The Quickest Way to Settle in the UK

In this article, our specialist Immigration Lawyers in London explain the quickest ways to settle in the UK and how our Legal 500 recommended solicitors can help you in your journey to secure Indefinite Leave to Remain and British citizenship.

For expert immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi.

Why is Quick UK Settlement Important?

Some visa holders don’t mind the wait before they can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the immigration rules. Others are keen to see if they can reduce their wait.

Quick UK settlement is important because once you have Indefinite Leave to Remain:

1. You can come to and go from the UK without worrying about visas and entry clearance
2. You are no longer subject to immigration control
3. You can sponsor your husband, wife or civil partner to come to the UK on a Family Visa
4. You no longer need to apply to renew your visa and pay visa extension fees or the immigration health surcharge
5. It is the gateway to a British citizenship application

Settlement Statistics

The UK settlement statistics are:

1. There were 149,567 ILR applications in the year ending September 2024
2. There was a 31% increase in ILR applications compared to the year ending September 2023
3. ILR to people on Work Visas accounted for over a third (36%) of the total ILR grants in the year ending September 2024
4. ILR to people on Family Visas accounted for 28% of the total grants in the year ending September 2024

For more information on ILR statistics take a look here at the government statistics.

Why do You Need Quick UK Settlement?

Our Immigration Solicitors will talk with you to find out why you need quick UK settlement and explore your options. We regularly help people with different reasons why they need quick UK settlement. For example:

1. You are in the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa but your wife lives in the US and is desperate to join you. We would look at why she can't come over straight away on a Dependant Visa and later apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain when she meets the residence requirement
2. You are in the UK on a Spouse Visa but have separated from your partner. We would look at whether you can apply for ILR using a concession and, if not, look at your options to switch visa
3. You are in the UK on a sponsored work route but hate your job. If you leave sponsored employment before you get ILR your Work Visa could be curtailed and you may have to leave the UK early unless you can get new sponsored employment
4. You need to leave the UK to sort out a family problem overseas and are concerned about being able to secure re-entry on a visa. If you qualify for ILR you need to be aware that if you stay out of the UK for two or more years you will need a Return Visa to come back to the UK

Getting Indefinite Leave to Remain in Two Years

It’s possible to get ILR within two years but our Indefinite Leave to Remain Lawyers caution that accelerated settlement is rare.

The two-year accelerated settlement option is only available if:

1. You are already in the UK in the Tier 1 Investor category (the route is now closed to new applications)
2. You invested 10 million and have followed the Investor Visa immigration rules

If you are in the UK on an Investor Visa you can:

• Apply to extend your stay until 17 February 2026 and
• Apply for ILR until 17 February 2028

Any family members on Dependant Visas won't be able to secure quick ILR – they will have to meet the standard residence requirement for ILR of five years.

Getting Indefinite Leave to Remain in Three Years

Three-year UK settlement is limited to:

• Investors
• Entrepreneurs
• Talented individuals
• Innovators

The UK visas providing three-year accelerated settlement are:

1. The Investor Visa – if you secured an Investor Visa before the route closed and invested at least 5 million and continue to meet the investment immigration rules
2. The Entrepreneur Visa – a closed route but if you are already in the UK on an Entrepreneur Visa you can apply for ILR before the deadline of 5 April 2025 if you have met the criteria of either creating at least 10 jobs or achieving a £5 million increase in business turnover
3. The Global Talent Visa – this is an open route but there are strict criteria for accelerated settlement such as endorsement for exceptional talent
4. The Innovator Founder Visa – this is an open route but for an innovator to qualify for an accelerated three-year settlement they must have achieved significant business growth

ILR After Living in the UK for Five Years

Most visa holders need to wait five years before they can apply to settle in the UK. For example:

1. Skilled workers
2. Health and Care Worker Visa holders
3. Family Visa holders such as the Spouse Visa, Unmarried Partner Visa and Civil Partner Visa
4. Those with exceptional promise on the Global Talent Visa
5. UK Ancestry Visa holders

Many people secure entry clearance on one type of visa and then switch to another visa route whilst living in the UK. For example, entry on a Student Visa and then move to a Graduate Visa and thereafter a Skilled Worker Visa.

Our ILR Lawyers can advise whether all your time in the UK will count towards the requirement to have been lawfully and continuously resident in the UK before you can apply to settle in the UK. For example, a person on a Skilled Worker Visa can combine time spent on the Skilled Worker Visa with time on the Scale-up Visa or Innovator Founder Visa to meet the residence requirement. However, a Skilled Worker Visa holder can't include time spent on a Student or Graduate Visa to meet the five-year requirement.

When you can't get ILR After Five Years in the UK

Some people don’t qualify for ILR even after they have been living in the UK for five years. That may be because:

• While their UK residence was continuous not all of it was lawful
• They were absent from the UK for parts of the five years and their absences exceed the absence allowances

If you have been told you don’t qualify for ILR our specialist Immigration Solicitors can check your options for you. Even if you don’t qualify after five years you may still qualify under the ten-year Long Residence route.

The major difference between the five-year and ten-year routes is that under the ten-year route time spent on visas such as the Student Visa and the Graduate Visa count towards the residence requirement.

The End Game of British Citizenship

British citizenship does not have to be your end game. You can decide that Indefinite Leave to Remain status gives you settlement and leaves you free of immigration control. Therefore, you may not want to take the final step of applying for British citizenship. Other people want British citizenship but don’t want to lose their nationality of birth. For them, dual nationality may be an option. Dual nationality isn’t available to all those with ILR status but some countries, like the US and the UK, allow it.

What is Your Quickest Route to Settlement?

Although some people can apply for accelerated settlement the reality is that most people need to meet the five-year residence requirement.

What many ILR applicants find frustrating is that after they have lived in England for five years, they may not qualify for ILR because they don’t meet the complex rules on continuous or lawful residence or for other reasons. Depending on the residence requirement reasons, our ILR Solicitors can advise on when the five-year clock can be set back to so you can apply for ILR as quickly as possible.

When you are choosing an Immigration Solicitor it’s important to choose a specialist who can:

1. Advise on which visas allow accelerated settlement
2. Advise on the visas where time spent on them doesn’t count toward your residence requirement
3. Explain your best visa option if your goal is to secure Indefinite Leave to Remain as quickly as possible
4. Advise you on how to meet the lawful and continuous residence requirement so you don’t fall foul of the complex rules
5. Help you secure Indefinite Leave to Remain
6. Advise on your options if you applied for ILR with a previous solicitor and did not secure it
7. Explain the benefits of applying for British citizenship and support and guide you through the application process

Why Choose OTS Solicitors as Your Indefinite Leave to Remain Lawyer?

It's important to choose your ILR Lawyer with care to ensure you achieve UK settlement as quickly as possible.

At OTS Solicitors our Immigration Lawyers:

• Are part of a Legal 500 recommended firm with a ranking in the field of immigration
• Have specialist expertise and substantial experience in ILR and British citizenship applications
• Provide advice that’s personal to you and your situation
• Come from a wide range of backgrounds and speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil Tagalog/Ilonggo and Urdu/Punjabi.

For expert immigration law advice call London-based OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

Related Posts

Indefinite Leave to Remain Status

Applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain After Spouse Visa

Continuous Residence Guidance and Indefinite Leave to Remain Applications

Choosing a UK Immigration Solicitor

Changing Your UK Immigration Solicitor

OTS Solicitors Ranked And Ready For 2025

OTS Solicitors Celebrates its Inclusion in the 2024 Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession

Immigration Law Firm 2024 - OTS Solicitors