Skilled Worker ILR – Complete Requirements & Documents Guide

What Is Skilled Worker ILR?

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also known as settlement, allows an eligible Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker to live and work in the UK without a time limit. It can also provide a route towards British citizenship if the separate citizenship requirements are later met.

Main Requirements for Skilled Worker ILR

• Complete the required 5-year qualifying period
• Meet the continuous residence requirement
• Meet the applicable absence rules
• Have, or have last been granted, Skilled Worker permission
• Have an eligible current Skilled Worker sponsor
• Continue to be required for the sponsored job for the foreseeable future
• Meet the applicable settlement salary requirement
• Meet the applicable going rate for the occupation where required
• Pass the Life in the UK Test unless exempt
• Meet any applicable English-language requirement at the date of application
• Meet the immigration suitability requirements
• Be physically in the UK when applying
• Submit the correct settlement application and required evidence

5-Year Qualifying Period

A Skilled Worker normally needs a continuous qualifying period of 5 years in the UK before applying for settlement. The entire 5 years do not necessarily have to be spent only as a Skilled Worker because certain other qualifying immigration routes can be combined.

• Skilled Worker
• Health and Care Worker / qualifying Skilled Worker permission
• Tier 2 (General)
• Global Talent
• Innovator Founder
• Scale-up
• T2 Minister of Religion
• International Sportsperson
• Representative of an Overseas Business
• Qualifying Tier 1 permission, excluding Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)

Time That Does Not Normally Count

Not every UK visa counts towards the Skilled Worker 5-year settlement period. For example, time spent in the UK as someone's dependant cannot normally be included in the main applicant's Skilled Worker 5-year qualifying period.

When Can You Apply?

The earliest Skilled Worker ILR application can normally be submitted is 28 days before completing the required 5-year qualifying period. Applying earlier than permitted can lead to refusal.

Continuous Residence and the 180-Day Rule

To meet the continuous residence requirement, an applicant must normally have spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during the relevant qualifying period, subject to the detailed rules and permitted exceptions. GOV.UK

• Prepare a complete travel history for the qualifying period
• Record every date of departure from the UK
• Record every date of return to the UK
• Record the destination country
• Record the reason for travel
• Check absences across every relevant 12-month period
• Identify any long or unusual absence
• Keep evidence relating to any absence where an exception may be relevant

Travel History Documents

• Current passport
• Previous passports covering the qualifying period, where available
• Entry and exit stamps where relevant
• Flight or travel records where useful
• Employer absence records where relevant
• Evidence explaining significant or exceptional absences where required
• A clear travel-history schedule if the applicant has travelled frequently

Applicants with frequent travel should calculate their absences carefully before applying rather than relying only on passport stamps.

Current Employer and Sponsorship Requirement

The sponsor connected to the applicant's most recent Skilled Worker permission must still be approved by the Home Office to sponsor Skilled Workers on the date the ILR application is decided.

Employer Confirmation Letter

The employer or sponsor needs to confirm that the applicant is still required to work for them for the foreseeable future and that the applicant is being paid, and will continue to be paid, at least the salary required for settlement.

• Applicant's full name
• Current job title
• Occupation/SOC code
• Current annual salary
• Contracted working hours where relevant
• Confirmation of continuing employment
• Confirmation that the employee is required for the foreseeable future
• Confirmation that the salary will continue to meet the applicable settlement requirement
• Employer/sponsor details
• Appropriate authorised signatory details

ILR Salary Requirement

There is no single salary figure that applies to every Skilled Worker ILR applicant. The correct settlement salary depends on factors including the occupation code, applicable going rate, immigration history, when the worker first entered the Skilled Worker/Tier 2 route, whether the job is in healthcare or education, and whether an applicable salary-list or transitional provision applies.

Standard Salary Rule

Under the current standard settlement rule, where no reduced or transitional category applies, the applicant must generally be paid at least £41,700 per year and at least the applicable standard going rate for the occupation. Where the going rate is higher than £41,700, the higher applicable requirement must be met.

Different and Transitional Salary Requirements

Different settlement salary rules can apply to certain applicants, including some healthcare or education workers, workers whose jobs are or were on the Immigration Salary List or previous Shortage Occupation List, and workers who obtained their first Skilled Worker or equivalent Certificate of Sponsorship before 4 April 2024 and have continuously held qualifying Skilled Worker permission.

• Check first Skilled Worker/Tier 2 sponsorship date
• Check whether permission has been held continuously
• Check current SOC 2020 occupation code
• Check any previous SOC code where relevant
• Check current salary
• Check weekly working hours
• Check applicable going rate
• Check healthcare or education provisions
• Check Immigration Salary List provisions
• Check transitional provisions
• Check whether any salary deductions or non-basic-pay elements affect the calculation

Working Hours and Salary Calculation

Salary calculations must follow the Skilled Worker rules. Where a worker is paid hourly, only earnings for up to the permitted weekly hours can be counted for the relevant settlement calculation. Going rates can also require adjustment according to the working pattern specified by the rules.

