Settlement is the most valuable status in UK immigration — and the rules that grant it are in the middle of their biggest rewrite in a generation. Connaught Law's solicitors handle indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship applications end to end, with one piece of advice mattering more in 2026 than ever: if you already qualify, don't wait.
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How We Can Help
Indefinite Leave to Remain
ILR frees you from visa renewals, work restrictions and most immigration control — currently after five years on qualifying work and family routes, or ten years' continuous lawful residence on any combination of visas. Eligibility turns on the details: absences within limits, continuous lawful residence without gaps, and the right supporting evidence for each route's own rules. We check all of it before you apply, because a refused settlement application is an expensive way to find a gap.
ILR vs Settled Status
Both mean settlement, by different doors: settled status is the EU Settlement Scheme's version of indefinite leave for eligible European nationals and family members, while ILR is the route for everyone else. The practical rights are broadly the same; the rules around absences, evidence and family members differ. If you hold pre-settled status, upgrading matters — our European nationals service covers the EUSS side.
British Citizenship
Naturalisation usually follows twelve months after settlement — or immediately for spouses of British citizens — bringing a British passport, full civic rights and status no absence can lapse. Good character is where strong applications stumble: tax affairs, driving offences, and past immigration breaches all count, and disclosure handled honestly beats discovery every time. We also handle registration for children, including those born in the UK to parents who have since settled.
Tests & Requirements
Settlement and citizenship both require the Life in the UK test and English language at the required level, with exemptions by age and condition. The heavier lifting is evidential — residence records, absence calculations, route-specific documents — and it's exactly the part we take off your plate.
Protecting Your Status
ILR isn't unconditional: it can lapse after long absence from the UK, and serious criminality can put it at risk. Returning residents, holders planning extended time abroad, and families weighing citizenship precisely to make status permanent — this is where forward planning pays, and where we advise before the problem exists rather than after.
How We Work
First, a full status review: your route, your absences day-counted, your continuous residence checked for the gaps that sink applications — and a straight answer on when you qualify. Then the application prepared completely: evidence, representations addressing anything unusual, and submission timed to your advantage, which in the current reform climate can mean weeks mattering.
Where the household includes mixed statuses — one partner on EUSS, one on a work route, children born here — we plan the family's settlement and citizenship as one strategy rather than four applications.
Why Connaught Law
01Timing advice worth moneyWith reform pending, we tell you the earliest safe application date — and why moving now may protect your five-year route.
02Absence arithmetic, done properlyDay-counted travel history against the right rule for your route — the detail most refusals trace back to.
03Senior attention throughoutYour application is run by our experienced immigration team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
04Honest on good characterDisclosure strategy that deals with history head-on — because the Home Office finds what isn't volunteered.
Fee structures are set out on our fees page — fixed fees for settlement and citizenship applications, agreed before we start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the ILR qualifying period changing to 10 years?
It's proposed, not law. A consultation on "earned settlement" closed in early 2026 and rule changes are expected later this year, potentially applying to people already in the UK. Today's five-year routes still apply — which is exactly why applying as soon as you qualify, rather than waiting, is currently the strongest advice in immigration law.
What's the difference between ILR and settled status?
They're parallel forms of settlement: settled status comes through the EU Settlement Scheme for eligible Europeans and their family members; ILR comes through the Immigration Rules for everyone else. Rights are broadly equivalent — permanent residence, free work, benefits access — but absence rules and family provisions differ, and the citizenship step treats them almost identically.
How long can I spend outside the UK?
Before settlement, most routes cap absences at 180 days in any 12 months, with the ten-year route counting differently — and the calculation catches people out constantly. After ILR, status generally survives absences of up to two years (five for settled status) before lapsing. We day-count your history before any application.
When can I apply for British citizenship?
Usually twelve months after ILR or settled status — immediately if you're married to a British citizen — plus residence, Life in the UK, English and good character requirements. Children born in the UK can often register once a parent settles. For most families, citizenship is the step that makes status truly permanent.
Think you might already qualify?
Send us your visa history. We'll day-count your residence, confirm the earliest date you can apply — and if that date is now, we'll move before the rules do.
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