ILR Calculator UK — Free Indefinite Leave to Remain Check

Also Known As: Permanent Residence, Settlement and Settled Status

People search for this status under many names — permanent residence, PR, UK settlement, settled status — but the legal term is Indefinite Leave to Remain. Whatever you call it, the test is the same: a qualifying period of lawful residence assessed against Appendix Continuous Residence and the absence limits for your route. The tools on this site check that test for the 5-year Skilled Worker route, the Spouse visa, the 10-year Long Residence path and six other routes, and tell you the earliest date you can validly apply — the first concrete step towards British citizenship.

Earned Settlement 2026 — How It Affects Your ILR Timeline

The UK Government’s Earned Settlement proposal (May 2025 Immigration White Paper) would replace the standard 5-year route with a 10-year qualifying period for most routes, with a 15-year period for those deemed lower-skilled. As of June 2026, no Statement of Changes implementing these rules has been laid before Parliament. The 5-year route remains fully operative.

The Home Affairs Committee published its report (HC 1409, 20 March 2026) endorsing the 10-year baseline but recommending grandfathering for applicants already mid-route. The government was required to respond by 13 May 2026 but has not done so. A judicial review by the Skill Migrants Alliance (representing approximately 1.6 million workers) is being prepared. Implementation is currently expected no earlier than Autumn 2026, with legal experts suggesting early 2027 is more realistic.

Critical Checks Before You Calculate

Working out your settlement date is not always as simple as counting 5 years on a calendar. The Home Office applies specific rules that can alter your qualifying period start date. Review these two scenarios first:

• Delayed Entry (the 180-day rule): If you were granted a visa but physically entered the UK more than 180 days later, your qualifying period starts from the date you physically arrived, not the date on your visa.
• Switching visa routes: If you switch from a work visa (e.g. Skilled Worker) to a family visa (e.g. Spouse), be careful. Time spent on a Skilled Worker visa usually does not count towards the Spouse route. Switching can “reset the clock” to zero unless the routes are compatible.

What Is Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)?

Indefinite Leave to Remain — also known as UK settlement, permanent residence or settled status — is the immigration status that frees you from time-limited visas. Once granted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), it allows you to live, work, study and access public funds in the United Kingdom without restriction. It is the final step before applying for British citizenship by naturalisation under the British Nationality Act 1981.

How Long Does ILR Take to Qualify?

The qualifying period depends on your visa category. Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Spouse, Partner, UK Ancestry, Global Talent and most family routes lead to settlement after a continuous 5-year qualifying period. Long Residence applicants qualify after 10 years of continuous lawful residence, while certain accelerated routes such as the Innovator Founder visa or the Tier 1 Investor visa (under transitional arrangements) can deliver settlement in 3 years.

How the ILR Calculator UK Computes Your Settlement Dates

Each tool on this site is built around the Immigration Rules published by the UK Home Office and refined by experienced immigration solicitors regulated by the SRA and OISC. Whether you need to confirm your eligibility, find your earliest application date, check the 28-day early-application window, track your days absent from the UK, review continuous residence, or measure your qualifying period, you get a fast, free, mobile-friendly answer. Every tool runs entirely in your browser — no data is stored on any server.

Which UK Visas Lead to ILR?

The most common settlement routes are the Skilled Worker visa (formerly Tier 2 General), the Health and Care Worker visa, the Spouse or Partner visa under Appendix FM, the UK Ancestry visa, the Global Talent visa, the Innovator Founder visa and the 10-year Long Residence route under paragraph 276B of the Immigration Rules. Refugees and individuals with humanitarian protection also qualify after 5 years. The eligibility tool supports all of these categories and assesses both your qualifying period and your absences in a single workflow.

Qualifying Periods and Absence Limits by Visa Route

Different visa routes lead to settlement under different sections of the Immigration Rules, and each carries its own qualifying period, absence allowance and continuous residence test. The table below shows how these differ across the main routes.

Continuous Residence Requirements

To qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, most applicants must demonstrate a specific period of lawful residence, typically 5 or 10 years. Continuous residence sits at the heart of every application. UKVI requires that, throughout your qualifying period, you held lawful immigration status without any unauthorised gaps. Even short overstays — a single day between visa expiry and the grant of new leave — can break continuity unless one of the limited paragraph 39E exceptions applies (overstays of 14 days or less where the applicant had reasons beyond their control). The continuous residence tool helps you confirm that your timeline is unbroken and identifies the precise dates that make up your qualifying period.

The 180-Day Absence Rule

You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month rolling period. The Home Office checks rolling windows, not calendar years — so a 12-month window can start on any date in your travel history.

UKVI counts part-days as full days for absence purposes — a departure at 23:59 and return at 00:01 the following day counts as two days absent. The absence tool models this rolling rule trip-by-trip so that you can spot risk before you submit.

For Long Residence applicants under paragraph 276B, the test is different: a maximum of 540 days across the entire 10-year period and no single absence over 184 days. Any single trip exceeding 184 days is likely to break continuous residence unless there were compelling or compassionate circumstances — such as serious illness, a family emergency, or a natural disaster.

The 28-Day Early Application Window

Under paragraph CR 1.2(a) of Appendix Continuous Residence, you can submit your application up to 28 calendar days before your qualifying period completes. This includes weekends and bank holidays. The window protects against gaps in lawful status while UKVI processes your application and triggers section 3C leave under the Immigration Act 1971, which extends your lawful status while a decision is pending.

Other ILR Requirements You Must Meet

The time-based rules covered by these calculators are necessary but not sufficient. Applicants aged 18 to 64 must also satisfy the requirements below. Failure on any of these will lead to refusal regardless of your qualifying period and absences.

Application Fees and Processing Times (2026)

The standard Home Office fee for a settlement application rose to £3,226 per applicant on 8 April 2026 — a 6.5% increase from the previous £3,029. The Immigration Health Surcharge for settlement applications remains £0. All fees are non-refundable if the application is refused.

Priority Processing Options (2026)

Optional priority services are available for in-country applications: the decision-ready service costs £3,726 (targets a decision within 5 working days) and the super-priority service costs £4,226 (aims for the next working day). Standard processing takes up to six months but most straightforward decisions are issued within eight weeks. Biometric enrolment at a UKVCAS centre is mandatory for all in-country applications. All applications must be submitted online via GOV.UK — paper form SET(O) is no longer accepted.

From ILR to British Citizenship

Once you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain you may apply for British citizenship by naturalisation after a further 12 months of residence — or immediately if you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen. Settlement also supports applications for a British passport for any children born or registered in the UK while you are settled.

Why Use ILR Calculator UK?

Each tool is purpose-built around a single decision point in the settlement journey, then connected to the others so you can move from “Am I eligible?” to “When can I apply?” to “Have I had too many absences?” without leaving the site. We update every tool within days of any Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules.

Built on the Actual Immigration Rules Appendix Text

We also explain the procedural details that decide real cases: how UKVI counts part-days for absences, how the 28-day early application window interacts with biometric appointments, when paragraph 39E exceptions for overstayers apply, how the continuous residence clock pauses (or breaks) on visa changes, and what to do if you have switched between routes. That depth of coverage — grounded in the actual Appendix text, not summaries — is what turns a simple date checker into a genuine settlement planning tool.