Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or permanent residency (PR) is an immigration status settled for a person who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his or her stay. When indefinite leave is approved to foreigners it is also known as indefinite leave to enter (ILE). Our immigration solicitors in London can offer suitable legal assistance if you want to obtain permanent residence in the UK or British citizenship.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Who can apply for a permanent residence in UK? |
– self-employed, – job seekers, – students, – workers, – self-sufficient persons living in UK for at least 5 years |
|
Benefits of permanent residence in UK |
– the right to remain in UK, – family can join you in the UK, – healthcare aid, – social security benefits etc. |
|
Requirements for permanent residency in UK |
Those interested must have valid visa for 5 years and want to stay, are married to a UK citizen and expect to remain in the country, etc. |
| Documents required for pemanent residence in UK |
– current pay slips, – bank account statements, – address proof, – council tax letters, – appointment letter from employer, etc. |
| Permanent residence permit validity |
Indefinite |
| Individual application cost |
GBP2,389 |
| Proof of finances |
– at least £18,600 a year in case of no dependents, – at least £22,400 a year in case of one dependent child, – extra £2,400 a year for each child above the limit of one |
| Application processing period for permanent residence in UK |
Up to 6 months |
| Who deals with PR application? | The UK Home Office Visas and Immigration Service |
| Minimum temporary residence before applying for permanent residence |
You are not obliged to stay for full 5 years or have lived in the UK for the 5 years prior to applying for PR. |
| Citizenship after permanent residence |
After 1 year of acquiring PR |
| Naturalization after permanent residence |
After five years of acquiring PR in the UK |
| Is “Life in UK” test mandatory? (Yes/No |
Yes |
| Is knowledge of English language necessary? (Yes/No) | Yes |
| Dual citizenship permitted (Yes/No) | Yes |
Table of Contents
Important conditions for permanent residence in 2025
Our UK immigration lawyers can explain the requirements in this matter. There are some important permanent resident in UK conditions to respect and the candidate must:
- have been a tenant in the UK for at least 5 years (this is called “the residential qualifying period”);
- have been present in the UK 5 years before the date of the application;
- have not spent more than 450 days outside the country during the five-year period;
- have not spent more than 90 days outside the country in the last 12 months of the five-year period;
- have not broken the Immigration Rules at any stage during the five-year period.
Owners of ILR may apply for British citizenship if they have detained ILR for 12 months or longer, are over 18 years and have been living in the country for the last 5 years. There are a few conditions for naturalization and the candidate must:
- be at least 18 years of age or over;
- be of good integrity;
- propose to continue living in the UK, or to continue in Crown service, the service of a worldwide organization of which the UK is an affiliate;
- be capable of speaking in English, Welsh, or Scottish Gaelic to an acceptable degree;
- have enough knowledge of life in the UK;
- meet the residential conditions.
People aged over 18, who possess another form of British nationality and employees of the Crown, civil service, or elected service outside the UK may instead apply for registration. This is an easier process than naturalization. Those interested in getting permanent residency in the UK can talk to our advisors. Also, they can explore the following infographic:
Documents requested for PR in the UK
The application for a permanent visa in the UK involves the preparation of documents, such as:
- a specific form provided by the authorities,
- a valid passport,
- the national identity card,
- 2 passport-size photos,
- marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate, if the application also comprises another person.
It is important to note that a certified translation must accompany all the documents, if not in the English language. You can talk to our UK immigration lawyer and solicit complete legal advice for document preparation in terms of a permanent stay in the UK. We can handle the entire application for obtaining permanent resident in UK status on your behalf.
A perpetual residency permit in the UK is another name for indefinite leave to remain. You can be qualified to apply for indefinite permission to remain if you stay in the UK for a specified period. You are no longer subject to any restrictions on your stay in the UK as an ILR holder, and you are free to work, study, and do business at any time. Get in touch with our lawyers if you are interested in applying for residency in the UK or for a UK green card.
Settled status for specific categories of citizens
The EU settlement scheme is also available for citizens of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway and is intended for those who want to reunite with their families in the UK. Moreover, citizens of Northern Ireland must also know the formalities for obtaining residency in the UK with the help of this program. If they have obtained indefinite leave to enter or remain, they can continue to live in the UK without restrictions. You can find out more about the EU settlement status scheme from our UK immigration solicitors. Please feel free to address your inquiries to one of our specialists and ask for complete legal advice. They can help you obtain a residence permit in the UK.
Is the EU Settlement Scheme available for Ukrainians?
