Applying For your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Visa? 

Over the past 12 years, our ILR Experts have perfected the way we present and submit our Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa applications to ensure we always secure our clients their approvals while providing a five-star service. During this time, we have been fortunate enough to experience almost every possible situation when it comes to eligibility or supporting document issues, and we know every reason given for refusing an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa application. Armed with this expert level of knowledge and experience, we can ensure you secure your ILR approval, the first time you apply.

So, you can either spend months researching how to secure your own approval or follow our simple instructions and allow us to acquire the approval for you? Should you choose our full representation service, you will receive our no-win, no-fee guarantee (subject to our Terms and Conditions), and benefit from our expert legal cover letter that will argue your case through to approval. We have only been as successful as we are in securing Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approvals due to the power of our legal cover letter. Perfected over the past 12 years and 5,000+ UK Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approvals, our legal cover letter explains your case to the Home Office while linking your supporting documents to the specific rules that apply to your case. That way, we can ensure that even a poorly trained or new Home Office caseworker will not make mistakes when deciding upon your case.

Should you not want our ILR Experts to represent your application thoroughly, why not allow us to be your insurance policy by taking advantage of our consultation services or Expert ILR Visa Checking Service? We offer a Telephone/In-Person Consultation if you simply want us to answer any questions or doubts you may have about your application. As you are paying for our time and access to our expert knowledge, we will tell you the answers to any questions you have and teach you everything you need to know to secure your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approval. Likewise, once you have prepared your cover letter, applications form(s), and gathered the documents needed, you can purchase our Expert Checking Service to ensure you have not made mistakes that could jeopardise your future. While we can only guarantee your Indefinite Leave to Remainapproval if we are representing your case, rest assured your dedicated ILR Visa Expert will advise you of all the changes needed to your application. Considering our full-service clients secure their Indefinite Leave to Remain approvals first-time, you can expect your ILR application to be approved if our advice is followed to the letter.

Why not call one of ILR Visa Experts today (or request a call-back on this page), so we can provide you with a quote for different services we offer, and let us give you the confidence you need to choose First Migration to ensure you secure your future in the UK.

Knowledge is power, but experience counts for everything when it comes to ensuring an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa is approved every time, without exception. As you can appreciate, our ILR Experts are testing the ILR Visa system daily. This enables us to ensure our clients are always ahead of any changes to the Indefinite Leave to Remain immigration rules, ILR policy guidance, or the latest excuses given for refusing an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa application. This level of practical experience ensures that we can manage the process for our clients, make all the right decisions when applying, reduce the risk of mistakes being made, and give our clients the peace of mind they expect. As a new excuse is given for refusing an Indefinite Leave to Remain case, our detailed ILR document list, document templates, and legal cover letter are updated to ensure this new excuse cannot be used to refuse our clients’ Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa applications.

Should the application process change while you are applying, our advice and service will immediately adapt to the new circumstances, so you will not be impacted in any way. Only by preparing and securing Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approvals daily could you ever apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa in total confidence that it will be approved first-time. So why not become a part of First Migration’s success story and take advantage of our experience and expert knowledge? All you have do is sign up for our service, pay our professional fee, follow our advice, and let your dedicated ILR Visa Expert do everything else for you!

There are three easy ways you can contact us to take advantage of our free Indefinite Leave to Remain eligibility assessment and speak with an ILR visa expert with over 12 years’ practical experience. Rest assured that you will only ever speak directly with a UK Visa Expert here at First Migration should you contact us through one of the following means:

• You can call us on 0203 178 2048 – and you will be able to speak directly to an ILR Visa Expert with over 12 years’ experience in securing nothing but Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approvals. Your dedicated expert will check your eligibility for free and explain about our services and the process of obtaining your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa. Should you want to visit us before signing up for assistance, we will offer you a free 30-minute in-person consultation with one of our ILR Visa Experts at our central London office. We know that once you have spoken or met with us; you will place your faith in us to ensure the most critical UK Visa application you will ever make is approved the first time.
• You can use the live chat feature if you are viewing our site via a desktop computer or tablet device – you can find the live chat feature at the bottom right-hand side of your screen. This is an excellent way to have an instant chat with a UK Visa Expert that has secured thousands of Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa applications to date. Should all our UK Visa Experts be away from the office when you try to use this service, just submit a call-back request or message, and an expert will call you ASAP.
• You can submit a Call-Back Request, and we will call you back as soon as possible. You can do this at the top of the screen, and one of our ILR Visa Experts will call you to carry out the free assessment over the phone.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to ensure that your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa is approved the first time, without exception.

Should you sign up for our full-representation service, we offer a no-win, no-fee guarantee (in line with our Terms and Conditions) to demonstrate just how confident we are in securing your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approval. All you need to take advantage of this guarantee is provide us with the supporting documents we ask for, in the format requested, and follow our advice to the letter when we are applying on your behalf.

