United Kingdom — Home Office
UK ILR & settlement-date calculator
Enter your route and the date your continuous qualifying residence began to see your earliest Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) date and your earliest British citizenship date. The qualifying periods are taken from GOV.UK; the dates are indicative planning estimates, not a Home Office decision.
Earliest ILR (settlement)
15 January 2029
5 years after 15 January 2024
Earliest British citizenship
15 January 2030
12 months after ILR
- • Qualifying period: 5 years of continuous qualifying residence. Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up, T2 Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson and most 5-year work routes settle after 5 years of continuous qualifying residence.
- • Continuous residence: No more than 180 days absent in any rolling 12-month period across the qualifying years. Breaks above the limit can reset or delay the clock.
- • Naturalisation: you must normally hold ILR for 12 months before applying for British citizenship (and meet the 5-year residence + absence limits: no more than 450 days absent over 5 years, and no more than 90 days in the final 12 months).
- • You must also pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English-language requirement (CEFR B1+) for both ILR and naturalisation.
- • These are indicative planning dates only — your actual absence record, the tests, good character, and a Home Office caseworker’s decision determine eligibility. Confirm the current rules on GOV.UK before relying on a date.
Worked examples
Typical profiles run through the same calculator above. ILR is the settlement date; citizenship is the earliest naturalisation date.
| Profile | Route & start | Earliest ILR | Earliest citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker, arrived 15 Jan 2024 | Skilled Worker / most work routes · 15 January 2024 | 15 January 2029 | 15 January 2030 |
| Global Talent, arrived 1 Mar 2024 | Global Talent (accelerated) · 1 March 2024 | 1 March 2027 | 1 March 2028 |
| Innovator Founder, arrived 28 Feb 2025 | Innovator Founder (accelerated) · 28 February 2025 | 28 February 2028 | 28 February 2029 |
| Spouse of a British citizen, arrived 10 Jun 2023 | Partner of a British citizen · 10 June 2023 | 10 June 2028 | 10 June 2028 |
| Partner of a settled (non-British) person, arrived 10 Jun 2023 | Partner of a settled (non-British) person · 10 June 2023 | 10 June 2028 | 10 June 2029 |
| 10-year long residence, clock started 30 Sep 2016 | Long residence (10-year route) · 30 September 2016 | 30 September 2026 | 30 September 2027 |
| Skilled Worker, granted 29 Feb 2024 (leap day) | Skilled Worker / most work routes · 29 February 2024 | 28 February 2029 | 28 February 2030 |
Dates are produced by the calculator above from the GOV.UK qualifying periods. They assume continuous lawful residence within the absence limits — they do not by themselves grant settlement.
About this calculator
UK settlement runs from a time-limited visa, to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after a qualifying period of continuous residence, to British citizenship by naturalisation. Most work and family routes settle after 5 years; Global Talent and Innovator Founder after 3; the long-residence route after 10. Naturalisation is normally 12 months after ILR, except for spouses of British citizens, who can apply immediately on ILR. This tool does the date arithmetic over those published periods — it does not assess your absence record, the Life in the UK test, the English requirement, or good character, all of which the Home Office checks.
Primary source
GOV.UK — Indefinite leave to remain
https://www.gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain
Last checked: 2026-06-05.
FAQs
When can I apply for ILR in the UK?
For most work routes (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker) and family routes, after 5 years of continuous qualifying residence. Global Talent and Innovator Founder can usually settle after 3 years. The 10-year long-residence route requires 10 years of continuous lawful residence.
How long after ILR can I apply for British citizenship?
Generally 12 months after you receive ILR (and after 5 years’ residence overall). The exception is the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen, who can apply for naturalisation as soon as they hold ILR — there is no 12-month wait.
How many days can I be outside the UK without breaking continuous residence?
On most 5-year routes, no more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period across the qualifying years. For naturalisation, no more than 450 days over the 5 years and no more than 90 days in the final 12 months. The 10-year long-residence route uses different absence limits.
Does this calculator confirm I will get ILR?
No. It is date arithmetic over the published qualifying periods, not a Home Office decision. Your actual eligibility depends on your absence record, the Life in the UK test, the English-language requirement, good character, and continuous lawful status. Always confirm the current rules on GOV.UK.