Yes, and Ukrainian citizens who want to relocate to the UK can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. Moreover, the authorities gave up the Ukrainian Family Visa Scheme program in February 2024 to offer other options for obtaining a visa and residence in the UK.
UK permanent residence for family members
There are other ways to obtain residence permits in the UK. It is also the case of family members of a person already settled in this country. Spouses, partners, children, and other dependents can apply for a spouse visa, dependent visa, or child visa in the UK. It is good to specify in this case that only people who already have someone with permanent residence in the UK can apply for the types of visas mentioned above. It is also valid for spouses or partners who have a British citizen as a family member or with residency in the UK. Children receive a visa with the duration established according to that of the parents. Plus, when it expires, it can be extended, and the application can be made at the same time as that of the parents.
But to better understand what it is about and what the formalities for obtaining a family visa are, we invite you to talk to our experts on immigration issues. You can first apply for a temporary residence permit in the UK.
Applying to stay in UK as a stateless citizen
Stateless persons who cannot live permanently in a country or who are not recognized as citizens of any state can apply to stay in UK. This means that stateless persons must currently live in the UK in order to apply. There are also other delicate cases where refugee persons are looking for a home. These persons can claim asylum in the UK. We remind that the United Kingdom sustains human rights and it is involved in many organizations and programs to provide the necessary support for refugees and stateless persons. If you find yourself in this difficult position, please feel free to ask for legal advice from our UK immigration lawyer.
The same legal support will be provided to family members who live outside UK who have the same status. Besides helping you with obtaining permanent residence in UK, the services of our lawyers are also at your disposal in other matters. For instance, if you are planning to apply for citizenship in the UK, our lawyers can offer you comprehensive information. If you are a spouse of a British citizen and are interested in applying for citizenship, you are required to meet certain requirements.
What happens if my application for residence in the UK is rejected?
If you do not meet the entire criteria at the time the permanent resident in UK application is made, the authorities have the option of rejecting such incomplete applications. Yet, if you solicit the assistance and the legal support of an experienced immigration lawyer in London, you have lots of chances for success. In the case of rejected applications, the first thing to do is to get in touch with our advisors and let them analyze your case step by step. It is best to ask for legal support right away because there are cases in which the eligibility criteria might not be fully understood.
Updates on the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system in 2025
With the ETA, foreigners can register before traveling to the UK. This is the Electronic Travel Authorization system, which is also successful in the USA, for instance. The news for 2025 refers to the fact that non-EU and US citizens must register with ETA before traveling to the UK. In the case of people from EU countries, they can access ETA from March 2025. As a universal requirement, all citizens interested in visiting or relocating to the UK must access and register with ETA or apply for an eVisa. We remind you that the ETA system does not issue work permits or study visas in the UK, as there are other paths and requirements for these.
The benefits of permanent residence in the UK
Unlike people with Limited Leave to Remain (LTR) in the UK, PR owners do have access to public funds. The phrasing “No recourse to public funds” is not written on PR holders’ visas. However, if an ILR holder spends more than two years continuously outside the UK, the right to permanent residency may lapse. If you need more details about the permanent resident in UK application, and residence permit in UK, feel free to talk to our team of immigration lawyers in London.
Family members of a settled person in the UK who want to make a residence permit application must provide information that they already lived in the country for at least 2 years and have relatives in this country. This way, the process gets a lot easier.
Why live in the UK
The UK offers a multitude of advantages and possibilities for all categories of citizens. The large, multicultural, and ethnic communities, the prestigious colleges and universities, the numerous job offers in most of the sectors of interest, and having one of the best health care systems in the world place the UK among the preferences of foreign citizens. London is one of the most important financial and business centers within the EU countries, so international entrepreneurs can thrive through their companies and activities in UK. We have gathered information about the immigration in UK provided by the UK Government statistics report that you might find interesting:
- Around 1.2 million immigrants were registered in the UK between June 2022 and June 2023.
- Around 3.40 million entry clearance visas were granted in the UK in 2023.
- There were about 12,190 ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) applications made by citizens from Qatar. Around 12,076 of them were granted in 2023.
- About 337,240 work visas were issued to main applicants in the UK in the same year.
- The same year the immigration authorities in the UK issued around 457,673 sponsored study visas.
If you are planning to apply for UK permanent residency in 2025, you should know that the UK has a national healthcare system, the NHS, which provides free or low-cost healthcare to residents. The healthcare system is generally considered to be of high quality and accessible to all.
Besides assistance for getting residency, our lawyers can also help you with the application for an investor visa in UK. They can offer you detailed guidance in this regard. Please feel free to contact our immigration solicitors in London.
