FOR ALL YOUR IMMIGRATION MATTERS

ILR Based on Long Residence

Have you been lawfully residing in the UK for 10 continuous years? If you have, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain on the basis of Long Residence in the UK.

 

When you have permanently settled or attained Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, you will be able to stay in the UK without any time restrictions. 

  • Specialist Expertise
  • High Success Rate
  • Outstanding Client Care
  • Proactive and Diligent Approach
  • Extensive Experience and Reliability
Contact us for a ILR Based on Long Residence consultation

(Typical response time 2 business hours)

6,500 +

Successful Applications and Still Counting

31

Years of Experience in the UK Immigration Law

18

British Lawyers and Supporting Staff

25k +

Consultancy Services Provided and Still Counting
Established in 2008, Garth Coates Solicitors is a leading Immigration Law Firm that can provide professional legal advice to ensure that your Application satisfies the strict requirements of the Immigration Rules. Our team of legal professionals offers comprehensive and considered advice to enable our clients to make informed choices. We strongly believe that our clients deserve the best; we take our responsibilities very seriously to ensure that client satisfaction is achieved by providing a professional yet friendly legal service. We aim to resolve all immigration matters brought to us by working diligently and together with our clients, keeping them informed of the progress of their case at all stages. Our outstanding success rate is maintained thanks to the high standard of our work. If you would like us to assist you with your Immigration Matter, kindly click here to leave us an Enquiry. Alternatively, we can be reached via telephone at (00 44) (0)20 7799 1600 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (UTC+00.00 London) every Monday to Friday.
Contact us

FAQs

ILR based on long residence is a route to settlement for people who have lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for 10 years or more. If successful, indefinite leave to remain removes time limits on your stay and allows you to live, work and study in the UK without further visa renewals. It can also be an important step towards British citizenship later, if you meet the nationality requirements.

This route is not tied to one single visa category. Time spent with permission on most immigration routes can count towards the 10-year period, provided the residence is lawful and continuous under the rules. Garth Coates can help applicants review their immigration history carefully and check whether their time in the UK qualifies before they submit a settlement application.

A person may be eligible to apply if they have completed 10 continuous years of lawful residence in the UK and meet the other requirements of the route. In addition to the residence test, applicants must usually meet suitability requirements and, for immediate settlement, satisfy the English language and Knowledge of Life in the UK requirements. Where someone meets the residence requirements but not both of those later requirements, the rules may instead allow an application for temporary permission to stay.

Eligibility can be more technical than it first appears. Gaps in permission, periods of overstaying, or uncertainty about which visas count can all affect the outcome. Because of that, it is important to assess the full immigration timeline rather than relying on rough dates alone. Garth Coates can help applicants check whether they are ready to apply now or whether further lawful residence is still needed.

Under Appendix Long Residence, time spent in the UK with permission on most immigration routes can count towards the 10-year qualifying period. The key issue is whether the residence has been lawful and continuous throughout the relevant period. This means the Home Office will look closely at a person’s immigration history, including the dates of grants of leave, extensions, and any possible gaps between permissions.

Applicants should not assume that every type of time in the UK automatically counts in the same way. The exact immigration category and any periods without valid permission matter a great deal. That is why long residence cases often require a careful review of past visas and official records. Garth Coates can help build a clear timeline and identify whether the 10-year period has been completed in a way that satisfies the current long residence rules.

Continuous residence means living in the UK over the relevant 10-year period without breaking the continuity required by the immigration rules. It is one of the most important parts of a long residence application because even where a person has spent many years in Britain, certain absences or gaps in lawful status can affect whether they qualify. The Home Office guidance explains that long residence recognises the ties a person forms with the UK over a lengthy period of lawful residence here.

In practice, applicants should review:

  • The exact start and end dates of each grant of permission
  • Any time spent outside the UK
  • Whether there were any periods of overstaying
  • Whether applications were made in time

A careful chronology often makes the difference between a strong application and a risky one. Garth Coates can help analyse travel history and immigration records before an application is filed.

