Settlement (ILR)
Indefinite leave to remain and the Life in the UK Test
Already settled? Enter your grant date to see when citizenship opens. Still on the way? The page explains what settlement asks of you.
When can I apply after getting ILR?
Settlement wait ends
2 March 2027
| Wait after ILR | 12 months |
| Also needed | 5 years, at most 450 days away |
| ILR fee (if not yet paid) | £3,226 |
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is how you settle in the UK: gov.uk describes it as the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and the status you use to apply for British citizenship. Many routes reach it after 5 years, some sooner, and long lawful residence is a route of its own. Applicants aged 18 to 64 usually have to show knowledge of English and of life in the UK: they pass the Life in the UK Test (24 questions, 45 minutes, £50) and prove English at B1 in speaking and listening, unless their route exempts them. Doing both for settlement pays off later: gov.uk says you need not retake the test for citizenship if you passed it for settlement, and a B1 result accepted for your ILR can be reused for naturalisation with no time limit. The ILR fee is £3,226 under the table in force since 8 October 2026. On the standard route you then wait 12 months before applying for citizenship.
Do I have to sit the Life in the UK Test?
Test needed?
Yes, you need a pass
| Ages exempt | under 18, or 65 and over |
| Fee if you sit it | £50 |
| Book at least | 3 days ahead |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Routes to settlement
gov.uk groups the ways to ILR by circumstance. The time needed varies:
| Route | Usual time in the UK | Notes from gov.uk |
|---|---|---|
| Work visas (Skilled Worker and others) | usually 5 years | shorter for Global Talent, Innovator Founder and old tier 1 visas |
| Family (partner, parent, child) | depends on the visa | other routes if a partner died or after domestic violence |
| Long residence | a long continuous period, see the route | separate route for private life visas |
| UK Ancestry | 5 years | Commonwealth citizens |
| British National (Overseas) visa | 5 years | |
| Refugees, humanitarian protection, armed forces, stateless people | varies | see the route guidance |
| EU Settlement Scheme | continuous residence, see the scheme | settled status, free, no test or English required |
The test and English at the settlement stage
The Life in the UK Test is the same test whether you take it for settlement or citizenship, booked only through gov.uk at least 3 days ahead. The test page lists who need not take it: anyone under 18, anyone 65 or over, anyone who has passed it before, and people with a long-term physical or mental condition backed by an exemption form or a doctor's letter. The second tool below applies those rules.
English for settlement follows the gov.uk page on proving your English: a qualification at B1 or above on the approved list, or a degree taught in English, unless you are exempt. The settlement exemptions are wider than for citizenship. They include several work routes (Skilled Worker, Scale-up Worker, Innovator Founder, International Sportsperson and others, because English was proved for the visa), refugees and people with humanitarian protection, victims of domestic violence and bereaved partners. An expired qualification can still be used for settlement if it is on the current list and was accepted for an earlier immigration application.
From 26 March 2027, HC 1691 raises the level for settlement to B2 on many routes; the B2 page explains who is concerned.
Why it is worth doing both now
Suppose Nadia, on a Skilled Worker visa, reaches settlement in 2026. Her route spares her the English requirement for ILR. If she sits a B1 speaking and listening test anyway and uses it in her ILR application, it will be "accepted for settlement", and Guide AN lets her rely on it for citizenship whatever its age. If she does not, she will need a fresh result, valid for 2 years, when she naturalises. The same goes for the Life in the UK Test: one pass serves both steps.
After the grant
Once you hold ILR, the clock for citizenship starts. On the standard route gov.uk says you must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting it; if your spouse or civil partner is British, you can apply at once. The tool at the top gives the date from your grant. Keep two limits in mind meanwhile: ILR lapses after 2 years in a row outside the UK (see time abroad), and absences still count against the citizenship limits. For the money side, the ILR and citizenship cost page adds the two applications together, from the first test sitting to the first passport.