James Immigration Solutions Ltd provides professional assistance with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), long residence settlement, spouse and partner settlement, Skilled Worker settlement and British citizenship applications.
Settlement and nationality applications require careful review of an applicant’s immigration history, qualifying residence, absences from the UK, English-language requirements, Life in the UK Test, financial or employment requirements and previous immigration compliance.
We help applicants assess eligibility before submission and prepare a properly supported application.
Indefinite Leave to Remain, commonly known as ILR or settlement, allows an eligible person to remain in the United Kingdom without a time limit on their immigration permission.
A person with ILR can generally:
ILR is therefore an important stage for many migrants who intend to make the United Kingdom their permanent home.
There are several immigration routes that can potentially lead to settlement.
These include:
The qualifying period and requirements vary considerably between routes.
A Skilled Worker may normally qualify for settlement after completing the required 5-year qualifying period, provided all relevant requirements are satisfied.
Applicants must normally meet requirements concerning:
The Home Office currently confirms that Skilled Worker applicants must normally have lived and worked in the UK for five years and continue to meet the applicable employment and salary requirements.
Absences from the UK must be reviewed carefully before submitting an ILR application.
For many Skilled Worker settlement applications, an applicant must generally not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during the qualifying period.
We can review:
This can help identify residence issues before the application is submitted.
A person on the qualifying family partner route may potentially apply for settlement after completing the required period.
For applicants on the standard 5-year partner route, this will normally involve demonstrating continued compliance with the relevant requirements, including:
Applicants on a 10-year family route will generally have different settlement requirements and qualifying periods.
We can assess the applicant’s immigration history and establish the correct settlement route before an application is prepared.
A person who has lived legally and continuously in the United Kingdom for 10 years may potentially qualify for ILR under the Long Residence route.
Time spent under most types of lawful immigration permission may potentially count towards the qualifying period.
The applicant must satisfy the applicable:
Under the current Long Residence rules, applicants will also usually need to have held their current immigration permission for at least one year before applying for settlement, subject to the specific rules and exceptions.
Long Residence applications can involve several different immigration categories over a ten-year period.
We can review:
A detailed immigration timeline can be particularly important in long-residence cases.
Many ILR and British citizenship applicants between the relevant ages must pass the Life in the UK Test.
The current Home Office fee for the Life in the UK Test is:
£50.
Applicants should normally ensure that their test details are accurate and consistent with the identification information used in their immigration application.
Many settlement applicants are also required to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the English language unless an exemption applies.
How this requirement can be met depends on the immigration route and applicant’s circumstances.
Evidence may potentially include:
The correct requirement should be checked against the specific settlement route.
From 8 April 2026, the Home Office application fee for Indefinite Leave to Remain is:
£3,226 per applicant.
This applies to the main applicant and each dependant who is making an ILR application and is subject to the applicable fee.
Biometric enrolment itself does not currently carry a separate Home Office fee in the standard process.
Many settlement applications are normally decided within approximately 6 months, although processing times vary according to the particular route and complexity of the application.
For Long Residence ILR, the Home Office currently states that applicants will usually receive a decision within six months.
Where available, applicants may be able to use:
The priority service normally aims for a decision within approximately 5 working days for eligible settlement applications.
Super Priority normally aims for a decision by the end of the next working day, subject to when identity checks or biometric enrolment are completed and whether additional checks are required.
Availability depends on the application route and available appointments.
Obtaining British citizenship is a separate process from obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Most adult applicants who already have ILR or qualifying settled status may potentially apply to become a British citizen by naturalisation.
British citizenship can provide benefits including:
Naturalisation is subject to statutory requirements and Home Office discretion.
A person who is not married to a British citizen will normally need to:
The Home Office currently confirms that applicants with ILR will usually need to wait 12 months after obtaining settlement before applying for naturalisation.
Different residence provisions apply where the applicant is married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen.
An eligible applicant can normally apply as soon as they hold:
They do not normally need to wait 12 months after receiving ILR.
The applicant must generally have lived in the UK for at least 3 years before the application date and meet the other applicable naturalisation requirements.
Residence and overseas absences are an important part of a naturalisation application.
