Apply for ILR based on 10 Years Long Residence - SET (LR) Application through Super Priority Service

: Written by: Arshad Mahmood; Last Updated: 02 March 2026

You can apply for ILR - 10 years long residence by completing and submitting the SET (LR) application online after you have lived in the UK continuously and lawfully for 10 years. The Long Residence route is for a person who has lived in the UK lawfully and continuously for 10 years or more. The person can count time spent in the UK with permission to stay under most visa routes towards the 10-year qualifying period. The applicant for ILR 10 years long residence is required to meet the eligibility requirements as set out in Appendix Long Residence of the Immigration Rules. Appendix Long Residence replaced provisions in Part 7 (rules 276A-276D) of the Immigration Rules on 11 April 2024.

For the purposes of ILR under the 10-year residence category, the residence in the UK must be both continuous and lawful for the applicant to succeed in his/her ILR application.

A person may apply for immediate settlement if they meet all the settlement requirements, or may apply for temporary permission to stay if they meet the suitability, qualifying period, and continuous residence requirements but do not meet the English language or Knowledge of life in the UK requirements. A person who has lived in the UK for a long period but has not been lawfully and continuously resident for 10 years may be eligible to apply under Appendix Private Life. There is no provision for a person's dependents to apply on the Long Residence route.

You can apply for an ILR 10-year-long residence application through Super Priority Service for a decision on your ILR application within 24 hours.

Premium Solicitors, open 7 days a week and 365 days a year, are specialist UK immigration solicitors. The high quality of UK visa and immigration services provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced SRA-regulated immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Free Immigration Advice for ILR 10 Years Long Residence

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide one-off, 5-minute free online immigration advice regarding your application for ILR based on 10 years of long residence. Ask a question to our specialist team of ILR solicitors for free immigration advice online or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist ILR solicitors for your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence.

Super Priority Service for ILR 10 Years Long Residence

As specialist immigration solicitors for SET (LR) applications, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and its commercial partners UKVCAS Sopra Steria to provide Super Priority Service for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence whereby a decision on your ILR application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your ILR application through Super Priority Service.

Our long residence Solicitors can prepare and submit your ILR 10-year residence application faster and get you a decision faster through Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your ILR application for months (sometimes years).

One-Off Service For Submission Of Your ILR Application Through Super Priority Service

Our specialist team of fast-track immigration solicitors can provide a one-off service to submit your completed ILR application through Super Priority Service so that you get a decision on your ILR application within 24 hours. We will submit your ILR application through Super Priority Service under the no-submission, no-fee policy, which means if we fail to submit your ILR application within 48 hours of your fees being paid to us, we will issue a full refund of those fees, with no deductions.

We will act for you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), under which we will issue a full refund of the fees paid to us, without any deductions, if we fail to submit your ILR application through Super Priority Service within 48 hours of payment being made.

If we successfully submit your ILR application through Super Priority Service within 48 hours of receiving payment, we will charge a fixed fee of £250 + VAT (£300 including VAT), as set out in the conditional fee agreement (CFA) signed between you and us.

How to Apply for ILR based on 10 Years of Long Residence?

To apply for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence, you should take the following steps:

Complete the online application form SET (LR) on the UKVI website.
Submit the completed ILR application online by paying the Home Office UKVI fees for the ILR application.
Book your biometrics appointment with the UKVCAS by creating an account on the UKVCAS web portal.
Upload all the supporting documents online before the biometrics enrolment appointment date.
Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment. You should bring your passport and your biometrics appointment letter to your biometrics appointment.
Wait for a decision on your ILR application, which will normally be made within 3 to 6 months if you apply through standard service and within 24 hours if you apply through Super Priority Service.

Requirements For ILR On The Basis Of 10 Years Long Residence?

According to paragraph Appendix Long Residence of the Immigration Rules, the requirements to be met by an applicant for indefinite leave to remain on the grounds of long residence in the United Kingdom are:

Valid Application Requirement

A person applying for settlement on the Long Residence route must apply online on the gov.uk website on the specified form “Apply to settle in the UK – long residence”. An application for settlement on the Long Residence route must meet all the following requirements:

any fee must have been paid; and
the applicant must have provided biometrics when required; and
the applicant must have provided a passport or other document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality.
The applicant must be in the UK on the date of application.

An application which does not meet all the validity requirements for settlement on the Long Residence route may be rejected as invalid and not considered.

