Does Graduate or Student Visa Time Count Towards ILR?
Today, Student and Graduate time can count towards the 10-year long residence route. Under earned settlement it will not. Here is what is changing.
Under the earned settlement policy confirmed on 2 November 2026, time on the Student, Graduate and High Potential Individual routes will no longer count towards settlement, and the 10-year Long Residence route will close. Your qualifying period will only run from when you move onto a route that leads to settlement, such as Skilled Worker. Today, lawful time on these routes can still count towards 10-year long residence, because the Immigration Rules have not yet changed.
The position today
Student and Graduate visas do not lead directly to settlement. However, lawful time on them can count towards the 10-year long residence route, which lets people with 10 years of continuous lawful residence apply for ILR whatever their visa category. That route remains open until the Immigration Rules are changed.
What earned settlement changes
CP 1707 states that temporary routes should remain temporary. People coming to study, for post-study work or another time-limited purpose should not build up qualifying residence simply by spending time in the UK. So:
- the Long Residence route will close, with no closure date published yet;
- only time on specified routes intended to support long-term residence will count;
- your qualifying period starts when you move onto a qualifying route, such as Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder or a family partner route.
Routes that will not count
| Route | Counts towards earned settlement? |
|---|---|
| Student | No |
| Graduate | No |
| High Potential Individual | No |
| Youth Mobility | No |
| Global Business Mobility | No |
| Temporary Worker and Seasonal Worker | No |
| Visit and Overseas Domestic Worker | No |
| Ukraine schemes | No |
| Leave Outside the Rules | Under review |
Example: Student to Skilled Worker
Someone arrived as a Student in 2021, moved to the Graduate route in 2024 and switched to Skilled Worker in 2026. Under today’s rules, the Student and Graduate years could help towards 10-year long residence. Under earned settlement, only the Skilled Worker time would count, so the qualifying period would run from 2026: 10 years by default, or 5 years with earnings of at least £50,271 in 3 of the last 5 years, or 3 years at £125,141.
What to check now
- Close to 10 years of lawful residence? Check your long residence eligibility now with the absence calculator and take regulated advice on timing. Decisions are ordinarily made under the Rules in force at the date of decision.
- Planning a switch? The earlier you move onto a qualifying route, the earlier your settlement clock starts.
- Compare both dates with the earned settlement calculator.
Official sources
Always check the original documents for the current position.
- GOV.UK — A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government response (CP 1707) — the final policy, 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — ILR if you have been in the UK for 10 years — the long residence route today
- GOV.UK — Home Secretary’s statement to Parliament — timing of the rule changes
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from students and graduates about earned settlement.
Does Graduate visa time count towards ILR?
Does Student visa time count towards settlement?
When will the long residence route close?
If I switch from Graduate to Skilled Worker, when does my ILR clock start?
Our editorial and accuracy standards
ILR Calculator UK is an independent, free settlement-planning resource. This page is written from the Government response CP 1707 and the Immigration Rules, with primary sources linked. We mark clearly what is announced policy and what is law, and re-check the page after each Statement of Changes. Researched and maintained by Howard Wilson, Editor. Read our editorial standards.
This site provides general information, not regulated immigration advice. For a view on your own case, use an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a solicitor.