You can apply for ILR after ten continuous years of lawful residence in the UK, regardless of the types of visa you held. The ten-year period can combine different leave categories. The rules on absences and continuous residence are the same as for other ILR routes. This is the only route that does not require you to be in a specific visa category at the time of application. For a full overview of ILR routes and requirements, see our ILR requirements guide and our ILR service page.
What Is Long Residence?
The long residence route allows people who have lived lawfully in the UK for ten continuous years — across any combination of visa types — to apply for settlement. It is commonly used by people who have held student visas, graduate visas, or other non-settlement routes alongside work or family visas, and whose combined lawful residence adds up to ten years even though no single route would have led to settlement in five years.
Who uses the long residence route
- People who have held a mix of Student, Graduate, Skilled Worker, or other visas with combined lawful residence of ten years
- People who came to the UK on non-settlement routes (such as a Student visa) and have remained continuously for ten years
- People whose qualifying period was broken at some point but who have now accumulated ten lawful years since the break
If you are approaching ten years, calculate your qualifying date precisely before applying. The ten-year period runs from the date you were first granted leave, not the date you arrived in the UK.
Continuous Residence Rules for Long Residence
The same continuous residence rules apply as for other ILR routes. You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month window, you must not have had a single absence of more than six months, and there must be no periods of unlawful presence. For a full explanation of how absences are calculated, including the rolling-window method used by the Home Office, see our ILR 180-day rule guide.
Combining different visa types
Time spent on Student, Graduate, Skilled Worker, spouse, and most other leave categories can be combined. The key requirement is that leave was lawful and continuous — there must be no gaps between one visa and the next. Time spent on a visitor visa, leave outside the rules, or in the UK unlawfully does not count and breaks the continuous residence chain.
How Absences Are Treated on Long Residence
The 180-day rolling-window rule applies across the full ten-year period. The Home Office checks every 12-month window within the ten years, not just the most recent year. Applicants with a long UK history sometimes have an absence issue from several years ago that they have forgotten about. Before applying on the long residence route, map out your full travel history for the ten-year period. If you cannot recall all your trips, request your travel history from the Home Office via a Subject Access Request (allow 30 days for the response).
Documents Needed for Long Residence ILR
The document requirements are more extensive than for five-year routes because the period covered is twice as long. You will need your current passport and all passports held during the ten-year period, evidence of lawful leave throughout, a Life in the UK test pass certificate, English language evidence, residence evidence at regular intervals across the full ten years, and where there were different employers or sponsors, evidence from each period of employment. Gaps in the ten-year record are common and do not necessarily prevent a successful application — but they must be explained. See our ILR documents checklist for guidance on obtaining missing documents.
Common Problems on Long Residence Applications
- Gap in leave — a short overstay or gap between visas that breaks the continuous chain. Even a few days' gap can be fatal to the application without a Home Office grant of leave to cover it
- Student visa time miscounted — applicants sometimes assume all time on a Student visa counts. It does, but time spent outside the UK during that period still counts against the 180-day limit
- Missing early documents — evidence from the first few years of a ten-year period is often hard to locate. Plan ahead and start gathering documents well in advance
- Calculating the qualifying date incorrectly — the ten-year period runs from the date leave was granted, not the date you arrived or the date a specific visa started
Any period of unlawful presence within the ten-year window breaks the continuous residence chain entirely. The ten-year clock restarts from the date lawful leave resumed. If you suspect there was a gap in your leave at any point, take advice before applying.
Application Process
Long residence ILR applications are made online through the UKVI portal. You will need to book a biometric appointment at a UKVCAS service point after submitting the application. Standard processing takes around six months. Long residence applications are among the most document-intensive of all ILR routes — building the bundle for a ten-year period takes time. Start at least six to eight weeks before your intended submission date. For current fees and processing time options including Priority Service, see our ILR costs and processing times guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Student visa time count towards long residence ILR?
Yes. Time spent on a Student visa counts towards the ten-year long residence route, provided leave was continuous and lawful. There is no restriction on which visa types can be combined. However, the 180-day absence rule applies throughout, including during Student visa periods.
What if there was a gap between my visas?
Any gap in lawful leave — even a few days — breaks continuous residence and restarts the ten-year clock. If you had a gap, your qualifying date runs from when lawful leave resumed, not from your original entry date. Take advice if you are unsure whether a gap affected your record.
Does time on a Graduate visa count for long residence?
Yes. The Graduate visa is a lawful form of leave and time spent on it counts towards long residence. As with all other visa types, the 180-day absence limit applies during the Graduate visa period.
Can I combine time in the UK before and after a gap?
No. A break in continuous lawful residence resets the ten-year clock. You cannot add time before and after a gap together. The ten years must be continuous from a single starting point without interruption.
What is the qualifying date for long residence ILR?
The ten-year qualifying date is calculated from the date your first leave was granted, not the date you physically arrived in the UK or started a particular job. This can make a meaningful difference to when you first become eligible to apply.
Need personalised advice?
This guide provides general information only. For advice tailored to your circumstances, speak to one of our immigration advisers.
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