How Many Years to Get Permanent Residence in UK?

Understanding immigration laws is never easy, so don’t worry if you’re having a hard time working out what residence permit you can apply for and when in the UK. Unfortunately, there’s no short answer to say how many years it takes to get permanent residency in the UK, as it depends on your individual circumstances.

However, regarding what permanent residency is, what visas can lead to permanent residency, and how many years you have to live in the UK on each visa – we can help! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about permanent residency, so you start your application with the right information.

Permanent Residency: Explained

Permanent residency is also known as settlement and Indefinite Leave the Remain (ILR) in UK law. It allows you to reside in the UK for as long as you like, as well as work and study; it more or less grants you the same rights within the UK as a British citizen. However, permanent residency isn’t the same as British citizenship.

To get British citizenship, in most cases, you need to have ILR for at least 12 months. You can then apply for a British passport if you wish, and be eligible to vote in parliamentary elections. But back to permanent residency.

To apply for permanent residency, you need to already be residing in the UK on a valid visa; in most cases, these are work visas or relative visas, so they do not include temporary visas such as Student Visas or Creative Worker visas. For most of the valid visas, you will have to have resided in the UK for at least 5 years before you can apply for permanent residency, although some visas have a shorter waiting time. You can also apply for permanent residency if you have been living legally in the UK for at least 10 years.

There is no age limit to apply for permanent residency, however, you have to be at least 18 years old to apply for work visas in the UK due to the UK’s restrictions on working hours for minors. Even if you were born in the UK, you do not automatically become a British citizen, but you can apply for British citizenship after several years, or if you have lived continually in the UK for at least 7 years, you can apply for permanent residency.