Updates to the 10 years long residence settlement route

There are a few different changes to this route that have been introduced. We will go through them below.

Time period for permission to stay in the UK

Essentially, you will need to have been in the UK on your current visa or other route for at least a year before you can apply for 10 years’ long residence. 

This change means that even if you have been in the UK for a combined period of 10 years on valid visas, that you may still have to wait even longer before you can get ILR. 

You will no longer be able to apply for ILR through the 10 year route if you are currently in the UK on a visa that lasts a year or less. Instead, you will have to try and get a visa that allows you to be in the UK for more than a year. 

Clarified requirements for long residence

The rules have also been updated to clearly state what the actual requirements for the 10 years’ long residence route are, such as which visas and other routes count towards it. 

They also now clarify what does and does not break continuous long residence in the UK. For example, the following have been stated as not impacting your long residence if the situations cause you to be outside of the UK for more than 180 days in a year:

• Travel disruptions caused by natural disasters, conflicts, or pandemics 
• Assisting with providing humanitarian aid or with an environmental crisis if sponsor has agreed to it
• Accompanying your partner overseas who is either a member of the armed forces, a UK government employee, or a permanent member of the British Council   
• Compassionate grounds such as the applicant or a family member having a life-threatening illness, or the death of a family member
• Research activity on a Skilled Worker Visa which was approved by your sponsor in specific roles, such as if you are a scientist
• Absent from the UK for work, to study, or to support family overseas, as long as the family have maintained a family life and permanent residence in the UK
• Carrying out research endorsed by official bodies under the Global Talent Visa route 

Amount of time you can be absent from the UK for

Finally, there are also changes to how long you can be absent from the UK for without breaking your continuous long residence. Previously, you could leave the UK for a maximum 184 days at once, with an overall limit of 548 days within a ten-year period. 

Now, you cannot leave the UK for more than 180 days in a 12-month period. There is no longer an overall maximum number of days that you can leave the UK for, meaning that you can now leave the UK for more than 548 days in a 10-year period. 

However, it should be noted that this change will not apply retroactively to those who left the UK before 11 April 2024. You will still be bound to the old rules.