Skilled Worker ILR and Settlement
The Skilled Worker route can lead to settlement — Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) — once you've completed the required 5-year continuous qualifying period and meet the settlement requirements. ILR ends the need to keep extending. But five years in the UK is only part of it: residence, English, Life in the UK, your salary and your sponsor's position all matter at the settlement stage.
On this page
In brief
- The Skilled Worker route can lead to settlement (ILR) after the required 5-year continuous qualifying period.
- Five years is only part of it.
- Continuous residence, English, Life in the UK, salary and your sponsor’s position all matter at settlement.
- The guide explains which routes can count and how to check your qualifying period.
Are you ready to apply for Skilled Worker ILR?
You may be ready if all of these are true:
- You've completed the 5-year qualifying period
- Your qualifying immigration history is acceptable
- Your most recent permission is Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General)
- You meet the continuous-residence requirement
- You meet the applicable English requirement
- You meet the Life in the UK requirement
- Your sponsor remains approved
- Your sponsor still requires you for the foreseeable future
- Your salary meets the settlement requirement
- You satisfy the validity and suitability requirements
The 5-year qualifying period
You must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK. Importantly, those years don't all have to be on Skilled Worker permission — time with permission (not as a dependant) in certain other routes can be combined towards the qualifying period.
Which immigration routes can count?
Qualifying time can include these routes:
- Skilled Worker
- Tier 2 (General)
- Global Talent
- Innovator Founder / Innovator
- Minister of Religion (T2)
- International Sportsperson (T2)
- Representative of an Overseas Business
- Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent / Entrepreneur / Investor / General)
Two things to check. Time spent as someone's dependant does not count towards your Skilled Worker qualifying period. And your most recent permission must have been Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) — so don't just total five years across routes without checking the sequence of your permissions.
5-year qualifying period calculator
Add the periods of qualifying permission you've held (leave out any time as a dependant). This gives an estimate of your qualifying residence — it doesn't assess the other settlement requirements or your continuous residence.
This is a planning estimate only — it doesn't confirm ILR eligibility, and your continuous residence is assessed separately (below).
Continuous residence & absences
Completing five calendar years isn't enough on its own — you must also satisfy the continuous-residence requirement (broadly, staying within the permitted absences across the qualifying period). This is substantial enough to have its own page and absence checker.
→ Continuous residence & absences for Skilled Worker ILR (with an absence calculator) · Continuous residence rules explained
English language requirement
Your application date matters. For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the current source requires English at B2, subject to the applicable exemptions. Don't assume "Skilled Worker ILR always needs B2" — the requirement depends on when you apply, so confirm the level for your application date.
→ English language requirement · Skilled Worker English
Knowledge of Life in the UK
You must satisfy the Life in the UK requirement — normally a pass in the Life in the UK test, unless an exemption applies. Have your pass before you apply.
→ Life in the UK test for settlement
Your sponsor must still need you
Settlement isn't just "reach five years and apply." Your most recent sponsor must still be approved to sponsor Skilled Workers on the date of decision, and must confirm they still require you for the foreseeable future — paying, and continuing to pay, the required settlement salary. Confirm your employer can and will provide that before you apply.
Salary requirement for settlement
Your salary must meet the applicable settlement threshold and the relevant going rate. The general settlement threshold is £41,700 (as at April 2026 — confirm on GOV.UK) — but that's the general row; other specified circumstances are treated differently, so don't assume one universal figure.
Settlement going rates are different. At settlement, only the full going-rate applies — the reduced 70% / 80% / 90% going-rate columns used for some temporary Skilled Worker applications do not apply. So don't use a temporary-visa salary calculation for ILR.
How salary is calculated (basic pay, allowances, hours, going rates) is covered on the salary requirements page. Certain Tier 2 (General) workers may fall within a time-limited transitional arrangement for applications before 1 December 2026 — check whether it applies to you.
Check your settlement salary (settlement-mode calculator — in development)
No new CoS — and no IHS — for ILR
- No new Certificate of Sponsorship is needed for a Skilled Worker settlement application — a useful difference from an extension. Your sponsor's position still matters (above), but no new CoS is issued.
- No Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is required for the settlement application. The application fee is a separate matter.
Validity & suitability
Your application must meet the validity requirements (the correct application, identity, biometrics and the applicable fee) — an invalid application may not proceed to a substantive assessment. You must also not fall for refusal on suitability (including immigration breaches and immigration bail).
