10 years long residence

You can apply to settle in the UK if you’ve been in the UK legally for 10 continuous years (known as ‘long residence’).

Settling (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) means you can stay in the UK without any time restrictions.

Eligibility

You must have permission to stay (‘leave to remain’). This can be in any immigration category, or a combination of different immigration categories.

You must also have:

• been in the UK legally for 10 years (known as your ‘continuous residence’)
• kept to the terms of your UK visa

If you’re aged 18 to 65 years old, you must:

• pass the Life in the UK Test
• prove you have sufficient English language skills

If you don’t meet these 2 requirements you can apply to extend.

Your 10-year qualifying period starts from either:

• when you arrived in the UK with a visa
• when you were given permission to stay in the UK

Continuous residence

Continuous residence is time you’ve spent in the UK without gaps.

You can leave the UK during the continuous residence for up to:

• 180 days at a time
• 540 days in total

You can’t count time spent in:

• a prison, young offender’s institution or secure hospital
• the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man or Channel Islands