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ILR as a Skilled Worker - Specialist Skilled Worker Visa Solicitors

: Written by: Arshad Mahmood; Last Updated: 08 July 2026

You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a Skilled Worker 28 days before completing the qualifying period of 5 years as a Skilled Worker / Tier 2 General migrant or in combination with other permitted work visa categories. Your qualifying period can include time from the date your initial application (for entry clearance or leave to remain) was approved.

An application for ILR as a Skilled Worker is submitted online using the SET (O) application form. The applicant must meet all the requirements outlined in the Appendix Skilled Workers and the Appendix Skilled Occupations. An application for ILR as a Skilled Worker can be submitted to the UKVI via the Super Priority Service to receive a decision within 24 hours.

Premium Solicitors are specialist UK immigration solicitors, open 7 days a week, providing expert SRA-regulated visa and immigration services with 5-star Google Reviews from 99% of clients. Contact us for 5 minutes of Free Immigration Advice.

Premium Solicitors are specialist Skilled Worker visa solicitors with extensive experience in assisting Skilled Worker migrants, Health and Care Worker visa holders and former Tier 2 (General) migrants with applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.

If you have completed, or are close to completing, 5 years in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa or qualifying work route, you may be eligible to apply for ILR as a Skilled Worker. Indefinite Leave to Remain, also known as settlement, allows you to live, work and study in the UK without immigration time restrictions. It can also be an important step towards applying for British citizenship.

Our experienced immigration solicitors can assess your eligibility, review your salary and sponsor documents, check your absences, prepare your online application, upload supporting documents, and provide legal representation for your Skilled Worker ILR application.

We provide fixed-fee legal services for Skilled Worker ILR applications and offer appointments by phone, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp and in person at our offices in London and Birmingham. We are open 7 days a week and can assist clients throughout the UK and overseas.

Free Immigration Advice for ILR as a Skilled Worker

Our specialist team of skilled worker visa solicitors can provide a free, one-off 5-minute immigration advice session regarding your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application as a skilled worker. Ask our specialist team of immigration solicitors a question online for free immigration advice, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and a consultation with one of our expert immigration solicitors regarding your ILR application as a skilled worker.

Requirements for ILR as a Skilled Worker

You should meet the following eligibility requirements for the grant of ILR as a Skilled Worker or Tier 2 General migrant:

Qualifying Period Requirement

The applicant must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK, consisting of time with permission in any of, or any combination of, the following routes:

Skilled Worker; or
Global Talent; or
Innovator Founder; or
T2 Minister of Religion; or
International Sportsperson; or
Representative of an Overseas Business; or
as a Tier 1 Migrant, other than as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Migrant; or
Scale-up; or
permission on any other route, during the time the applicant was waiting for a decision on their application as a Skilled Worker, provided that application:
- was for permission to stay; and
- was made between 24 January 2020 and 30 June 2021 (inclusive); and
- was supported on the date of application by a certificate of sponsorship assigned by a licensed sponsor; and
- was granted.

The most recent permission must have been in either the Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) route. An applicant does not need to have switched from Tier 2 (General) to Skilled Worker before applying for settlement as a Skilled Worker, as the definition of Skilled Worker in the Immigration Rules includes those with permission in the Tier 2 (General) route.

Continuous Residence Requirement:

The applicant must meet the continuous residence requirement as set out in Appendix Continuous Residence during the qualifying period for ILR as a Skilled Worker / Tier 2 General Migrant. To comply with the continuous residence requirement for ILR as a skilled worker migrant, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 months during the qualifying period of 5 years. Furthermore, your absences should be in line with the purpose for which the skilled worker visa was granted. This means all your absences from the UK should be either in line with paid annual leave, or work-related or due to compelling and compassionate reasons.

Knowledge Of Life In The UK Requirement

The applicant must meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement set out in Appendix KOL UK. They do not need to meet an English language requirement for settlement, as they will have met this in their previous Skilled Worker application.

Sponsorship and Salary Requirement

SW 24.1. The sponsor in the applicant’s most recent permission must still be approved by the Home Office to sponsor Skilled Workers on the date of the decision.

SW 24.2. The sponsor must confirm that they still require the applicant to work for them for the foreseeable future, and that the applicant is paid, and will be paid for the foreseeable future, at least the salary in SW 24.3.

