Settlement and indefinite leave to remain

01

Find the applicable settlement route

Work, family, long residence and other categories have different conditions. Some routes allow settlement after five qualifying years, some earlier, and some do not lead directly to settlement.

For Skilled Workers, the current route normally requires five qualifying years alongside salary and continuing-employment requirements. The employer must confirm the continuing need for the role. Simply reaching an anniversary or having previously obtained a visa does not satisfy every requirement.

02

ECAA indefinite leave to remain (ILR)

Appendix ECAA Settlement provides a distinct framework for Turkish Businesspersons, Turkish Workers and eligible family members. The current five-year requirement for principal applicants does not mean that every category of permission counts. The permitted previous categories differ for businesspersons and workers.

Review residence and travel, business or employment records, English and Life in the UK requirements, and each family member’s eligibility together. Do not impose an automatic five-year requirement on every child.

• ECAA settlement (ILR)
• ECAA extensions

03

Audit residence before choosing the date

Prepare a chronological list of permissions, applications, decisions and travel. Which categories can be combined, and which absence rules apply, depends on the settlement route.

Long residence normally requires ten continuous lawful years, current permission and usually one year on that current permission. Not every category counts. Absences beginning before 11 April 2024 have different rules from later absences; a single total of travel days can therefore be misleading.

• Identify any gap, refusal or period awaiting a decision.
• List departure and return dates with reasons for longer absences.
• Keep supporting records for any exception you may need to rely on.

04

Prepare the route-specific evidence

The evidence may concern employment, income, family life, business activity, residence or language and the Life in the UK test. Requirements and exemptions differ. For Skilled Worker settlement, English normally does not need to be proved again, but the Life in the UK requirement still needs checking.

For that route, applications can normally be made up to twenty-eight days before the qualifying five years is reached. This is not a universal permission to apply early on every settlement route. If current permission expires first, an extension may be necessary.

05

Plan beyond the grant

Settlement is different from citizenship. Long absences can also cause settled status to lapse: ordinary ILR usually lapses after more than two continuous years outside the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, while EU Settlement Scheme status has different limits and exceptions.

Before committing to an application, separate the rules currently applicable to you from announcements about future reform. Our enquiry process starts with your dates and route; detailed eligibility work and its fees are agreed before instruction.

Common questions