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Indefinite leave to remain / Settlement in UK

"Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)" in the UK, also known as "Settlement," allows holders to travel to and from the UK freely within the validity period without time restrictions, and it does not expire (requiring only a return to the UK every two years). ILR holders in the UK enjoy the same rights and benefits as British citizens, except for the right to vote. Having ILR does not equate to British citizenship; it only permits free entry and exit to the UK while maintaining one's original nationality. After one year of settlement status, individuals become eligible to apply for citizenship and a British passport if they meet certain requirements.

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Types of UK Settlement Routes

Common routes for gaining UK settlement status

Living legally in the UK continuously for over 10 years (Long Residence)

During a 10-year period, the applicant should hold various legal visa statuses such as graduate visa, student visa, work visa, or any other legal visa without interruption, totalling legal residence for over ten years.

 

This pathway has specific restrictions on the number of days spent outside the country: a total of no more than 548 days spent outside the UK in the past 10 years.

  • Holding a T2/Skilled Worker visa for 5 years

  • Holding a Scale-up visa for over 5 years

  • Holding a Sole Representative of Overseas Business visa for 5 years

  • Holding a Global Talent visa for a minimum of 3 years

  • Holding an Innovator visa for 3 years, meeting operational requirements for application

  • Holding a T1 Entrepreneur visa and meeting operational and investment conditions for 5 years

These visas can be combined to calculate a 5-year residency pathway for applying for settlement.

All these pathways have restrictions on the number of days spent outside the UK. Typically, the limit is that the number of days spent outside the UK in any 12-month period within 5 years cannot exceed 180 days.

Work Visas

Family Visas

Spouse / Dependant Visa

Spouse of a person with UK Status.

If the spouse is a British citizen or holds indefinite leave to remain in the UK, the visa holder can apply for settlement after holding this visa for 5 years.

If the spouse holds a UK visa leading to indefinite leave to remain, after residing in the UK for 3-5 years (depending on the spouse's visa type), both parties will qualify for settlement together.

  • Invest £2 million - eligible to apply for settlement after 5 years.

  • Invest £5 million or more - eligible to apply for settlement after 3 years.

  • Invest £10 million or more - eligible to apply for settlement after 2 years.

All these pathways have restrictions on the number of days spent outside the UK. Typically, the limit is that the number of days spent outside the UK in any 12-month period within 5 years cannot exceed 180 days.

Tier 1 Investor Visa

Why 1st Visa?

1/ Extensive Experience in Visa Applications

We have rich experience in visa processing. Our team of senior visa application experts can efficiently and accurately help customers prepare and apply for visas, provide full-scale consulting services and refined, personalized guidance, and avoid unnecessary troubles in the application process. Guarantee application success rate.

2/ Handling Complex Applications

Our experienced visa application experts have dealt with all kinds of difficult situations that arise during the visa application process, helping applicants prepare application materials and helping applicants deal with and solve various unexpected problems encountered in visa application in a timely manner and eliminate them one by one. We strive to strive for positive visa application results for applicants. In addition, we have transparent services, and applicants can follow up on the progress of application and visa delivery at any time.

3 / Numerous successful cases

Since the establishment of the company, countless successful cases have endorsed our brand and services. High success rate, high satisfaction rate, and high recommendation rate are the star reputation we have established in the industry.

Ms. X

Mr. Y has been studying in the UK since middle school, holding a student visa throughout the 10-year period and later transitioning to a graduate visa to meet the ten-year residency requirement. With the assistance of 1st Visa, Mr. Y organized all the proof of residence materials for the 10-year period in the UK and calculated the days spent outside the UK during this period. Wanting to receive the application result quickly, 1st Visa also helped Mr. Y secure a priority visa slot after submitting the application, ultimately assisting Mr. Y in successfully obtaining settlement in a short time frame.

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