Applicants should normally not have spent more than:
The applicant should also normally have been physically present in the UK exactly five years before the Home Office receives the application.
Applicants applying under the 3-year residence requirement should normally not have spent more than:
They should normally have been physically present in the UK exactly three years before the Home Office receives the application.
The Home Office has discretion in some circumstances, but excess absences should be assessed carefully before submission.
Adult naturalisation applicants must normally satisfy the good character requirement.
The Home Office may consider matters including:
Naturalisation applications involving previous immigration or legal issues should therefore be assessed carefully before submission.
The exact documents depend on the applicant’s circumstances but may include:
A tailored checklist should be prepared according to the applicant’s immigration and nationality history.
Naturalisation applications normally require two referees who meet the relevant requirements.
The referees help confirm the applicant’s identity.
Care should be taken to ensure that both referees satisfy the Home Office eligibility requirements before the application is submitted.
From 8 April 2026, the naturalisation fee is:
£1,709 application fee
plus
£130 citizenship ceremony fee
making the total standard naturalisation cost:
£1,839.
The Home Office normally aims to decide naturalisation applications within approximately:
6 months.
Some applications can take longer where additional checks or information are required.
From 20 July 2026, eligible applicants applying from within the UK can use the new citizenship priority service.
The additional priority fee is:
£500
and the Home Office normally aims to provide a decision within:
30 working days.
The service is available for eligible online citizenship applications, including naturalisation applications. Super Priority is not available for citizenship applications.
If an adult naturalisation application is successful, the applicant will normally need to attend a citizenship ceremony.
At the ceremony, applicants make the required oath or affirmation and pledge before becoming a British citizen.
The standard £130 ceremony fee is included in the current total naturalisation charge.
Children do not normally apply for naturalisation in the same way as adults.
Depending on their circumstances, a child may instead be eligible for registration as a British citizen.
Eligibility can depend upon matters such as:
Children’s citizenship applications should therefore be assessed separately from adult naturalisation applications.
From 8 April 2026, the standard Home Office fee for registration of a child as a British citizen is:
£1,000.
Different provisions can apply in particular nationality categories.
Issues that may require careful assessment include:
These issues do not necessarily mean that an application cannot succeed, but they should be identified before submission.
We assess your immigration route, qualifying period and eligibility for ILR.
We review previous visas, application dates and periods of lawful residence.
We calculate relevant overseas absences against the applicable settlement or nationality requirements.
We review qualifying residence, salary, employment and sponsor documentation.
We assess family-route residence, relationship, financial and other applicable requirements.
We review up to ten years of immigration history and identify potential gaps or residence issues.
We assist with naturalisation applications following ILR or settled status.
We assess eligibility under the 3-year residence provisions for spouses and civil partners of British citizens.
We provide a tailored checklist and review supporting evidence before submission.
We assist with preparing and reviewing the relevant ILR or nationality application.
Settlement and citizenship applications are major stages in a person’s UK immigration journey.
Our service focuses on:
If you are approaching settlement or considering British citizenship, it is important to establish your eligibility before submitting an application.
James Immigration Solutions Ltd can assist with ILR, long residence, Skilled Worker settlement, spouse settlement and British citizenship applications.
Discuss your settlement or nationality circumstances with our immigration team.
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The current Home Office fee for Indefinite Leave to Remain is £3,226 per applicant.
Standard settlement applications can take up to approximately 6 months, depending on the route. Eligible applicants may be able to purchase Priority or Super Priority processing.
Many routes, including Skilled Worker and the standard partner route, can potentially lead to settlement after five years, subject to meeting the relevant requirements.
Potentially yes. The Long Residence route can allow settlement after 10 years of continuous lawful residence, subject to the current requirements.
Most applicants normally need to hold ILR for 12 months before applying for naturalisation. Applicants married to a British citizen can potentially apply immediately after obtaining ILR if all other requirements are met.
The current total standard naturalisation cost is £1,839, consisting of a £1,709 application fee and £130 citizenship ceremony fee.
The standard Home Office service level is normally up to 6 months. Since July 2026, eligible applicants can pay an additional £500 for Priority processing, which normally aims for a decision within 30 working days.
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