We’re here to help if you have spent a large part of your life in the UK but have not followed one immigration route continuously. The 10-year long residence route can provide a pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), even where your immigration history includes several different visas.
However, the rules are detailed. You must show 10 years of continuous and lawful residence, meet the absence requirements, satisfy the English language and Life in the UK requirements, and avoid any suitability issues.
This guide explains who may qualify in 2026 and how the route differs from the usual five-year settlement pathways.
What is the 10-year long residence route?
The long residence route is for people who have lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for at least 10 years.
Unlike many five-year ILR routes, you do not normally need to have held the same type of visa throughout the qualifying period. Your 10 years may be made up of time spent on several different immigration routes, provided each period qualifies and your continuous residence has not been broken.
For example, a person may have held:
- Student permission;
- Skilled Worker permission;
- Graduate permission;
- dependant permission;
- Global Talent permission;
- Innovator Founder permission;
- family-based permission; or
- other valid immigration permission.
The route is particularly relevant to people who have moved between study, work and family routes over a long period.
It is important to remember that dependants cannot normally apply as dependants under the Long Residence route. Each family member must consider their own immigration route and qualifying residence.
Who qualifies for long residence ILR in 2026?
To qualify for settlement, you generally need to show that:
- You have completed 10 years of qualifying lawful residence in the UK.
- You have met the continuous residence requirements throughout that period.
- You meet the suitability requirements.
- You have held permission on your current route for at least 12 months, unless transitional rules apply.
- You meet the English language requirement, unless exempt.
- You have passed the Life in the UK Test, unless exempt.
- You are in the UK when you apply.
The requirement to have held your current route for 12 months is important. Under the current rules, it generally applies where your current permission was granted on or after 11 April 2024. It does not apply in the same way where your current permission was granted before that date.
You should therefore check both the date of your current grant and the route under which it was issued before deciding when to apply.
What counts as lawful residence?
For the long residence route, qualifying residence can include periods when you had valid permission under the Immigration Rules. The 10 years may be built from more than one category.
The rules also recognise certain other periods, including:
- time when you were exempt from immigration control;
- qualifying residence under the former European Economic Area Regulations, subject to the relevant transitional requirements; and
- certain periods as a British citizen, unless citizenship was later deprived.
However, some types of permission are specifically excluded. Time spent in the UK as a:
- visitor;
- Short-term Student studying English;
- Seasonal Worker; or
- person with permission under the Ukraine Scheme or its predecessor routes,
does not count towards the 10-year qualifying period.
Time spent on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release will also generally not count.
Overstaying can create serious problems. Periods of overstaying between grants of permission do not count towards the qualifying period, including certain periods where an overstayer exception may prevent an immediate refusal. A current period of overstaying may also prevent a successful application.
An application submitted before your existing permission expires may benefit from section 3C leave while it is pending. This can protect your lawful status in some circumstances. However, section 3C leave does not normally arise from an application made after your permission has already expired, and it can end if you leave the UK.
How is continuous residence calculated?
Continuous residence means more than simply having lived in the UK for 10 calendar years. You must also have kept within the relevant absence limits and avoided events that break residence.
Continuous residence may be broken by matters such as:
- exceeding the permitted absence limits;
- leaving the UK after an immigration application has been refused and your permission has expired;
- being removed or deported;
- becoming subject to a deportation or exclusion order; or
- being in the UK without permission in circumstances that do not fall within an exception.
A detailed travel history is essential. You should check every passport, visa record, flight booking, work record and travel document available to you.
For further practical guidance, see our article on how many days you can be out of the UK under the ILR absence rules in 2026.
Absence rules under the long residence route
The absence rules changed for long residence applications.
For absences beginning on or after 11 April 2024, you must generally not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period. This is a rolling calculation, so it is not simply a single 180-day allowance for each visa year.
For the transitional period before 11 April 2024:
- an individual absence must generally not have exceeded 184 days; and
- the total absences must generally not have exceeded 548 days, where that total was reached before 11 April 2024.
