Visas leading to settlement (permanent residence) in the UK

Anyone who wants to obtain a British citizenship has a choice of UK visas to pick from. Most visa types give long term residence rights and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)/permanent residence and ultimately may lead to the British citizenship if all the requirements are met. Best immigration lawyers can help you to choose the right visa for you. Choosing the most suitable visa and applying for a visa can be complicated and time consuming tasks if you have no UK immigration knowledge.

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Most of the UK visa types eventually lead to permanent residence/ILR and citizenship but there are some that do not. One of those that do not is the Intra Company Transfer (ICT) visa.

Information on standard path to gaining the Indefinite ILR is described on this page.

Those who have not been in the UK on a qualifying visa leading to ILR but were in the UK legally, may still acquire ILR through long residence route (10 years ILR).

People who have been in the UK for 20 years or more can acquire visa in the uk even if part or all time spent in the UK was as an illegal immigrant.

British citizenship by naturalisation

If you are at least 18 years old and have been granted ILR/permanent residence in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for Naturalisation as a British citizen.

In order to be naturalised as a British citizen, you will need to meet certain statutory criteria with regard to your immigration status, length of residence in the UK, future intentions, knowledge of the English language and life in the UK, and good character.

If you are not married to a British citizen (or do not wish to rely on your marriage to a British citizen for your citizenship application) the Home Office must be satisfied that:

  • You were in the UK on the day five years before the date of your application;
  • You have not been absent from the UK for more than 450 days during the intervening five year period;
  • You have not been in the UK in breach of the immigration laws at any time during that five year period (in fact the Home Office checks if you were not in breach of immigration law within 10 years of your application as this is the time period taken into account for the good character requirement);
  • You have not been absent from the UK for more than 90 days during the 12 month period immediately prior to the date of your application;
  • You are not subject to any limit on the period for which you may remain in the UK and have not been subject to any such time limit at any time during the 12 month period immediately preceding the date of your application;
  • You are of good character;
  • You have sufficient knowledge of the English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic language;
  • Your intentions are that if your application is successful your home (or principal home) will be in the UK.

If you are married to a British citizen, the Home Office must be satisfied that:

  • You were in the UK on the day three years before the date of your application;
  • You have not been absent from the UK for more than 270 days during the three year period immediately prior to application;
  • You have not been in the UK in breach of the immigration laws at any time during that three year period (in fact the Home Office looks into the most recent 10 years as this is the period for the good character requirement);
  • You have not been absent from the UK for more than 90 days during the 12 month period immediately before the date of your application;
  • You are not subject to any time limit on the period for which you may remain in the UK at the date of your application;
  • You are of good character;
  • You have sufficient knowledge of the English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic language.