You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK if you have been working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa.
A skilled worker visa is a route to settlement in the UK. ILR is a way to settle in the UK that allows you to live, work, and study in the UK for as long as you want to without any immigration restrictions. After ILR you also become eligible to apply for British Citizenship provided you meet the requirements of the British Nationality Act 1981.
Once you have lived for 5 years continuously in the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa or other eligible routes to be eligible for ILR.

Eligibility

You need to meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain from the Skilled Worker visa route:

• You must meet the 5 years continuous residence requirement. You don’t need to be on a skilled worker route for the qualifying 5 years but you must have or have last been granted permission as a skilled worker when applying for ILR. Only the recent 5 years will be counted towards continuous residence.
• You must meet the salary requirements. You’ll usually need to be paid at least whichever is the highest out of the following:
• £25,600 per year;
• £10.75 per hour; and
• The ‘going rate’ for the occupation code
• If you do not meet the usual salary requirements, and you work in healthcare or education, you might still be eligible if your annual salary is at least £20,480. You must still be paid at least £10.10 per hour;
• You must continue to be needed for your job and meet the salary requirements after receiving and you need to produce a document from your employer (sponsor) to confirm this.
• You need to pass the ‘Life in the UK’ test if you are 18 to 64 years old.

You don’t need to meet the English language requirement as you already met this requirement when you applied for a skilled worker visa.

When to Apply for ILR?

You can apply the earliest at 28 days before you meet the 5 years continuous residence in the UK of which you were either on a skilled worker visa for the entire qualifying period or you have or have last been granted permission as a skilled worker when applying for ILR.
You should not wait until your current skilled worker visa expires. If your visa expires before you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, you will have to renew your visa first.

Fee

Currently the fee for ILR application fee of £2,885. You can include your partner and children on the same application form provided they meet the eligibility requirements.

How Long Does it Take to Get the Decision?

You should get a decision on your ILR application within 6 months after you apply. You can also get a decision within 5 working days by paying an extra £500, the fee for availing priority service.

Similarly, you can pay an extra £1,000 to avail super priority service to get a decision:

•  By the end of the next working day after submitting your biometrics if you have an appointment on a weekday
• 2 working days after you have submitted your biometric information if your appointment is at the weekend

Monday to Friday (Excluding Bank Holidays) are the working days.
If you are looking to apply under this route, please contact one of our lawyers on 02034111261 or email us info@visaandmigration.com

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