UK settlement & ILR timeline
Work out your earliest Indefinite Leave to Remain and citizenship dates, check the 180-day absence rule, and see what the settlement reforms might change.
Rules as of 2026-07-06. The standard qualifying period for ILR remains 5 years on most work and family routes (10 years for long residence). Naturalisation as a British citizen normally requires a further 12 months after ILR, unless married to a British citizen.
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The 180-day rule
No more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying period.
Earned settlement
Apply under today's rules — we track this
The government's 'earned settlement' consultation — which proposed raising the standard qualifying period from 5 to 10 years with contribution-based reductions — closed on 12 February 2026 with over 200,000 responses. As of early July 2026 no rule change has been made and the formal response is still pending; changes are expected to be announced later in 2026. Today's rules still apply to applications filed now.