Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also called settlement, is a separate application from a Skilled Worker visa extension and from British citizenship. For the main sponsored-worker route, the Home Office assesses a qualifying five-year period, continuous residence, the continuing sponsor and job, the settlement salary rules and the application requirements. A salary that qualified for the original visa does not by itself establish that the settlement salary test is met.
This guide focuses on applicants who currently hold, or were last granted, Skilled Worker permission and on the related sponsored routes GOV.UK names in its settlement guidance. Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 and T2 categories can have route-specific requirements and salary exceptions; check the exact current rules for your permission. For the application-stage occupation, sponsor, dependant and IHS details, see the Health and Care Worker visa guide.
If your sponsored employment has ended before you can apply for settlement, read our UK Skilled Worker job-loss guide for the separate sponsor-reporting, cancellation-notice and new-sponsor process. This ILR guide assumes you still meet the continuing-sponsor and job requirements on the settlement application date.
Five qualifying years
Sponsor and salary are reassessed
Timing matters
Who this settlement route covers
GOV.UK describes this route for people with a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 or Tier 2 (General) visa. Settlement guidance also names T2/ Tier 2 Minister of Religion and International Sportsperson routes in its wider overview, while the Immigration Rules set detailed requirements for each route. Do not assume that every sponsored visa has identical qualifying-time, salary or evidence rules.
The main Skilled Worker settlement route normally requires the applicant to have, or to have last been granted, Skilled Worker permission on the application date. The application must be made from inside the UK. If your last grant was under another route, or your permission changed shortly before applying, check whether that route and the timing meet the current validity requirements.
If you are comparing other ways to qualify for settlement, our UK Long Residence 10-year route guide covers the separate mixed-route qualifying period and its distinct absence and current-route rules.
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| Question | Main Skilled Worker settlement rule | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying time | Five continuous years on the main route or an allowed combination of qualifying work routes | The applicant’s own route history and exact start/end dates |
| Time as a dependant | Does not count toward the main applicant’s five-year qualifying period | The dependant may have a separate settlement route and application |
| Current permission | Applicant must have or last have been granted Skilled Worker permission for this route | Current visa validity and route at the date of application |
| Sponsor | Most recent sponsor must remain approved at decision and confirm ongoing need for the job | Sponsor status, job details and written confirmation |
| Salary | Settlement salary and going-rate conditions apply, subject to specified exceptions | Current route, occupation code, hours, salary option and transitional rules |
This page is not a guide to settlement as a dependant. A partner or child may apply with the main applicant only if they independently meet the relevant dependant requirements. Do not count their dependant visa time toward the worker’s five-year period. GOV.UK has separate settlement guidance for sponsored-worker family members, including rules for a partner or child who applies later. Our work visa dependant ILR guide explains those family-member routes separately.
Check the five-year qualifying period
The standard qualifying period is five years in the UK. The rules allow some applicants to combine time on specified routes, such as Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Tier 2 (General), Global Talent, Scale-up, Innovator Founder, T2 Minister of Religion and International Sportsperson, subject to the detailed rule for each category. This is a defined list, not a general rule that any UK visa counts.
If your five-year period includes Scale-up permission, that route has a separate ILR financial test: current PAYE salary plus qualifying earnings for at least 24 months in the previous three years, with thresholds tied to the relevant Certificate of Sponsorship date. See the Scale-up Worker visa guide for that route-specific boundary.
Time spent in the UK as a partner or child dependant is excluded from the main applicant’s qualifying period. If you changed route, list each grant and the dates it began and ended, then compare every route with the current Appendix Skilled Worker settlement rule. Waiting time on another route counts only under the specific historical provision stated in the Rules; do not treat every pending application period as qualifying residence.
The earliest date to apply is normally 28 days before you complete five qualifying years. Applying earlier can lead to refusal. If your current permission expires before you can apply for ILR, GOV.UK says you need to extend your visa first; do not assume a future settlement application gives you permission to remain or work in the meantime.
Keep a route timeline with your passports, eVisa or decision letters, sponsor records and travel history. If an old grant has been replaced, check the dates and route recorded in the Home Office account rather than relying on a calendar estimate or the date you first arrived in the UK.
Record absences and continuous residence
The published standard limit is no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. Check the current Appendix Continuous Residence for the calculation method, exceptions and any rule that applies to the dates of your travel. Do not assume that a single total for the whole five-year period is enough: the limit is tested across rolling 12-month periods.
Create a travel record from passport stamps, tickets, work travel systems and other reliable records. For each trip, note the departure and return dates, destination, reason and the relevant 12-month window. If you travelled for work, compassionate reasons or another exception, keep evidence and check whether the current rule provides for that absence to be disregarded. Do not subtract days yourself based on a general exception without confirming its conditions.
