ILR Document Checklist: Every Document You Need, by Route

Researched and maintained by the ILR Calculator UK editorial team · Reviewed against GOV.UK settlement guidance 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.

An ILR application is decided largely on documents, so the evidence you submit matters more than eligibility alone. Every applicant provides a core set — passports, proof of status, continuous residence, an absence log, English evidence and a Life in the UK test pass — plus a route-specific set depending on whether you use SET(O), SET(M) or SET(LR). Getting the form, the evidence and the validity windows right is what separates a smooth grant from a refusal.

How ILR is decided

Unlike many decisions, a settlement application turns on paperwork. Caseworkers are trained to spot inconsistencies — dates that do not align, a salary that differs between an employer letter and payslips, an unexplained gap in residence — rather than to give the benefit of the doubt. A complete, well-organised, internally consistent bundle is the single biggest thing within your control. The documents fall into a common core required of everyone, plus a route-specific set tied to the application form you use. Confirm you are actually eligible first with the eligibility calculator and the full ILR requirements guide.

Which application form you use

Your route decides your form — and using the wrong one can mean an automatic refusal.

Source: GOV.UK — Settle in the UK. Dependants follow the main applicant’s form: Skilled Worker dependants use SET(O), not SET(M).

The core documents every applicant needs

Whatever your route, you will need all of these:

• Passports — your current passport and all previous passports covering the qualifying period, with every page scanned including blank ones. Missing entry or exit stamps create unexplained gaps.
• Proof of immigration status — normally your eVisa, accessed through your UKVI account, with a share code (valid 90 days). Include any Biometric Residence Permit you still hold.
• Evidence of continuous residence — at least two sources per year, such as payslips, P60s, bank statements, council tax or tenancy records.
• An absence log — a table of every trip outside the UK with dates, destination, purpose and a running total per rolling 12-month window. Test it first with the absence calculator.
• English language evidence — an approved SELT, a UK degree, an overseas degree confirmed by Ecctis, or a majority-English-speaking nationality.
• Life in the UK test pass — the pass notification or unique reference number; it never expires.
• Good character evidence — declare all convictions, cautions, civil penalties, previous refusals and any immigration breaches; non-disclosure is itself a refusal ground.

Evidence by requirement

Each ILR requirement has its own evidence, and its own detailed guide on this site.

Source: GOV.UK settlement guidance and the route appendices. Each linked guide sets out the rule and the evidence in detail.

Route-specific documents

SET(O) — work routes

On top of the core set, Skilled Worker and similar applicants need an employer letter on headed paper dated within the last 28 days confirming name, job title, current salary, that employment is ongoing, and the Certificate of Sponsorship reference; recent payslips and a P60; all CoS references issued during the qualifying period; and personal bank statements. The salary must match across the employer letter, payslips and bank credits — a mismatch is a classic refusal.

SET(M) — partner routes

Partners add a marriage or civil partnership certificate (or evidence of two years’ cohabitation for unmarried partners), proof the relationship is genuine and subsisting across the whole period (joint tenancy, joint bills, council tax — aim for two items per quarter), the sponsor’s proof of status or nationality, and financial evidence meeting the financial requirement.

SET(LR) — long residence

The most document-intensive route. You need all passports held across the 10 years with every vignette and stamp, all BRP or eVisa records for each grant, Home Office decision letters for every extension, and a chronological immigration-history table as a cover document. The qualifying period must be entirely continuous, with absences assessed under both the pre- and post-April 2024 rules where it spans that date.

Document validity windows

Several documents must be recent on the date you submit. Stale evidence is an easy, avoidable refusal.

Source: GOV.UK and route guidance. Dates and names must be consistent across every document; submit clear, complete scans.

Top document refusal triggers

• Missing previous passports, so entry and exit stamps cannot corroborate residence.
• Undisclosed or miscalculated absences exceeding 180 days in a rolling 12-month window.
• Financial evidence that does not match across the employer letter, payslips and bank statements.
• An expired or wrong English certificate, or a non-approved test provider.
• The Life in the UK test not passed before the application date — it cannot be added later.
• The wrong application form for the route.
• Failure to declare convictions, penalties or previous refusals.
• Non-English documents without a certified translation.

Fees and submitting

The ILR fee is £3,226 per person for applications made on or after 8 April 2026, plus a £19.20 biometric fee; settlement carries no Immigration Health Surcharge. A standard decision is normally made within six months, with optional Priority (£500, five working days) and Super Priority (£1,000, next working day) services where the route allows. You apply online, upload your documents and enrol biometrics, and on approval ILR is issued as a digital eVisa rather than a physical card.