ILR Visa Routes: Every UK Settlement Route Compared

Researched and maintained by the ILR Calculator UK editorial team · Reviewed against the Immigration Rules in force on 24 June 2026 · General information about UK settlement, not regulated immigration advice. For advice on your own case, use an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a solicitor.

The visa route you are on decides how long until you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain — most routes settle after 5 years, some Global Talent and Innovator Founder applicants after 3, and the long residence route after 10. Almost all 5-year routes share the same 180-day rolling absence rule, but the financial test differs sharply: £41,700 for Skilled Workers, £29,000 for partners, and none at all for several others. This page compares every route and links to the in-depth guide for each.

Every ILR route compared

This is the quickest way to see where your route sits. Qualifying periods, absence limits and the headline financial test all vary; the detail is in each route’s guide.

Source: UK Immigration Rules by route and Appendix Continuous Residence. Absence rules follow Appendix Continuous Residence unless the route specifies otherwise. Confirm your own date with the eligibility calculator.

The 5-year routes

Most people settle through a 5-year route. They share the 180-day rolling absence rule and the common requirements — Life in the UK, English at B1, good character — but differ on the financial test.

• Skilled Worker — sponsored employment; must be paid £41,700 or the going rate at the ILR stage and still be sponsored.
• Health & Care Worker — like Skilled Worker but with a reduced salary threshold for eligible health and social care roles.
• Spouse / Partner — partner of a British citizen or settled person; £29,000 minimum income requirement.
• UK Ancestry — Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent who have worked in the UK; no income threshold.
• Hong Kong BN(O) — British National (Overseas) status holders and family; no income test.

The 3-year routes

Two routes can lead to settlement after just 3 years, making them the fastest standard paths to ILR:

• Global Talent — leaders and potential leaders in academia, research, arts and digital technology. Those endorsed in qualifying fields can settle after 3 years; others after 5. No income test.
• Innovator Founder — entrepreneurs running an endorsed, innovative business in the UK; settlement after 3 years where the business criteria are met.

The 10-year routes

Where no shorter route fits, settlement can still be reached after a decade:

• Long Residence — 10 years of continuous lawful residence on almost any combination of routes, including student time. It uses a 540-day total absence cap with no single absence over 184 days, not the rolling 180-day rule. Map it with the continuous residence calculator.
• Private Life — for people settled in the UK on human-rights grounds; young adults who have spent half their life here can qualify on a shorter basis, while adults generally face a 10-year route.

Which visas do not count towards ILR

Not every visa builds towards settlement. Some lead nowhere on their own; others count only towards the 10-year long residence route.

Source: UK Immigration Rules and Appendix Long Residence. Time on study routes can count towards 10-year long residence but not towards a 5-year work or family route.

Switching routes and your qualifying clock

Switching visa categories can reset your settlement clock. Within a single settlement route you can usually combine qualifying time — for example Tier 2 (General) with Skilled Worker. But moving from a non-settlement route (such as Student) to a settlement route usually means your clock starts on the new visa. Gaps in leave between visas are governed by the paragraph 39E rules, not the old 28-day allowance. Check how your history adds up with the continuous residence calculator, and review the shared rules on our ILR requirements page.

Reform watch: a 10-year baseline?

The 2025 White Paper proposed an “earned settlement” model that would make 10 years the default qualifying period for many work and family routes, while letting high contributors settle faster. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 and no implementation date has been set. The qualifying periods in the tables above remain in force, and whether any change applies to people already in the system is still uncertain. Follow our earned settlement tracker for updates.