A long residence ILR application usually needs evidence showing the applicant’s identity, immigration history, and eligibility under the route. Although the exact documents depend on the case, applicants will often need their passport or travel documents, proof of current immigration status, and records that support the claimed 10-year period of lawful residence. Where relevant, they may also need evidence for the English language and Life in the UK requirements.

Useful documents may include:

  • Current and previous passports
  • Biometric immigration records or eVisa details
  • Home Office decision letters
  • Evidence of lawful grants of leave
  • English language evidence, if required
  • Life in the UK Test pass confirmation, if required

Because long residence cases often depend on detailed chronology, missing historic evidence can create unnecessary difficulty. Garth Coates can help applicants identify gaps and organise the paperwork into a clear settlement application.

Yes, applicants seeking immediate settlement on the long residence route must usually meet both the English language requirement and the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement, unless an exemption applies. The Immigration Rules guidance makes clear that where someone meets the long residence and suitability requirements but does not meet both of these further requirements, they may instead be granted temporary permission to stay rather than indefinite leave to remain.

This is an important point because some applicants wrongly assume that 10 years of lawful residence alone is enough for settlement. In reality, the long residence route still has additional criteria that must be satisfied at the point of application. Garth Coates can help applicants check whether they are fully ready for ILR now or whether they first need to complete an outstanding test or gather the right evidence.

No, the long residence route does not provide for dependants to apply on that route with the main applicant. The Immigration Rules guidance states that there is no provision for dependants of a person on the Long Residence route to apply on this route. GOV.UK also notes that family members may need to apply separately, and children aged 18 and over may have to leave the UK if they are not eligible in their own right.

This is an area that often causes confusion. A main applicant may qualify for settlement through 10 years’ lawful residence, but their partner or child may need to use a different immigration route depending on their status and history in the UK. Garth Coates can help families plan these applications together so that one person’s settlement application does not unintentionally create difficulties for others.

Garth Coates is a specialist UK immigration law firm that advises on indefinite leave to remain, long residence, British citizenship, visa extensions, appeals and related immigration matters. For long residence cases, legal support can be especially useful where the applicant has a complicated immigration history, multiple visa categories, questions about absences, or uncertainty about whether the full 10-year qualifying period has been completed lawfully and continuously.

A strong long residence application often depends on detailed legal analysis rather than just counting calendar years. The applicant may need to evidence old grants of leave, explain gaps, or decide whether to apply for settlement now or temporary permission first. Garth Coates can help assess the timeline, identify weak points, and prepare a clearer application that is better aligned with the current Home Office rules and guidance.

Garth Coates, Immigration Law Firm
Garth Coates

Principal Partner

A Message from Our Principal

At Garth Coates Solicitors, we provide expert legal advice and unwavering support across the full spectrum of UK immigration matters. Before qualifying as a solicitor, I worked within the UK Home Office (UKVI) as an Immigration Officer — a role that gave me valuable insight into the inner workings of the immigration system. Since then, I have gone on to represent clients at several of the UK’s most prominent immigration law firms, and later established this firm to deliver a more focused and client-centred approach.

Together with my senior legal team, we bring over 30 years of combined experience in the UK immigration sector. This depth of expertise enables us to successfully handle even the most complex and challenging cases — from visa refusals and judicial review proceedings to corporate sponsorships, family reunifications, and permanent settlement applications.

We are proud of our high success rate, earned through strategic thinking, meticulous preparation, and a commitment to delivering results. Our multilingual team of solicitors, caseworkers, and support professionals is well-equipped to serve a global clientele with care, professionalism, and cultural understanding.

At Garth Coates Solicitors, we fight for our clients’ rights and treat each case with the attention and seriousness it deserves. Whether you’re applying for the first time, facing an appeal, or unsure of your options, we are here to guide you with clarity and confidence.

Warm regards,

Contact us for a ILR Based on Long Residence consultation

(Typical response time 2 business hours)