ILR Eligibility Calculator: Find Your Settlement Route (Skilled Worker, Spouse, BNO)

Which route suits you?

Common settlement routes include:

• Skilled Worker: a points-based, employer-sponsored option that relies on a Certificate of Sponsorship and salary thresholds.
• Family (partner or spouse): based on relationship evidence and meeting the financial requirements.
• Long residence: for people with 10 years’ lawful residence (or other long residence grounds).
• BNO and specific schemes: routes such as the Hong Kong BNO visa may have route-specific timelines.

How to compare routes

• Check the length of the qualifying period and whether your current leave counts towards it.
• Review the documentary and financial evidence each route requires.
• Test your eligibility with the calculators (points, absence and timelines) on the home page.

One authoritative reference

For detailed descriptions of each route, including eligibility rules and required evidence, consult the official Home Office guidance on GOV.UK: GOV.UK: visas and immigration overview.

Practical example: Skilled Worker vs partner route

Skilled Worker applicants must secure a sponsor and meet the points matrix (job, skill level, salary, English). Partner route applicants must demonstrate a genuine relationship, meet the financial thresholds and meet the residence requirements. Which is faster depends on your situation. Use the visa points calculator guide if you are assessing a sponsored role, or the income and financial requirements guide for family routes.

Checklist before you pick a route

1. Confirm whether your current visa time counts towards settlement on the route you want.
2. List the documentary evidence required (CoS, payslips, relationship proof) and the gaps you must fill.
3. Estimate costs using our fees guide.
4. Model absences and qualifying dates with the ILR eligibility tool.

Related guides

• Absence Calculator Guide: counting absences & the 180-day test
• Continuous Residence Guide: 5 and 10 year rules explained
• Income & Financial Requirements guide

FAQs

Comparing the five main routes to settlement

Indefinite Leave to Remain is available through several immigration pathways, each with its own qualifying criteria and residence timeline. The five most common routes are:

1. Skilled Worker route (5 years): for sponsored workers. Requires continuous sponsored employment and meeting the minimum salary thresholds.
2. Spouse or partner route (5 years): for partners of British citizens or settled residents. Requires meeting the financial and cohabitation requirements.
3. Long residence route (10 years): for applicants who have lived in the UK lawfully for 10 years under various visa categories.
4. BNO visa route (5 years): for British National (Overseas) citizens from Hong Kong. Offers a protected pathway to settlement.
5. EU Settlement Scheme (5 years): for EU citizens who arrived before Brexit, moving from pre-settled to settled status.

Summary of key settlement pathways

To clarify your choices, here is a detailed checklist of how the requirements differ across routes:

Continuous residency and absence rules

All standard routes to ILR require you to meet the continuous residence rules. For most pathways, that means you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period during your qualifying years.

The EU Settlement Scheme uses a different limit of no more than 6 months in any 12-month period, which is assessed slightly differently. Under all routes, continuous residence is broken immediately by a prison sentence, a deportation order or a gap in visa coverage (subject to the overstaying rules).

English language and Life in the UK tests

Before you can apply for settlement, most adult applicants aged 18 to 64 must satisfy the knowledge of language and life in the UK requirements. This involves:

• Life in the UK test: a 45-minute computer-based test on British history, culture and government. You must score 75% or higher to pass.
• English language requirement: prove your English at B1 level or higher on the CEFR scale, either by passing an approved SELT or by holding a degree taught in English.

You can practise with the free B2 English mock test and the free Life in the UK mock test.

Financial and income requirements per route

Financial requirements differ significantly depending on your route. Skilled Workers must meet the SOC code going rate and the standard minimum (£41,700; £33,400 for Immigration Salary List jobs and £25,000 for health and education roles; or transitional rates).

Spouse visa applicants must meet the family financial threshold (£29,000, or £18,600 under the transitional rules). Long residence applicants are exempt from salary minimums but must show that they can support themselves without public funds.

Settlement eligibility checklist

To confirm you are ready for ILR:

• Clock calculation: verify the exact start date of your qualifying period and confirm you have completed the required years.
• Pass certificates: make sure you have the physical or digital pass codes for both the Life in the UK test and B1 English.
• Financial check: gather 6 months of payslips and bank statements to prove you meet your route’s financial thresholds.
• Absence verification: run a detailed audit of every trip abroad to confirm that no rolling 12-month block exceeds 180 days.
• Cover letter: prepare a cover letter setting out your route, your visa history and how you satisfy each eligibility criterion.