→ UK immigration suitability requirements
Documents
There's no single fixed checklist — evidence follows the settlement requirements:
- Identity & immigration history — establishing who you are and your relevant permissions.
- Qualifying residence & absences — the five-year period and your travel history.
- Employment & sponsorship — continuing employment, sponsor status and the foreseeable-future confirmation.
- Salary — evidence of the applicable settlement salary.
- English & Life in the UK — where required.
Generate my ILR document checklist (personalised tool — in development)
What happens to your dependants?
Your partner and children do not automatically receive ILR when you settle — their eligibility is assessed separately under the dependant settlement provisions.
→ Skilled Worker dependants & settlement
After Skilled Worker ILR
Once ILR is granted, you have settled status in the UK. If you're thinking about the next stage, British citizenship is usually possible after a further qualifying period.
→ British citizenship after ILR
Common mistakes
- Assuming five years on any UK visa is enough — only qualifying immigration periods count.
- Counting time as a dependant — your qualifying period needs relevant permission, not as a dependant.
- Ignoring previous qualifying work routes — the five years don't have to be all Skilled Worker.
- Ignoring continuous residence — five calendar years doesn't automatically satisfy it.
- Assuming the employer is irrelevant at five years — the sponsor must remain approved and confirm continuing employment.
- Using the temporary-visa salary calculation — settlement has its own salary and going-rate treatment.
- Assuming a reduced going-rate percentage applies — the reduced columns don't apply at settlement.
- Requesting a new CoS, or paying IHS — neither is required for the ILR application.
- Assuming dependants get ILR automatically — their requirements are separate.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need to hold a Skilled Worker visa before ILR? +
The route currently requires a five-year continuous qualifying period, but specified other immigration routes can contribute to that period.
Do all five years have to be on a Skilled Worker visa? +
No. The rules permit specified qualifying routes to be combined, provided your most recent permission is Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General).
Can time as a dependant count? +
No — time as someone's dependant does not count towards the main Skilled Worker qualifying period.
Does my employer still need to sponsor me when I apply for ILR? +
Your most recent sponsor must remain approved, and must confirm that they still require you to work for them for the foreseeable future.
Is there a salary requirement for Skilled Worker ILR? +
Yes. Settlement has its own salary and going-rate requirements, and the applicable amount depends on your circumstances (the general threshold is £41,700 as at April 2026 — confirm on GOV.UK).
Do I need a new CoS or pay the IHS for ILR? +
No. The current guidance states that no Certificate of Sponsorship and no Immigration Health Surcharge are required for a Skilled Worker settlement application.
What English level will I need? +
It depends on your application date. The current source specifies B2 for applications on or after 26 March 2027, subject to applicable exemptions.
Do my partner and children get ILR when I do? +
Not automatically. They have separate dependant settlement requirements.
Your ILR readiness journey
- Have you completed five qualifying years? → use the calculator
- Which previous immigration routes count?
- Does your continuous residence qualify?
- What English requirement applies on your application date?
- Have you satisfied Life in the UK?
- Is your sponsor still approved and employing you?
- Does your salary meet the settlement threshold and going rate?
- Any suitability issues? Then prepare your ILR application.
Approaching settlement on your work route? Get a fixed-fee check of your ILR eligibility and continuous-residence position.
Get a fixed-fee quoteRelated guidance
Continuous Residence & Absences
How absences are assessed, with an absence calculator.
Learn more →Our fees
Fixed fees. Figures are "From" because your exact fee depends on your circumstances — confirmed in writing before we start. These are our professional fees only; Home Office fees and any Immigration Health Surcharge are separate.
Disclaimer. The information on this page provides general information about UK immigration law and does not constitute legal advice on any individual immigration application. The calculator gives a planning estimate only and does not confirm eligibility. Requirements depend on your individual circumstances and may change. You should seek professional advice before making an application or relying on the information provided.
Source basis: the UK Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker and the related work-route Appendices, together with the Home Office caseworker guidance published on GOV.UK. Immigration Rules and guidance change; confirm the current version on GOV.UK before applying.
Ready to settle as a Skilled Worker?
ILR turns on time, residence, your salary, your sponsor and the knowledge requirements together. We can check where you stand across all of them and the right time to apply.