Qualifying Period Requirement

The applicant must have spent a qualifying period of 10 years lawfully in the UK, for the entirety of which one or more of the following applied:

the applicant had permission, except permission as a Visitor, Short-term Student (English language) or Seasonal Worker (or under any of their predecessor routes); or
the applicant was exempt from immigration control; or
the applicant was in the UK as an EEA national, or the family member of an EEA national, exercising a right to reside under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 prior to 11pm on 31 December 2020 (and until 30 June 2021 or the final determination of an application under Appendix EU made by them by that date).

Leave which is extended by virtue of section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, counts as lawful presence for the purposes of long residence.

The following periods will not count towards the qualifying period for Long Residence:

time spent on immigration bail, temporary admission or temporary release; and
any period of overstaying between periods of permission before 24 November 2016 even if a further application was made within 28 days of the expiry of the previous permission; and
any period of overstaying between periods of permission on or after 24 November 2016 even if paragraph 39E applies to that period of overstaying; and
any current period of overstaying where the Appendix Suitability requirements are met.

Disregarded periods of overstaying will not break continuous residence but will not count towards the 10-year qualifying period. The applicant must have had permission on their current immigration route for at least 12 months on the date of application, or have been exempt from immigration control in the 12 months immediately before the date of application. This requirement does not apply to an application if the applicant’s current permission was granted before 11 April 2024.

Continuous Residence Requirement

The applicant must have met the continuous residence requirement set out in Appendix Continuous Residence for the entirety of the qualifying period.

Suitability Requirements

The decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant does not fall for refusal on general grounds as set out in Appendix Suitability of the Immigration Rules.

The applicant must not be:

in breach of immigration laws, except that where Appendix Suitability requirements are met, that period of overstaying will be disregarded (although it will not count towards the qualifying period); or
on immigration bail.

English Language Requirement

Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in speaking and listening of at least level B1. The applicant must show they meet the English language requirement, or that an exemption applies, as set out in Appendix English Language.

Knowledge of Life in the UK Requirement

Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must meet the Knowledge of life in the UK requirement as set out in Appendix KOL UK. The applicant must show they meet the Knowledge of life in the UK requirement, or that they are exempt, as set out in Appendix KOL UK.

Continuous Residence Requirement For ILR 10 Years Long Residence

The continuous residence requirements (paragraph LR 12.1.) are set out in Appendix Continuous Residence to the Immigration Rules.

The following periods will break the continuous residence:

immigration bail, temporary admission, and temporary release
permission as a Visitor, Short-term Student (English language) or Seasonal Worker (or any of their predecessor routes)
overstaying, which is not disregarded

The following periods will not break continuous residence:

overstaying, which is disregarded
time spent in the common travel area. Appendix Continuous Residence (at paragraph CR 2.2A) recognises that its provisions are different from the previous long residence rules at paragraph 276A and makes transitional arrangements specifically for long residence applicants. These transitional arrangements preserve the position that continuous residence will be broken if an applicant has been absent from the UK for more than 184 days at any one time or for more than a total of 548 days overall, where that absence started before 11 April 2024. This means that:
- any single absences started before 11 April 2024 must be no longer than 184 days
- a 10-year period completed before 11 April 2024 must not have total absences of more than 548 days - for 10-year periods which extend beyond 11 April 2024, there is no 548-day limit
- from 11 April 2024, the applicant must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period

Paragraph CR 4.1.(d)(iii) also preserves the position in the rules as of 10 April 2024 for applicants who had permission when they left the UK and returned to the UK with valid permission, provided they do not exceed the limit of permissible absences.

Time Spent in The UK On Exceptional Assurance

No periods of exceptional assurance between 1 September 2020 and 28 February 2023 are included in the calculation of the continuous residence for the qualifying period. However, any extensions of leave granted under the Coronavirus extension concession and the following grace period (covering 24 January to 31 August 2020) count toward the qualifying period requirement.

Time Spent in the Republic of Ireland and Crown Dependencies

Even though they form part of the common travel area, time with permission spent in the Republic of Ireland or the Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) does not count in the calculation of the qualifying period for the purposes of long residence.

Time spent in the UK with a Right to Reside Under the EEA Regulations

EEA nationals and their recognised family members who were residents in the UK before Free Movement ended at 11 pm GMT on 31 December 2020 could still, under the Withdrawal Agreement, continue to exercise EEA residential rights in the UK until the end of the grace period, namely 30 June 2021. After that date, these individuals should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to regularise their permission under the Immigration Rules Appendix EU and avoid being in the UK unlawfully. Sufficient evidence must be provided to demonstrate that the applicant has been exercising treaty rights throughout any period that they are seeking to rely on for the purposes of meeting the long residence rules. Whether a period of residence is counted, or not, for the purpose of long residence does not affect the rights of family members of EEA nationals to have previously acquired permanent residence in the UK, where they qualify for it after a period of 5 years residence under Regulation 15 of the EEA Regulations.