We also reassure all our clients that should they sign up for our full-service and satisfy all the eligibility requirements, they are signing up for us to work with them until we secure the ILR Visa approval. As a result, our service will only be over once we have delivered the approval as promised.

One of the many requirements that must be satisfied to secure an ILR Visa approval is to be able to show that there is suitable accommodation in the UK. Suitable accommodation is defined as a property to live in that is not overcrowded and does not contravene public health regulations.

You can share the property with other people, but you may be required to demonstrate that there will not be overcrowding at the property and that there is enough living space at the property if the Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa is granted.

Any applicants applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain between the ages of 18 and 65 years old are required to take an exam called the Life in the UK test and satisfy an English language requirement. The Life in the UK test is not a difficult test, but we sincerely recommend that you learn from the official study guide; otherwise, it may be tough to pass the test.

Most British nationals that we know that have attempted the Life in the UK test have failed because they have not read the study guide! The test itself is has been introduced to see how much you know about British history, culture and politics.

There are four ways to satisfy the ILR Level B1 Speaking and Listening English language requirement:

• you are a national of a majority English speaking country – Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA.
• You have a degree that was taught in English (to a high enough level) awarded outside the UK, and the degree is comparable to a UK degree;
• You have a degree awarded by a UK University; or
• You have passed an approved English test (Trinity College London (TCL) Level B1 test or the IELTS Life Skills Level B1 test).

To satisfy the English language requirement via an English test, you must pass the English test to Level B1 in speaking and listening (about 5 out of 10 in difficulty).

For more information about how you or any dependants applying with you can satisfy the English language or Life in the UK test requirements, call one of our UK visa experts on 0203 178 2048 (or request a Call-Back above).

If you currently hold one of the following UK Partner Visas and are looking to try and secure an ILR visa, you must have spent at least 4 years and 11 months living in the UK with your partner continuously to qualify for ILR:

• UK Spouse Visa (and note that all these visa categories are also known as Settlement Visas)
• UK Civil Partner Visa
• UK Unmarried Partner Visa
• UK Same-sex Partner Visa

Once you have been living continuously in the UK for 5-years to satisfy the residency period, you will also need to satisfy the following requirements to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain:

• You must not have been in breach of any of the terms of your UK visa(s) for the last 2 or 5 years.
• Please note that unlike most other UK visa categories, there is not technically a limit on the amount of time you can spend outside the UK when UK Partner Visa holders apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. If you have spent a lot of time outside the UK (i.e. more than 6 months per year), we would recommend that you discuss this matter with one of our ILR Visa Experts to ensure you will not face any issues when applying for your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa. You can call us now on +44 (0) 203 178 2048.
• You must never have applied for any of your UK Partner Visa extensions after the expiry date of one of your visas during the residency qualifying period (i.e. 5-year qualifying period).
• You must have passed the Life in the UK test and be able to satisfy the level B1 English Language requirement. For more information, please read the KoLL Requirement section above.
• You must not have received any County Court Judgements (CCJ’s), Police Cautions or Criminal Convictions (including traffic offences where a court has made a judgement) in the last 2 years before applying. We would recommend that you speak with one of our ILR Visa Experts if you have any concerns about this requirement. This will allow them to explain in detail about what you can or cannot get away with concerning this point as the rules are extensive and complicated.
• You will also be required to prove that you have been living at the same address as your visa sponsor (i.e. your partner that is either British or holding an ILR visa) for the last 5 years in the UK. Should you choose to become our client, rest assured that we would provide you with a definitive list of documents, you should submit to guarantee your ILR Visa is approved. This list is based on over 12 years’ experience in securing nothing but Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approvals.

Should you wish to check whether you or your dependents qualify for an ILR visa, why not call us now on +44 (0) 203 178 2048 or submit a Call-back request above and one of our dedicated ILR Visa Experts will call you instead?

Since March 2019, the entire application process is now fully digital, and there are no specific application forms needed. When the application is initially set up online, the correct category of UK Visa must be selected to ensure that you are applying for the right visa. Before the application process evolved to a fully digital process, the application forms needed to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain were as follows:

• SET(LR) Form – The name of this form stood for “Settlement Long Residence” is was used by everyone applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain based on 10-years continuous and lawful residence in the UK (on any combination of UK Visas).
• SET(M) Form – This name stood for “Settlement Marriage”. It was used by anyone holding a UK Spouse Visa, Civil Partner Visa, Unmarried Partner Visa or Same-sex Partner Visa to secure Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
• SET(O) Form – This form was entitled “Settlement Other” and accounted for more than 80% of all Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa applications submitted. Put simply, anyone applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain that was doing so under the 5-year route to ILR, that held an eligible category of UK Visa apart from a UK Partner Visa, used this form.

