10-Year Long Residence ILR: Rules, Absences & How to Apply
Settle in the UK after 10 years of continuous lawful residence — counting almost any visa. The route, the dual absence calculation, what breaks continuity, and the reform that could end it.
Check your 10-year residence
Free tools that apply the long residence rules to your own dates.
The 10-year long residence route lets you settle after 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK, counting almost any visa — work, study or family — provided your leave was unbroken throughout. Since 11 April 2024 it is governed by Appendix Long Residence, which imports the absence rules from Appendix Continuous Residence. Absences need a dual calculation: 180 days in any rolling 12-month period from 11 April 2024, and a transitional 548-day total (184 single) cap for any earlier portion. The route remains open but has been proposed for abolition.
What the 10-year long residence route is
Long residence is the settlement route for people who have built up 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK without a single qualifying visa to settle on. Its great advantage over the 5-year routes is that it counts almost any lawful leave — you can aggregate time as a student, worker and family member into one 10-year period. Since 11 April 2024 the route sits in Appendix Long Residence, which replaced the old paragraph 276B, and the continuous-residence and absence tests are imported from Appendix Continuous Residence. Map your timeline with the continuous residence calculator.
What counts towards the 10 years
Most lawful leave counts, but several routes neither count nor preserve continuity — and entering on one of them between grants can reset your clock.
| Status during your stay | Counts towards 10 years? | Breaks continuity? |
|---|---|---|
| Work, study or family leave (lawful) | Yes | No |
| Student / Graduate route | Yes | No |
| Visitor | No | Yes |
| Short-term Student / Seasonal Worker / Ukraine Scheme | No | Yes |
| Immigration bail / temporary admission | No | Gap |
| Overstaying | No | Yes |
Source: UK Immigration Rules, Appendix Long Residence (LR 11.2). Time in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man is not treated as time in the UK. A conviction or deportation also breaks continuity.
The absence rules: a dual calculation
This is where most long residence applications go wrong. Because the rules changed on 11 April 2024, a 10-year period that straddles that date is assessed under both rule sets — the portion before, and the portion after.
| Part of your qualifying period | Single absence | Total cap |
|---|---|---|
| From 11 April 2024 onward | Within the rolling limit | 180 days in any rolling 12 months |
| Before 11 April 2024 (transitional) | 184 days max, where the absence started before that date | 548 days total for the pre-April-2024 portion |
Source: Appendix Continuous Residence (CR 2.1 and the CR 2.2A transitional rule) and Home Office Continuous Residence guidance. The 548-day cap is not pro-rata — it is the allowance for the whole pre-April-2024 portion, however long.
Absences that are disregarded
Some time abroad does not count against the limits at all. Under Appendix Continuous Residence, absences are disregarded where they were for assisting with a national or international humanitarian or environmental crisis; for travel disruption caused by natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic; or for compelling and compassionate personal circumstances, such as the applicant’s life-threatening illness, or the life-threatening illness or death of a close family member. You must evidence the reason clearly — for example flight cancellations or lockdown confirmation during the pandemic.
Other requirements
Alongside 10 years of continuous lawful residence, you must meet the shared settlement requirements:
- Life in the UK test — passed, unless exempt by age or condition.
- English language at CEFR B1 in speaking and listening, unless exempt.
- Good character and suitability under Part 9 — convictions, overstaying and other breaches can all defeat an application.
- Lawful residence throughout — no gaps in leave; overstaying breaks the qualifying period under the paragraph 39E framework.
These mirror the rules on our ILR requirements page; the difference on this route is purely the 10-year length and the way time is aggregated.
Fees and how to apply
You apply online using the long residence settlement form (SET(LR)), pay the fee and enrol biometrics. The application fee is £3,226 per person from 8 April 2026, plus a £19.20 biometric enrolment fee; there is no Immigration Health Surcharge on settlement. You can apply up to 28 days before completing your 10 years — find that date with the 28-day calculator. The Home Office can calculate your qualifying period from the date you apply, the date of decision, or 28 days before completion, using whichever is most beneficial to you.
Reform watch: proposed abolition
The 10-year long residence route is directly in the firing line of the settlement reforms. The 2025 White Paper, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, proposed abolishing the flexible 10-year long residence route and moving to a 10-year earned-settlement baseline, and the consultation closed on 12 February 2026.
10-year long residence ILR: frequently asked questions
How many days can I be absent on the 10-year long residence route?
Does time on a student visa count towards 10-year long residence?
Has the 10-year long residence route been abolished?
Can I use an old 10-year period from the past?
What breaks continuous residence on the long residence route?
Can I apply before completing 10 years?
Our editorial and accuracy standards
ILR Calculator UK is an independent, free settlement-planning resource. The rules, dates and absence limits on this page are taken directly from Appendix Long Residence, Appendix Continuous Residence and Home Office guidance, with the primary source linked at the point it is used. We review the content after each Statement of Changes and record the review date at the top of the page.
This site provides general information, not regulated immigration advice. Long residence is one of the most technical settlement routes, and the transitional absence rules are easy to miscount. For a binding assessment of your own timeline, contact an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a solicitor listed on the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor register.