Indefinite Leave to Remain is also known as Permanent Residency. ILR is the last step any non UK national has to fulfil before they are eligible to apply for a British Passport. The right and responsibility provided are similar to British Nationality.

There are several ways to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom. However the most popular ones are provided below:

UK Long Term Residency Visa

The application for Long Term Residency visa can be filed by candidates who have spent an extended period of time i.e. 10 years and 14 years in the UK.

10 Year visa

If an applicant has been living legally in the UK for 10 years, they become eligible for this visa. Home Office approval is required for granting the long term visa. If approval is granted, the candidate can live in the UK for an unlimited period of time. Provided the candidate is not absent from the UK for 18 months or more over the whole period.

14 year visa

The visa is granted to the candidate if they have been residing in the UK both illegally and legally for more than 14 years.

Please contact one of our representative today for free assessment.

Indefinite Leave to Remain (Marriage Visa). The spouse or civil partner of a British citizen or permanent resident of the UK is able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after living as a married couple for a period of 2 years. This allows the ILR holder to live and work in the UK on a permanent basis and without any restrictions. The applicant must fulfil the following requirements:

• Must have lived in the UK for at least 2 years prior to applying. This is mostly applicable to those who have come to the UK on a settlement-class Fiancée visa and switched to a Marriage visa or those who have come to the UK on a provisional 2 year Marriage visa.
• Must pass the Life in the UK test or ESOL with citizenship component.

Tier 2 ILR

There have been recent changes to this category and from 6 April 2012 the applicant will need to have a salary of £35000.00 per annum. This rule will be applicable to people having leave to remain in the UK after 6 April 2011. Certain categories under Tier 2 need not meet this requirement. Other requirements of absence from the UK and Life in the UK test are mandatory in order to apply for ILR.

Tier 1 ILR

The candidate needs to meet the extension requirements and score 75 or 80 points accordingly and provide documents accordingly. The candidate also needs to meet the life in the UK Test and should not be absent from the UK for more than 90 days in one go and 180 days in last 5 years.

Other ILR’s

Generally for all other categories in order to apply for ILR the applicant needs to meet the extension requirements and have the life in the UK test provided they are not absent from the UK for more than 180 days. Please contact one of our representative today for further queries.

Life in the UK Test

The Life in the UK test is a mandatory requirement for all candidates wishing to settle in the UK. Since 1 November 2005, all those wishing to apply for naturalisation have been required to pass the test. As of 2 April 2007, this has also become mandatory for candidates wishing to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. The purpose of this test is to ensure those wishing to live in the UK are aware of prevalent cultures and traditions in the country so that applicants are able to better integrate into society.