ILR Qualifying Period Start Date: Which Date Counts?

Reviewed against official sources on 29 August 2026. This guide explains how to identify the date from which an Indefinite Leave to Remain qualifying period may be measured. It is general information, not legal advice.

There is no single start-date rule that works for every settlement route. The permission you hold, the date it was granted, when you entered the UK, any route switches, and the wording of the relevant Immigration Rules can all affect which residence counts.

Start with the settlement route, not the calendar

First identify the route under which you plan to settle. A Skilled Worker applicant, a partner on a family visa, a person applying on the Global Talent route, and a Long Residence applicant do not necessarily count time in the same way. Check the official route rules before treating any date as your qualifying-period start.

• Current permission: confirm the exact visa route and sub-route.
• Required period: confirm whether the route normally requires two, three, five or ten years.
• Permitted combinations: check whether time on an earlier route can be included.
• Absences and gaps: establish whether continuous residence has been maintained.

Use our ILR visa routes guide to identify the relevant settlement route, then review the current official rules for that route.

Visa grant date and UK arrival date

People often assume that the later of the visa grant date and UK arrival date must always be used. That is too broad. Some route guidance may allow qualifying residence to begin from the grant of entry clearance, subject to how the route treats the period before arrival and any absences. Other circumstances may require a different starting point.

Record both dates and do not discard either:

• The date entry clearance or permission was granted.
• The date you first arrived in the UK under that permission.
• The expiry date and grant date of every later permission.
• Any period between applications, including a pending in-time application.

The correct treatment depends on the route-specific rules and guidance. Where the dates differ substantially, read the official guidance or obtain advice from a regulated immigration adviser.

How the 28-day application window works

Appendix Continuous Residence, CR 1.1 says that a qualifying period is calculated by counting back from whichever of the following is most beneficial to the applicant: the application date, a date up to 28 days after the application date, or the date of decision. Absences are taken into account.

This can allow an application to be submitted up to 28 days before the date on which the required period is completed. It does not remove the need to satisfy every other requirement, and it does not mean that every date displayed by an online calculator is automatically accepted by the Home Office.

Our ILR Calculator UK estimates the full qualifying date and an earliest planning date. It does not decide whether your immigration history qualifies.

What happens after switching visa routes?

Switching route may restart the settlement clock, but not in every case. Some settlement routes permit specified combinations of previous permission. Other routes require the entire qualifying period to be spent on the current route. Long Residence uses its own framework and can include different categories of lawful permission.

Before choosing a start date, make a timeline of every grant of permission. Compare it with the permitted-route combinations in the Immigration Rules and the Home Office continuous-residence guidance. Our separate combining visa routes for ILR guide explains this step.

Worked planning examples

Example 1: one continuous route

A person has held the same settlement-leading permission continuously for five years. Their grant and arrival dates are close together and there are no route switches. The grant, arrival, application and absence records should still be checked, but the timeline is relatively straightforward.

Example 2: a route switch

A person spent two years on one visa and then switched to a Skilled Worker visa. They should not simply add both periods. They must check whether the earlier route is one of the categories that can be combined for settlement under the current Skilled Worker rules.

Example 3: Long Residence

A person has held several types of lawful permission over ten years. Their possible Long Residence start date is based on the qualifying lawful-residence history, but gaps, overstaying, absences and transitional rules may change the result. See our 10-year Long Residence guide.

Evidence to place on your timeline

• Decision letters, entry-clearance records and eVisa details.
• Passport stamps and travel records.
• Dates of all applications and decisions.
• Evidence of any period covered by section 3C leave.
• Departure and return dates for every trip abroad.

Check trips separately with the ILR absence calculator. A date calculation cannot establish continuous residence without a complete travel history.

When a calculator cannot decide the start date

A calculator cannot safely decide cases involving uncertain immigration status, unrecorded travel, overstaying, gaps between applications, complex route switches, exemptions, or disputed evidence. It should return a planning estimate, not an eligibility verdict.

For a final check, use the current GOV.UK route page and the Immigration Rules. If the history is unclear or an application is close to a deadline, consider advice from a regulated adviser before submitting.

Last reviewed: 29 August 2026. Editor: Howard Wilson. Read our editorial standards.