FOR ALL YOUR IMMIGRATION MATTERS

ILR solicitors

Reaching 10 years of lawful residence can open a route to permanent settlement, but the Home Office will examine your immigration and travel history carefully. Garth Coates Solicitors provides legal support for long residence applications, including cases involving multiple visa categories, historic absences, gaps in permission or missing documents.

Our team will assess whether your residence qualifies, identify risks and prepare an application supported by the right evidence. We can advise on continuous residence, English language and Life in the UK requirements, suitability issues and family implications, while keeping you informed throughout the application process from assessment to final decision.

  • Specialist Expertise
  • High Success Rate
  • Outstanding Client Care
  • Proactive and Diligent Approach
  • Extensive Experience and Reliability
Contact us for a ILR Based on Long Residence consultation

(Typical response time 2 business hours)

6,500 +

Successful Applications and Still Counting

31

Years of Experience in the UK Immigration Law

18

British Lawyers and Supporting Staff

25k +

Consultancy Services Provided and Still Counting
Established in 2008, Garth Coates Solicitors is a leading Law Firm in Immigration who can provide professional legal advice to ensure that your Application satisfies the strict requirements of the Immigration Rules. Our team of legal professionals offer comprehensive and considered advice to enable our clients to make informed choices. We strongly believe that our clients deserve the best; we take our responsibilities very seriously to ensure that client satisfaction is achieved by providing a professional yet friendly legal service.

We aim to resolve all immigration matters brought to us by working diligently and together with the client, keeping them informed of the progress of their case at all stages. Our outstanding success rate is maintained thanks to the high standard of our work.

If you would like us to assist you with your Immigration Matter, kindly click here to leave us an Enquiry. Alternatively, we can be reached via telephone at (00 44) (0)20 7799 1600 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (UTC+00.00 London) every Monday to Friday.
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FAQs

Indefinite leave to remain based on long residence is a settlement route for people who have completed 10 years of lawful and continuous residence in the UK. The qualifying period can usually include time spent with permission under different immigration categories, even where some of those routes would not independently lead to settlement.

Applicants must also satisfy the suitability, continuous residence, English language and Knowledge of Life in the UK requirements that apply to their case. You must be in the UK when you apply and normally hold valid permission. Successful applicants can live, work and study in Britain without a time limit, subject to the rules governing loss or cancellation of settled status. It may support citizenship later.

Time spent in the UK with valid immigration permission on most routes can contribute to the qualifying period. This may include a combination of student, work, family and other eligible categories. Certain periods do not count, including time as a visitor, Short-term Student, Seasonal Worker, under the Ukraine schemes, on immigration bail or after permission has expired.

Applicants will usually need to have held permission on their current route for at least 12 months before applying. This requirement does not apply where the current permission was granted before 11 April 2024. A detailed immigration timeline is therefore essential, particularly where you have switched categories several times or cannot locate older Home Office correspondence.

Travel outside the UK must remain within the continuous residence limits. For absences beginning on or after 11 April 2024, an applicant must generally not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period. Different transitional rules apply to earlier travel.

For periods abroad that began before 11 April 2024, continuous residence will normally be broken by a single absence exceeding 184 days or total relevant absences exceeding 548 days. The dates on which each journey began and ended are important when applying the correct rule. Applicants should reconstruct their complete travel history using passports, tickets, emails and available Home Office records before deciding when to submit. Exceptions require careful legal submissions.

Yes. Long residence normally requires lawful residence throughout the qualifying period, so gaps between grants of permission and periods of overstaying can be significant. Current rules state that overstaying does not count towards the 10-year period, even where an exception may prevent an application from being refused solely because it was submitted late.

Historic cases require careful analysis because the treatment of applications, extensions and gaps has changed over time. Section 3C leave may preserve lawful status while an in-time application or appeal is pending, but this depends on the facts and procedure followed. Legal advice can help determine whether continuity was preserved, whether more time is needed or whether another route should be considered.

Evidence should establish your identity, present immigration status and complete qualifying history. Applicants commonly provide a current passport, previous passports, eVisa or biometric records, Home Office decision letters, English language evidence and Life in the UK Test confirmation. Additional documents may be needed where records are incomplete.

Ten years of residence may also be supported by tenancy agreements, Council Tax bills, bank statements, employment records, educational documents, medical correspondence, utility bills and travel evidence. The appropriate documents depend on your immigration history and the issues requiring proof. A well-organised chronology can help the caseworker understand visa changes, absences and any apparent gaps, while written representations can explain complex or unusual circumstances clearly. Consistency across records remains important.

Most applicants aged 18 to 65 must meet both requirements before settlement can be granted, unless a recognised exemption applies. For applications made before 26 March 2027, the English language requirement is normally speaking and listening at level B1. For applications made on or after that date, the required level is scheduled to rise to B2.

You must also pass the Life in the UK Test unless exempt. Evidence may be provided through an approved qualification, nationality, a qualifying UK degree or another permitted method. Where you satisfy the residence and suitability requirements but not both settlement tests, you may be able to apply for temporary permission to stay instead of ILR.

Family members cannot be included as dependants in a long residence settlement application. Each partner or child must qualify independently for indefinite leave to remain or apply under another appropriate immigration route. This can create practical issues where one family member reaches 10 years before the others.

Before applying, it is important to consider how your settlement may affect a partner’s or child’s current status, future extension requirements and route to settlement. A spouse or partner may qualify through their own long residence, a family route or another category, depending on their history. Children may have separate options based on their age, residence, private life or parental circumstances. Coordinated advice can help protect the family’s position.

ILR solicitors can assess your immigration history rather than relying only on the date you first entered the UK. Garth Coates Solicitors can review previous grants, pending applications, travel records, route changes, suitability concerns and evidence of lawful residence before advising whether you are ready to apply.

We can prepare the online form, organise documents and provide detailed representations addressing the Immigration Rules. The application fee is £3,226, and a standard decision is usually made within six months after biometric information is provided. Where historic records are missing, we can advise on alternative evidence and whether a Subject Access Request may assist. We also help with complex absences, overstaying issues, family planning and refusals from assessment through to decision.

Garth Coates, Immigration Law Firm
Garth Coates

Principal Partner

A Message from Our Principal

At Garth Coates Solicitors, we provide expert legal advice and unwavering support across the full spectrum of UK immigration matters. Before qualifying as a solicitor, I worked within the UK Home Office (UKVI) as an Immigration Officer — a role that gave me valuable insight into the inner workings of the immigration system. Since then, I have gone on to represent clients at several of the UK’s most prominent immigration law firms, and later established this firm to deliver a more focused and client-centred approach.

Together with my senior legal team, we bring over 30 years of combined experience in the UK immigration sector. This depth of expertise enables us to successfully handle even the most complex and challenging cases — from visa refusals and judicial review proceedings to corporate sponsorships, family reunifications, and permanent settlement applications.

We are proud of our high success rate, earned through strategic thinking, meticulous preparation, and a commitment to delivering results. Our multilingual team of solicitors, caseworkers, and support professionals is well-equipped to serve a global clientele with care, professionalism, and cultural understanding.

At Garth Coates Solicitors, we fight for our clients’ rights and treat each case with the attention and seriousness it deserves. Whether you’re applying for the first time, facing an appeal, or unsure of your options, we are here to guide you with clarity and confidence.

Warm regards,

Contact us for a ILR Based on Long Residence consultation

(Typical response time 2 business hours)