After five continuous years on a Skilled Worker visa, with your salary at or above the going rate for your SOC code throughout and no more than 180 days absent in any 12-month period, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. For most Skilled Worker holders, this is the most direct route to permanent settlement — and to British citizenship the year after. For the full range of ILR requirements across routes, see our ILR requirements guide. For a business owner using the self-sponsorship route, see our separate self-sponsorship guide. For our ILR service page, see here.
Eligibility Requirements
- Held a Skilled Worker visa (or its predecessor, Tier 2 General) for five continuous years
- Been sponsored by a licensed employer for the full five-year period
- Salary at or above the going rate for your Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code throughout
- Continuous residence — no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month window. See our 180-day rule guide for the calculation method
- Life in the UK test pass certificate
- English at B1 or above (usually satisfied from the original visa application)
- No criminal convictions or character issues
Qualifying Period: Five Years
The five-year qualifying period begins from the date your Skilled Worker (or Tier 2) leave was first granted. It is not calculated from the date you arrived in the UK or started work. The distinction matters — a visa grant can be days or weeks after arrival. Time on a Skilled Worker visa can be combined with time on a Tier 2 (General) visa — the predecessor route — provided there was no gap between them.
Many applicants use their entry date rather than their visa grant date as the start of their qualifying period. This can mean applying weeks or months before they are actually eligible. An early application is likely to be refused with no refund of the fee.
Salary Rules and Going Rate (2026)
For ILR, your salary must have been at or above the applicable going rate for your SOC code throughout the qualifying period. This is not just a requirement at the point of application — the Home Office considers whether you were paid correctly across the entire five years. The going rate is the higher of the general salary threshold or the specific occupation threshold set for your SOC code.
If your salary was below the going rate at any point
A period of salary below the going rate — including periods of unpaid or reduced-pay leave — may not necessarily be fatal to your application, but it requires explanation. Unpaid statutory sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, and shared parental leave are generally treated differently from a straightforward pay reduction. Provide documentary evidence of any period where pay was below the threshold and explain the circumstances.
Sponsor Licence Issues
This is one of the most common and most serious problems for Skilled Worker ILR applicants.
If your employer's sponsor licence was revoked
If your employer's licence was revoked during your qualifying period, your leave was likely curtailed at the same time. A curtailed leave period breaks your continuous residence — even if you were not aware of it at the time. The consequences depend on when the revocation occurred and what happened next. Do not apply for ILR without taking advice first if this applies to you.
If you changed employer
Changing employer during the qualifying period is not itself a problem, provided the new employer was a licensed Skilled Worker sponsor before you started, you obtained a new certificate of sponsorship before starting in the new role, and there was no gap between the end of your old sponsorship and the start of your new one. Even a brief gap in sponsorship — a week or two between jobs — can cause problems. If you changed employer and are not certain how the sponsorship was handled, check your immigration history through a Subject Access Request before applying for ILR.
Absences and the 180-Day Rule
Business travel is common for Skilled Worker visa holders, which means absences tend to be higher than for other visa categories. The 180-day limit applies in exactly the same way — rolling 12-month windows across the full five-year qualifying period. Work-related travel does not automatically exempt you from the limit, but it may support a discretion argument if your total is moderately above the threshold and the travel was genuinely required by your employer. Keep records of all overseas travel — including trip purpose, dates, and employer authorisation — as you go rather than trying to reconstruct this before applying.
Documents Needed
- Current valid passport and all passports held during the qualifying period
- BRP cards or digital status records for the qualifying period
- Life in the UK test pass certificate
- English language evidence (usually covered from original visa grant)
- Payslips for the full five-year period
- P60s for each tax year in the qualifying period
- Employer letter confirming current role, salary, and start date — from your current licensed sponsor
- Evidence of salary at or above the going rate throughout
- If employer changed: employment documents and sponsorship records from each employer
For a full checklist including guidance on missing documents and acceptable alternatives, see our ILR documents checklist.
Common Mistakes on Skilled Worker ILR Applications
- Using the entry date rather than the visa grant date as the qualifying period start
- Failing to check that the current employer's sponsor licence is still valid before applying
- Not documenting a change of employer properly — including any gap in sponsorship
- Miscalculating absences using calendar years rather than rolling 12-month windows
- Submitting payslips that show salary below the going rate without explanation
- Forgetting to include all passports from the qualifying period
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for ILR if I recently changed employer?
Yes, provided the change was handled correctly — the new employer was a licensed sponsor before you started, you had a valid certificate of sponsorship, and there was no gap between the end of your old sponsorship and the start of the new one. If there was a gap, take advice before applying.
What if my salary was temporarily reduced during the qualifying period?
A temporary salary reduction — for example, during statutory maternity or sick leave — does not automatically bar you from ILR. Provide documentary evidence of the reason and the duration. A reduction that is not explained or documented is more likely to cause problems than one that is clearly evidenced.
What if my employer's sponsor licence was revoked?
A licence revocation typically leads to curtailment of your leave. If this happened during your qualifying period, your continuous residence may have been broken. Do not apply for ILR without taking advice first. If your application has been refused as a result, see our ILR refusal help guide.
How do I check if my employer's sponsor licence is still valid?
The Home Office publishes a register of licensed sponsors on gov.uk. Search for your employer by name to confirm their licence status. Do this before submitting your ILR application — not after.
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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