Days turned into weeks and months into years and you are still living in the UK. You have been living lawfully in the UK for so many years that you can hardly recall for how long?
And yet, you still do not have permanent status in the UK!
If you’ve lived lawfully in the UK for 10 years or longer you could potentially be eligible for ‘settlement’ also called ‘indefinite leave to remain’. This is called the LONG RESIDENCE route.
As soon as an applicant has built up a period of 10 years’ continuous lawful residence, there is no limit on the length of time afterwards when he/she can apply.
This means you could leave the UK, re-enter on any lawful basis, and apply for settlement from within the UK based on a 10-year period of continuous lawful residence you have built up in the past. There is also nothing to prevent you from relying on a 10-year period that you may have relied on in a previous application or grant.
(Notably, next year, there will also be a different way to apply if you have a visa that’s on the basis of your private life. The Home Office tells us that this type of application will open in June 2022.)
To learn more about the current LONG RESIDENCE route to settlement contact DEPNER IMMIGRATION
Daniel Dippenaar
Barrister-Immigration Consultant
Founder Member of Depner Immigration
Regulated by the Bar Standards Board (Bar Council of England and Wales)