SW 24.3. Subject to SW 24.4, the applicant’s salary must equal or exceed all three salary requirements shown in the relevant row of the table below.

Row	Applicant's Circumstances	General Salary	Going Rate
A	All cases where rows B to E do not apply	Salary of at least £38,700 per year	At least the relevant going rate listed in Table 1 or Table 1a of the Appendix Skilled Occupations
B	The applicant was sponsored in their most recent permission for a job in the Appendix Immigration Salary List, and rows C to E do not apply.	Salary of at least £33,400 per year	At least the relevant going rate listed in Table 1 or Table 1a of the Appendix Skilled Occupations
C	The applicant meets the requirements of SW 4.2(b), save that references to being sponsored should be read as meeting the requirements in SW 24.1. to SW 24.2, and rows D and E do not apply.	Salary of at least £31,300 per year	At least the relevant going rate listed in Tables 2 to 2a of the Appendix Skilled Occupations
D	The applicant was sponsored in their most recent permission for a job in either: • Appendix Immigration Salary List (or the previous Appendix Shortage Occupation List); or • a health or education SOC 2020 occupation code listed in Table 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations (or a related SOC 2010 occupation code shown in that table); and, in either case, row E does not apply.	Salary of at least £25,000 per year	At least the relevant going rate listed in Tables 2 to 5 of the Appendix Skilled Occupations
E	The 5-year qualifying period for settlement includes time as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant in which the applicant was sponsored for a job in one of the following SOC 2010 occupation codes: • 2111 Chemical scientists • 2112 Biological scientists and biochemists • 2113 Physical scientists • 2114 Social and humanities scientists • 2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified • 2150 Research and development managers • 2311 Higher education teaching professionals	Salary of at least £25,000 per year	At least the going rate in the table at SW 14.5(c), if the applicant has continued to be sponsored in that SOC 2010 occupation code, or the equivalent SOC 2020 occupation code shown in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, ever since. At least the relevant going rate in Tables 2 to 5 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, in other cases.

SW 24.4. Salary under the table in SW 24.3 is subject to the following:

(a) salary will be considered as set out in SW 14.1. to SW 14.5. (and in SW 14.3., references to the salary thresholds of £41,700, £33,400, £31,300 or £25,000 per year should be read as including references in the table in SW 24.3); and

(b) if the applicant is currently absent from work for one of the reasons set out in Part 9 paragraph 9.30.1, or has returned from such an absence within the month before the date of application, consideration will be based on their salary on their return to work, as stated by their sponsor.

Priority or Super Priority Service for ILR as a Skilled Worker

As specialist skilled worker visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) to provide Priority Service or Super Priority Service. An ILR application submitted through a Priority Service will normally be decided by the Home Office UKVI within five working days, and an ILR application submitted through a Super Priority Service will usually be decided within 24 hours.

Our skilled worker visa solicitors can prepare and submit your ILR application faster, helping you secure a decision through Priority or Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait months for a decision on your ILR application.

How We Can With ILR as a Skilled Worker

Our specialist team of skilled worker visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed-fee basis for your ILR application. Our fixed fee for your ILR application as a skilled worker covers all our work until the Home Office UKVI decides on your application. The casework to be carried out by our skilled worker visa solicitors about your ILR application will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will advise you on the requirements for your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a skilled worker.

Advice on documents: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents for your ILR application.

Assessment of documents: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will assess your supporting documents to ensure that all the documents you provide in support of your ILR application as a skilled worker comply with the requirements of the relevant immigration rules and UKVI Guidance relating to the skilled worker visa ILR.

Completing the application form: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your ILR application.

Priority or Super Priority Service: Where possible, our skilled worker visa solicitors will submit your online ILR application through Priority or Super Priority Service to receive a faster decision as a skilled worker.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After submitting your ILR application as a skilled worker online, our team of skilled worker visa solicitors will book an appointment with the application centre to enrol your biometrics.

Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist team of skilled worker visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your ILR application, explaining how all the legal requirements are met for its approval.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our skilled worker visa solicitors will upload all required supporting documents for your ILR application.

Follow-up work: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will handle all follow-up until the UKVI at the Home Office decides on your ILR application as a skilled worker.

Our Team of Specialist Skilled Worker Visa Solicitors

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

The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is evident in the 5-star Google Reviews rating from 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 Skilled Worker Visa Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our skilled worker visa 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 skilled worker visa solicitors, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.