Life in the UK Test

Skilled Worker settlement applicants who are required to meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement must pass the Life in the UK Test unless an exemption applies.

• Book the test through the official GOV.UK service
• Use acceptable identification
• Make sure personal details match
• Pass the test before submitting ILR where required
• Keep the test reference details

English Language Requirement

For Skilled Worker settlement applications made before 26 March 2027, current GOV.UK guidance states that the main Skilled Worker does not need to prove English again for ILR because the English requirement was met for the Skilled Worker visa.

Complete ILR Document Checklist

• Current valid passport or other acceptable identity/travel document
• Previous passports covering the qualifying period, where relevant
• Evidence of current immigration status/eVisa details
• Employer/sponsor confirmation letter
• Evidence showing current salary where required
• Recent payslips where requested or useful
• Bank statements showing salary payments where requested or useful
• Employment contract where relevant
• Evidence relating to SOC code and employment where needed
• Life in the UK Test reference where required
• Travel and absence information for the qualifying period
• Evidence explaining qualifying exceptional absences where relevant
• Evidence of name changes where applicable
• Marriage/civil partnership documentation where relevant to identity/history
• Certified translations for relevant documents not in English or Welsh
• Additional evidence requested by the online application based on the applicant's circumstances

Employment Evidence to Prepare

• Employer ILR confirmation letter
• Current employment contract
• Recent payslips
• Corresponding bank statements
• Current job title
• SOC occupation code
• Annual gross salary
• Weekly working hours
• Sponsor licence details where relevant
• Evidence concerning authorised absences from work where relevant

Personal and Immigration Information to Prepare

• Full legal name and previous names
• Date and country of birth
• Nationality
• Current UK address
• Passport details
• UK immigration history
• Dates of previous visas
• Previous immigration categories
• Previous sponsor/employer details where relevant
• Travel history during the qualifying period
• Previous immigration refusals or issues where applicable
• Criminal convictions or other suitability matters where applicable
• Family/dependant information where requested

Changing Employer During the 5 Years

Changing employers does not automatically restart the Skilled Worker settlement qualifying period. Time can continue to count where the applicant maintained qualifying immigration permission and otherwise meets the settlement and continuous-residence requirements.

Dependants and ILR

A partner or child does not automatically receive ILR simply because the main Skilled Worker receives settlement. Each eligible dependant must satisfy the applicable settlement requirements and make the appropriate application.

If the Partner Has Not Completed Their Qualifying Period

If the main Skilled Worker becomes settled before an eligible dependant partner is ready for settlement, the partner may need further dependant permission until they meet their own settlement requirements. Their circumstances should be checked before the main applicant's ILR application is submitted.

Children and Settlement

Dependant children have separate settlement requirements. Eligibility can depend on their age, dependency, family circumstances and the immigration or settlement status of their parents. A child should therefore be assessed separately rather than automatically included on the basis of the main applicant's eligibility.

Application Form

Skilled Worker settlement applications are made online using the relevant SET(O) settlement application process. The applicant must be in the UK on the date of application.

After Submitting the ILR Application

• Complete identity and biometric requirements as instructed
• Upload the required supporting evidence
• Respond to any UKVI request for additional information
• Keep contact details up to date
• Do not travel while the application is pending

Current Application Fee and Decision Time

As of 26 September 2026, GOV.UK lists the Skilled Worker ILR application fee as £3,226 per person. The standard service usually gives a decision within 6 months after biometrics. Where available, priority and super priority services can provide faster decisions for an additional fee.

Common ILR Mistakes

• Applying more than 28 days too early
• Calculating the 5 years from the wrong visa or entry date
• Counting non-qualifying dependant visa time
• Missing an absence exceeding the permitted continuous-residence limit
• Providing incomplete travel history
• Assuming £41,700 applies to every applicant
• Checking only the general salary threshold and not the occupation going rate
• Using the wrong SOC code
• Ignoring transitional salary provisions
• Employer letter not confirming continued need for the job
• Employer letter not confirming appropriate salary
• Sponsor licence problems
• Life in the UK Test not completed where required
• Failing to consider the March 2027 English-language change for future applications
• Assuming dependants automatically qualify when the main applicant qualifies
• Travelling abroad while the ILR application is pending
• Allowing current permission to expire before becoming eligible

SBA Pre-Application ILR Assessment

• Exact ILR eligibility date calculated
• Full 5-year immigration history checked
• Qualifying visa categories checked
• Continuous residence checked
• All absences calculated
• Current sponsor status checked
• SOC occupation code checked
• Current salary checked
• Applicable salary category identified
• Going rate checked
• Transitional salary rules checked
• Employer confirmation letter checked
• Life in the UK Test checked
• English requirement applicable on application date checked
• Passport and immigration status checked
• Supporting employment evidence checked
• Dependant eligibility checked separately
• Application answers and documents checked for consistency