If an applicant was in the UK with a right to reside under EEA Regulations, continuous residence is not broken if they leave the UK and are then re-admitted under the EEA Regulations.

Time spent in the UK as a British citizen

Time spent in the UK as a British citizen must be counted in the qualifying period. Although some people may have spent time in the UK as British citizens and have since renounced their British citizenship, this time spent as a British citizen in the UK would still count in the qualifying period for 10-year-long residence applications.

Time spent in the UK whilst exempt from immigration control

Time spent in the UK, exempt from immigration control, must be counted in the qualifying period. People exempt from immigration control include diplomats and members of the armed forces.

Deemed leave for diplomats and 28 days leave outside the rules for former members of the armed forces

‘Deemed leave’ is a 90-day period of permission given to diplomats once their period of exemption from the immigration control period ends. Former members of the armed forces will normally be granted 28 days leave outside the Immigration Rules when they cease to be exempt on discharge.

By the end of the 90 or 28 days, the person must either:

apply for permission
depart the UK

A person with deemed leave does not receive an endorsement in their passport. However, a former member of the armed forces will have an endorsement in their passport. If a person applies to extend their stay in the UK within 90 or 28 days (as appropriate) of their exemption ending and is granted a period of permission, their continuous residence is not broken. If a person remains in the UK and does not apply for further permission within the 90 or 28 days described above, their continuous residence is broken.

Documents for ILR 10 Years Long Residence Application

The supporting documents are key to succeeding in an application for ILR based on 10 years long residence. Supporting documents for an ILR application based on 10 years of residence may vary from case to case, depending on the individual circumstances of the applicant. Generally, the following documents may be required for an application for ILR based on 10 years long residence:

All passports covering the relevant 10 years qualifying period of long residence.
BRP card of the applicant.
Any evidence of private and family life established in the UK.
Any other evidence which may be relevant to address any particular issue in the long residence application, including, e.g. one of the previous passports is missing; the applicant exceeded the permitted number of days absent from the UK; previous gaps in between the periods of leave to remain applications, etc.
Any documents or information that are relevant to argue why the Home Office UKVI should exercise discretion to grant the application, where the reliance is being made on the discretion of the Home Office UKVI in approving the long residence application.
Life in the UK test certificate or pass notification.
A document to prove that the applicant meets the English language proficiency at level B1 in listening and speaking only.

Our expert team of immigration solicitors can provide the specific list of documents upon assessing all the relevant circumstances of the applicant and after identifying issues, if any, in the long residence application.

Family Members Of A Person Applying For ILR Based on 10 Years Long Residence

There is no provision within the Immigration Rules for an applicant to include dependants on a long residence application. Dependants must make their own sole applications if they wish to rely on the 10-year
long residence rules. Your family members (‘dependants’) can apply for ILR separately based on their 10 years of residence using form SET (LR) if they have also completed 10 years of residence in the UK. You cannot include your partner or child in your SET (LR) application.

If the lead applicant has a settlement on the basis of long residence (including where they have subsequently naturalised as British citizens) provided they held leave under the relevant PBS ILR qualifying route at the time when they settled, their partner can extend their permission or gain settlement as a dependant under such PBS routes as a dependant. This means the dependant can still apply for an extension of the PBS Dependant visa or apply for ILR as a PBS dependant after the main applicant has been granted ILR on the basis of 10 years of residence.

Your partner can also apply for leave to remain in the UK as the partner of a settled person if they are not eligible to apply for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence separately, either at the same time as you apply for ILR 10 years long residence or after you have been granted ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence. They may be able to include their children in their application. Any children born in the UK can apply for registration as British citizens as soon as either parent of the child has been granted ILR in the UK.

Re-Applying For ILR Based on 10 Years of Long Residence after the Refusal

You may be able to reapply for ILR on the basis of 10 years of long residence if your SET (LR) application has been refused by the Home Office UKVI, and you do not believe you can successfully challenge the refusal of your ILR application. Any such fresh ILR application should meet the requirements as set out in paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules. Also, any such fresh application should be made ideally through Super Priority Service for a decision on the ILR application within 24 hours.