The exact calculation can depend on when the absence started and when the relevant immigration permission was granted. Some absences may be disregarded where they resulted from circumstances such as:
- a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic causing travel disruption;
- a national or international humanitarian or environmental crisis;
- compelling and compassionate personal circumstances, such as a life-threatening illness or the death of a close family member; or
- certain approved research activities.
You should not assume that an explanation alone will be accepted. Supporting evidence is usually needed, such as medical letters, employer confirmation, travel cancellation records or other independent documents.
The five-year route versus the 10-year route
The five-year route is usually based on a specific immigration category. For example, a Skilled Worker, partner or family applicant may qualify after five years if they meet the requirements of that particular route.
The legal requirements for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years are therefore route-specific. They may include requirements relating to:
- your sponsor or partner;
- income or financial circumstances;
- accommodation;
- the continuing nature of your employment or relationship; and
- the specific absence rules applying to that route.
The 10-year long residence route is different. It focuses on your overall immigration history rather than requiring five years on one qualifying route. It can be useful where you have changed visas or do not meet the requirements of a five-year route.
However, the 10-year route is not automatically easier. You must reconstruct your entire immigration history and account for every gap, visa category and absence.
If you are considering a five-year application, our five-year ILR checklist explains the documents and checks that are commonly relevant.
English language and Life in the UK requirements
Unless an exemption applies, you must meet both the English language and Knowledge of Life in the UK requirements.
For an application made before 26 March 2027, the long residence rules generally require English speaking and listening ability at CEFR level B1 or above. The rules are scheduled to require B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, so the date of application matters.
You may be able to rely on an approved English language test, an eligible English-taught degree or a nationality-based exemption. The evidence must meet the requirements in Appendix English Language.
You must also usually pass the official Life in the UK Test. The test requirement may not apply if, for example, you:
- are aged under 18;
- are aged 65 or over; or
- have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from meeting the requirement.
If you are relying on a medical exemption, you should obtain appropriate medical evidence and follow the prescribed process. Do not leave the test or any exemption evidence until the final weeks before your application.
Common reasons long residence applications are refused
Applications can fail because of:
- an unrecognised gap in lawful permission;
- time spent on an excluded visa category;
- inaccurate or incomplete travel history;
- excessive absences;
- an overstay that does not fall within an applicable exception;
- failure to meet the 12-month current-route requirement;
- missing English language evidence;
- failure to pass or properly evidence the Life in the UK Test;
- undisclosed criminality or other suitability concerns; or
- applying on the wrong form or without the required identity documents.
A refusal can be particularly serious after 10 years of residence because the application depends on a complete historical record. It is sensible to audit your immigration history before submitting the form.
Documents to gather before applying
A practical document file may include:
- your current and previous passports;
- BRP, eVisa and UKVI account details;
- every grant letter and immigration decision;
- copies of previous applications;
- a full travel and absence schedule;
- flight bookings, entry stamps and other travel evidence;
- Life in the UK Test reference;
- English language evidence or exemption documents;
- evidence of current permission and its grant date;
- proof of address and residence where helpful;
- employment, study or family documents explaining your immigration history; and
- evidence supporting any exceptional or compassionate absence.
How ECA Lawyers can help
Long residence applications often require careful legal analysis rather than a simple document upload. We can review your immigration history, calculate your qualifying period, examine absences, identify excluded periods and advise on the strongest route to settlement.
ECA Lawyers provides independent legal representation and fixed-fee support for ILR applications. If you are based in Leeds, Harrogate, elsewhere in West Yorkshire or anywhere in the UK, please get in touch at info@ecalawyers.co.uk. Our team will be very happy to discuss your circumstances and explain how we can assist.
Immigration rules can change. This article reflects the position understood to apply in October 2026 and is for general information only. Your eligibility will depend on your personal immigration history and the rules in force when you apply.
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