Indefinite Leave to Remain is the term for permanent residence or settlement in the UK. It can be achieved through various routes depending on which visa you have held over the last 5 or 10 years and in some cases 2 years. Once you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) you can stay in the UK without any time restrictions.
Visa categories that can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain include:
1) Spouse visa / Unmarried partner visa / Same Sex / Civil Partner visa
2) Child or Parent or Adult Dependent Relative Visa
3) Tier 1 Investor or Innovator Visas and Tier 2 UK work permit visas (after 5 years)
4) UK ancestry visa (after 5 years)
5) EU nationals and dependents (after 5 years)
6) Long residence (after 10 years of legal residency in the UK)
Achieving indefinite leave to remain status is essential to qualifying for a British Citizenship through Naturalisation or Registration and ultimately obtaining a British Passport.
Requirements:
The requirements for this visa are as follows:
1) Life in the UK Test
2) English Test at minimum of B1 Level
Applying for indefinite leave to remain as a Spouse, Civil Partner or Unmarried Partner, you will need to have completed 5 years (60 months) in the UK as the partner of a British citizen or settled person. You will also need to satisfy the strict financial requirements under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
If applying for indefinite leave to enter or remain as an Adult Dependent Relative or Child, you will need to demonstrate that you will be adequately maintained, accommodated, and cared for without recourse to public funds. There is no English language requirement, and it is not necessary to pass the Life in the UK test.
Requirements to apply for ILR under the PBS Category:
Work related and Investment related settlement routes include the Tier 1 Innovator, Tier 1 Investor Visa, and Tier 2 General Skilled Worker and the Sole Representative of an Overseas Business Visa and the UK Ancestry Visa.
To apply under these categories, you will need to satisfy the UK Visas and Immigration team that:
You have spent a continuous period of 5 years lawfully in the UK in a permitted category.
You have not been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12 calendar month periods preceding the date of application.