We are pleased to confirm that these forms are technically not appropriate anymore, and should you take advantage of our services, we can ensure that you apply correctly online so that the application is secured first-time.

As the name of the visa suggests, an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa is granted for an “indefinite” period. It technically has no expiry date (unless you leave the UK for more than 2-years in one trip or the visa is taken away by the UK government for any reason).

Having said this, do not be confused when you receive your ILR Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) Visa ID card after securing your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approval. All adult applicants in the UK will receive an Indefinite Leave to Remain BRP card that has an expiry date of 31^st December 2024, and all child applicants will receive a BRP card valid for 5-years. The expiry date on the ILR BRP card is not the expiry date of the Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa (as it is indefinite) and is only the expiry date of the BRP card itself.

Should you apply to become British before the expiry date on the ILR BRP card, the expiry date of the card will not affect you as your citizenship replaces your Indefinite Leave to Remain status in the UK. Should you not secure British citizenship before the expiry date on your ILR BRP card, you will have to apply for a replacement BRP card to extend the expiry date of the BRP card (rather than re-apply for ILR). The cost for a replacement BRP card is a fraction of the cost of applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain, so this should only be a minor inconvenience when the time comes.

If you hold an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa in the UK, there are no restrictions on your ability to work or study in the UK. You are fully entitled to undertake the following work in the UK:

• You can be an employee of someone else’s company.
• You can be self-employed (as a sole trader or in a partnership).
• You can be a Director of your own Limited company or an employee of a family member’s Limited company.
• A combination of all the above.

Should you wish to study in the UK when you hold Indefinite Leave to Remain, you will be treated as a British person, and not required to pay the costly fees an overseas student is required to pay.

As you will have full access to financial benefits and NHS healthcare support paid for by the British government when you secure your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa, you are not required to pay the NHS Surcharge when applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

For your information, you may find that the NHS Surcharge is sometimes stated as the Immigration Health Surcharge (or IHS), so do not be confused, as they are just different ways of saying the same thing.

Our advice is always to consider paying the £800 per applicant extra to apply via the Priority Service to secure the approval within one-working day after the biometric appointment. It is very important that you secure the approval in the UK before your current visa expires as you cannot submit a fresh application after your current visa expiry date if your application is unsuccessful. Many applicants are not aware of this fact and considering you can typically only apply for your visa extension up to 28 days before your current visa expires (unless switching category), you may only have one chance to secure the approval.

The only times we would typically recommend a client consider saving the money and apply using the Standard Service (which takes up to 6 months to receive your decision) would be:

• If many applicants are applying at the same time and it is difficult to pay the very expensive government fees;
• If you currently have more than 6 months left on your current UK Visa, and there is a very low risk, your current visa may expire during the process. As you should receive a decision via the Standard Service before your current visa expires, there is little risk to saving the £800 per applicant Priority Service

If you have tried applying yourself without expert assistance and find yourself in the unfortunate situation of receiving an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa refusal, the advice we would offer about your options differs depending on whether you applied in the UK or from outside the UK.

If you applied in the UK and your Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa application is refused:

• We would recommend that you call one of our UK Visa Experts immediately, and they can thoroughly assess your situation and confirm the best options available to you to turn this situation around ASAP.
• Should the applicant’s current visa have expired before you receive the refusal, you will only be able to appeal the decision by following the appeal process, as no further fresh applications can be submitted to turn the situation around. Please note that Points Based System (PBS) to ILR applications under the 5-year path do not receive the right to appeal the decision, and you can only request an Administrative Review from another Home Office caseworker. Applicants applying for 10-year Long Residence ILR will be granted the right to appeal through the courts. You should note that the appeal process can take 9 – 12 months during which time the applicant cannot travel and can only work if they submitted their application before the visa expired. There is also never a guarantee of success when it comes to the appeal process through the courts, and you will be relying on the judge that hears the appeal to overturn the decision.
• Should you receive an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa refusal in the UK and your current visa is still valid; we can assist you by submitting a perfectly presented second application and secure the Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa approval for you. We would always recommend this option if available as it is the safest and quickest way to turn the situation around for you.

If you have recently received an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa refusal, we would recommend you call one of our ILR Visa Experts to see how they can assist you, or submit a call-back request on this page, and they will call you instead.

Everyone that secures their Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa that is not married to a British national must spend no less than a full 12-months on Indefinite Leave to Remain before they may be eligible to apply for British Citizenship (via a naturalisation application).

Should you be married to a British national and secure Indefinite Leave to Remain, you do not need to wait for 12-months holding ILR before applying and can apply immediately for British Citizenship if you satisfy the naturalisation rules. For more information about the eligibility requirements to secure British Citizenship, please read our British Citizenship page (or request a call back from one of our British Citizenship Experts!).