Appeal Against Refusal of ILR Based on 10 Years Long Residence

If your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years of residence has been refused by the Home Office UKVI and you have been given the right to appeal against the refusal decision, you should file an appeal with the First Tier Tribunal within 14 days of the refusal decision. The appeal against the refusal decision can be successful on the grounds that the decision to refuse is not in accordance with rules or in contravention of your right to private and family life as envisaged under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). An Immigration Judge at the First Tier Tribunal will hear and determine the appeal. Our specialist long-residence solicitors can provide the required legal services to represent you in your appeal to challenge the refusal decision of your SET (LR) application.

Naturalisation As A British Citizen After Grant Of ILR

You can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen 12 months after you have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if you have been lawfully resident in the UK for the last 5 years preceding the date of the naturalisation application. If you are married to a British Citizen, the residence requirement will be 3 years instead of 5 years, and there will be no requirement to wait for 12 months after the grant of ILR when applying for naturalisation as a spouse of a British Citizen. Your absences from the UK during the last 5 years before the date of application for naturalisation should not exceed 450 days. If you are relying on 3 years of residence because you are married to a British Citizen, your absences during the last 3 years before the date of your naturalisation application should not exceed 270 days. Also, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days in the last 12 months before the date of your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen. Our specialist team of naturalisation solicitors can provide immigration advice and legal services for your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen after the grant of ILR on the basis of 10 years of residence. Read More

How Can We Help With Your ILR 10 Years Long Residence Application?

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed fee basis in relation to your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years of residence. Our fixed fee for your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence will cover all the work of our immigration solicitors on your 10-year-long residence application. The casework to be carried out by our long residence solicitors in relation to your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our long residence solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you must meet for your application for ILR, based on a 10-year-long residence, to succeed.

Advice on documents: Our long residence lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence;

Assessment of documents: Our long-residence lawyers will assess your documents to ensure that all documents you provide in support of your application for ILR based on 10 years of residence are in accordance with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Completing the application form: Our long residence lawyers will complete the relevant application form for your ILR application based on 10 years of long residence.

Submitting an application through Super Priority Service: Our immigration lawyers will submit your online ILR application based on 10 years of residence through Super Priority Service to obtain a decision within 24 hours.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your ILR application online based on your 10 years of residence, our long residence solicitors will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.

Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist long-residence solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your ILR application based on 10 years' residence, explaining how all the legal requirements are met and why your application should be approved.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our long residence solicitors will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence.

Follow-up work: Our long-residence solicitors will carry out all the follow-up work until the Home Office UKVI decides on your application for ILR based on 10 years of residence.

Why Choose Us For ILR On The Basis Of 10 Years Long Residence?

There are a number of reasons why you can choose our immigration solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence from inside the UK. The main reasons include the following:

High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best immigration solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for ILR based on 10 years of residence. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Remote Legal Services: Our specialist immigration solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert immigration advice and legal representation remotely, from our London offices. Using modern technology, our specialist immigration solicitors and lawyers can handle your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence remotely without the need for you to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices, if this is their preference, we are proud to be able to offer our legal services for ILR application remotely to save your time and travel costs.

Open 7 Days A Week: We are open 7 days a week and take pride in providing dedicated immigration advice and legal representation for ILR applications based on 10 years long residence.

All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: All the casework on your application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence will be carried out by our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced immigration solicitors who have extensive experience in dealing with ILR 10 years long residence applications.

Fast Track Visa Service: Our experienced and qualified immigration solicitors can prepare and submit your application for ILR based on 10 years of residence in the shortest possible time using the fast-track process. Our immigration solicitors will submit your ILR application based on 10 years of residence through the Super Priority Visa Service to obtain a faster decision within 24 hours.

Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of immigration solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online for ILR through our website enquiry form.

Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our immigration solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for an application for ILR on the basis of 10 years long residence with the option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start our work on your ILR application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the ILR application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.

Specialist Immigration Solicitors for ILR 10 Years Long Residence Applications

Our immigration solicitors are specialists in applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) based on 10 years long residence. As one of the best immigration solicitors, we have an excellent track record of helping clients successfully obtain ILR based on 10 years long residence. Our highly experienced and fully qualified immigration solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee immigration advice and legal representation for your application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) based on 10 years long residence.

The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients. Our London-based immigration solicitors are available 7 days a week, 365 days a year, offering unwavering dedication and exceptional legal support for a wide range of UK visa and immigration cases. Our team of highly regarded immigration solicitors brings together more than 6 decades of collective, specialised expertise in successfully handling UK visa and immigration applications.

Meet Our Team of Immigration Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our immigration solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the ILR application process with professionalism and care.

Our team comprises a diverse group of immigration solicitors, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.