ILR calculator: when can I apply for settlement?
Enter the date your first visa on the route was granted and your trips abroad. We work out when your qualifying period is complete, the earliest day you can send your application, and whether your absences pass.
- Apply up to 28 days early
- Checks the 180-day rule
- 5-year and 10-year routes
Checked against current gov.uk rules · 2026-11-10
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ILR calculator: when can I apply for settlement?
Route: 5-year route
· Rules checked against gov.uk on Nov 10, 2026
Skilled Worker (including Health and Care Worker), Global Talent and other routes that use the continuous residence rules. If your route allows settlement after 3 years, this tool still assumes 5.
The date entry clearance was granted, shown on your decision letter. Not the date you travelled.
The days between the grant and your arrival count as time outside the UK.
Trips abroad during your qualifying period
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No trips entered.
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Free with an account. Your entries are saved too, so you can come back on any device.
For guidance only — the Home Office decides.
This tool counts only the whole days you enter (your travel days don't count). It doesn't account for exempt or discretionary absences, and rules can change. Always check the official gov.uk guidance and your own circumstances before applying.
Rules checked: 2026-11-10Official gov.uk rules
How the ILR date is worked out
Your qualifying period starts on the day your first visa on the route was granted. If that was entry clearance from outside the UK, the period still starts on the grant date, but the days before you arrived count as time outside the UK. The Home Office counts the period back from the date you apply or any date up to 28 days after it, so you can apply up to 28 days before you reach 5 years (or 10 on long residence). Within that period you must not be outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 months.
Common questions
- When can I apply for ILR?
- Up to 28 days before your qualifying period is complete: 5 years on most work routes, 10 years on long residence. The Home Office counts your qualifying period back from your application date or any date up to 28 days after it (Appendix Continuous Residence, paragraph CR 1.1).
- Does my 5 years start when my visa was granted or when I arrived?
- When the entry clearance was granted. Home Office guidance treats the time between the grant and your arrival as lawful residence, but those days also count towards your absences.
- Do trips before my visa count towards the 180 days?
- No. Only absences inside your qualifying period count. Trips before your first grant on the route, or after the period ends, are left out.
- What if I was outside the UK for more than 180 days in a 12-month period?
- That is over the limit for continuous residence. The calculator shows the earliest date on which your most recent 5 (or 10) years would meet the limits, assuming you keep valid permission. The Home Office can treat some absences differently for serious or compelling reasons, so get advice before you rely on this.
- Has earned settlement changed these dates yet?
- Not yet. The government published its response to the earned settlement consultation on 2 November 2026, but no changes to the Immigration Rules have been laid. This calculator uses the rules in force today.
Also required
Heading for ILR or citizenship?
You'll also need to pass the Life in the UK test. Practise in your own language.
Next on your journey
Citizenship days calculator
Once you have ILR, check the 450 / 90-day limits for naturalisation.