the current rule uses no more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. The date an absence began matters.

A timely, valid in-time application may extend leave under section 3C while it is pending. That is not the same as assuming every gap is covered. Preserve application receipts, decision notices and evidence of the status you held at each point.

Read GOV.UK: long residence and the continuous residence guidance. Last reviewed: 17 August 2026. General information only; not legal advice.

Ravi has lawful residence from 1 July 2016. A 40-day absence beginning in March 2024 is assessed under the historic framework; a 100-day absence beginning in May 2024 is assessed under the current rolling rule. The calculator cannot simply total both trips against 548 days. It should show the pre-11 April 2024 segment, then test rolling 12-month windows for absences beginning on or after that date. He must also prove lawful status during every part of the ten years.

• Create a month-by-month table of grants, applications, decisions and travel.
• Keep Home Office correspondence and proof of every in-time application.
• Explain a missing passport, short gap or conflicting date with contemporaneous evidence.
• Check the current-permission requirement before choosing an application date.

Long Residence is a chronology exercise. Make one row for every change in status and every journey, then attach the best source to each row. The aim is to show an unbroken lawful-residence narrative rather than to submit an unlabelled pile of passports.

• Applying the old 184-day and 548-day figures to absences which began after 11 April 2024.
• Adding all absences together where the current rolling 12-month test is the relevant one.
• Ignoring an apparently short visa gap rather than proving whether leave was extended or an application was valid.
• Counting time on an immigration status without checking that it was lawful residence for this route.
• Assuming an extension will solve a historic break; it may preserve future status but not repair the past.

1. Build the month-by-month chronology before selecting an application date.
2. Segment travel by the date each absence began and apply the correct historic or current rule.
3. Check current permission, English-language, Life in the UK and suitability requirements.
4. Read the current GOV.UK Long Residence guidance and continuous-residence guidance before applying.
5. Seek regulated advice for a gap, invalid application, unresolved appeal history or a limit-close absence total.

Omar’s leave was due to end on 30 June. He submitted an application on 28 June, received an acknowledgement and a decision in September. The chronology should retain all three records and identify the exact application type and validity. A simple date gap on a spreadsheet is not enough to decide whether lawful residence continued; section 3C and the surrounding facts must be checked. Conversely, an application submitted after expiry should never be relabelled as in time to make the timeline look continuous.

The official continuous residence guidance explains how caseworkers approach the rules, alongside the Long Residence page and Immigration Rules. Can I apply 28 days early? Check the current official rule and requirements for your case. Is an eVisa enough? It helps evidence current status, but historic grants and applications still need a complete record. Can I travel after applying? Check the application guidance first: travel can have serious consequences for an outstanding application.

• Order grants, applications and decisions by date with no unexplained blank period.
• Reconcile every absence against the correct regime.
• Keep copies of forms and payment confirmations, not just decision emails.
• Check test and suitability requirements before the ten-year date arrives.
• Request advice early where chronology evidence cannot resolve a gap.

A settled, evidence-backed timeline is the most useful document to prepare before starting the online form.

Ten years in the country is not, by itself, the test. The route examines lawful continuous residence and the absence rules applicable to the dates involved, alongside the other settlement requirements. That is why an applicant with many visa categories can have a strong case if the records are continuous, while a shorter unexplained break can require close analysis. Start the timeline early rather than treating it as a final-week task.

Check the online form against the final chronology, including every passport number, application date and trip. Do not guess when a decision was received: use the notice. If you have an outstanding application, appeal or administrative review, establish how it affects the status relied on before lodging a new settlement application. Keep all uploaded records and the final declaration for your own file.

Is Long Residence the same as a proposed ten-year earned-settlement system? No. Long Residence is an existing lawful-residence route; policy proposals should not be treated as current law.

Does one visa gap always end the route? It can be serious, but section 3C and the exact application history require fact-specific analysis.

Do old 184 and 548 figures still matter? They can, for absences that began before 11 April 2024. Do not apply them to later absences without checking the guidance.