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| Travel record item | Why to retain it |
|---|---|
| Departure and return dates | Allows each absence to be checked against the relevant rolling 12-month period |
| Destination and purpose | Helps identify work-related or other circumstances that may require a separate rule check |
| Passport, ticket and employer evidence | Helps reconcile travel dates and supports any explanation requested by the Home Office |
| Periods between permission grants | Makes it easier to identify gaps or time that may not count toward continuous residence |
If you may exceed the limit, have a gap in permission or cannot reconstruct a trip, review the live Home Office guidance before submitting. Discretion and exceptions are fact-specific. A day-count estimate cannot establish that the Home Office will accept the residence period.
Sponsor confirmation and settlement salary
The sponsor requirement is continuing. The Home Office says the sponsor connected with the applicant’s most recent permission must still be approved to sponsor Skilled Workers when the case is decided. The sponsor must confirm that it still needs the worker for the foreseeable future and that the worker is paid, and will continue to be paid, at least the required amount.
For the standard salary option, the published settlement rule generally requires the higher of £41,700 a year and the standard going rate for the occupation. There are different requirements for specified healthcare and education jobs, the Immigration Salary List, some people whose first Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before 4 April 2024 with continuous permission since, and other listed circumstances. Salary rules can differ from the temporary visa application rules and may depend on the worker’s history, SOC code, pay structure and hours.
Ask the sponsor to confirm the settlement SOC code, current guaranteed pay, working pattern and which salary option it is relying on. Check that against the live settlement salary page and the Immigration Rules. Do not include bonuses, allowances or other pay components unless the applicable rule permits them. For the separate salary test at the sponsored-job application stage, see our Skilled Worker visa salary guide; its examples do not replace the settlement test in this article.
If your sponsor changed, your job or occupation code changed, or you have a historic salary arrangement, use the exact route-specific transition rule rather than assuming the current general threshold applies. A sponsor letter does not guarantee settlement, and meeting the salary amount alone does not satisfy the residence, suitability or application requirements.
Life in the UK and English-language rules
Applicants aged 18 to 64 normally need to pass the Life in the UK Test, unless an exemption applies. The Home Office settlement guidance says Skilled Worker and related applicants do not normally need to prove English again under the current rule because English was assessed when they applied for the sponsored visa.
There is an important future-effective change. Under the Immigration Rules checked on 28 October 2026, an English-language requirement at B2 speaking and listening applies to Skilled Worker settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, unless an exemption applies. For an application before that date, follow the requirement in force on the actual application date. If you expect to apply near or after the commencement date, verify the current English-language appendix and accepted evidence well before filing.
The Life in the UK Test and the English requirement are separate questions. Do not assume that passing one replaces the other, or that an English certificate used for another purpose automatically meets the future B2 settlement rule.
Application, cost and travel after submission
Apply online from inside the UK using the settlement form specified for this route, currently Settle in the UK in various immigration categories: form SET(O). The application tells you which documents to provide. These may include your identity and immigration history, Life in the UK evidence, current salary information and a sponsor document confirming that the role continues to be needed. Follow the live checklist for your own application and any eligible dependant applying with you.
As checked on 28 October 2026, GOV.UK lists the application fee as £3,226 per person and says a decision usually takes up to six months after biometric information is provided. Fees, optional faster services and processing times can change; confirm the current figure and appointment process before applying.
After submitting, do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you receive a decision. GOV.UK says the application will be withdrawn if you travel to those places before the decision. Plan work, family and travel arrangements around this restriction and check current official guidance if an urgent trip is unavoidable.
- 1Map your route history — List the grants and dates in your five-year period; exclude dependant time and verify every route against the current settlement rules.
- 2Reconcile travel and absences — Check every rolling 12-month period against the 180-day limit and gather evidence for any exception or unclear trip.
- 3Confirm sponsor and salary — Ask your most recent sponsor to confirm current approval, continued need for the role, salary, occupation code and working pattern.
- 4Check test and filing dates — Confirm the earliest filing date, visa expiry, Life in the UK requirement and the English rule that applies on your application date.
- 5Apply and plan to stay put — Use the current SET(O) process, upload the requested documents, complete biometrics and avoid the travel that would withdraw your application.
ILR is a settlement decision, not British citizenship. After settlement, citizenship has a separate application, residence calculation and evidence process. See our UK citizenship by naturalisation guide for that later stage. This page explains published route requirements; it does not decide an individual case or guarantee an outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How many years do I need before applying for Skilled Worker ILR?
Does time as a Skilled Worker dependant count toward my five years?
How many days can I spend outside the UK?
Can I apply 28 days before I complete five years?
Does my employer need to confirm my job and salary again?
Is the settlement salary test the same as the one for my original visa?
Will I need to prove English for settlement?
Do I need to pass the Life in the UK Test?
Can I travel after submitting my ILR application?
Does getting ILR automatically make me a British citizen?
Official sources
- GOV.UK: settlement overview for Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and Tier 2 applicants
- GOV.UK: time in the UK
- GOV.UK: salary requirements for settlement
- GOV.UK: how to apply
- GOV.UK: settlement for family members of sponsored workers
- Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker
- Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Continuous Residence
- Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix KOL UK
Immigration rules, salary thresholds, fees and processing times can change. These sources were checked on 28 October 2026; confirm the live requirements immediately before applying.