The private life route lets people who have built their life in the UK stay here on the strength of that life, even when they do not fit any other visa category. It often helps children who have grown up here, young adults who arrived as children, and adults who have lived here for a very long time. It leads to settlement after 5 or 10 years.
Private life route at a glance
- Who it is for
- Children with 7 years' continuous UK residence, young adults aged 18 to 24 who spent half their life here, and adults with over 20 years or very significant obstacles abroad.
- How long you can stay
- You get 30 months; children and young adults can apply for 60 months instead. When you extend, up to 28 days of remaining permission is added.
- Where you can apply from
- You must apply online and be inside the UK on the date you apply.
- English language
- For settlement, you need B1 speaking and listening English if you apply before 26 March 2027, and B2 from that date, unless you are exempt.
- Work and study
- You can work, including self-employment and voluntary work, and study (some subjects need ATAS clearance). You usually cannot claim public funds.
- Family members
- A child born in the UK to a parent on this route can apply for permission lasting as long as the parent's.
- Route to settlement
- Settlement needs 5 years if first granted as a child or young adult, or 10 years for most adults. UK-born children with 7 years' residence may settle immediately.
From the official GOV.UK guidance, checked 2 November 2026.
Overview
The route is set out in Appendix Private Life of the Immigration Rules and is based on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is applied for from inside the UK, often by people who have no current permission.
Adults are granted permission for 30 months at a time. Children, and young adults who meet the half-of-life rule, can choose 30 or 60 months. You can work, including self-employment, and study. A "no recourse to public funds" condition is usually attached, but it must be lifted if you are destitute or at risk of destitution, if a child's welfare requires it, or in exceptional financial circumstances.
Points to know in 2026:
- From 8 October 2026, families in the Home Office's Family Returns Process can make a private life claim to Home Office staff without a form or fee.
- Also from 8 October 2026, where a failed long residence application for permission to stay is treated as a family or private life application, no second application fee is charged, but any health surcharge due must be paid.
- For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the English requirement rises from level B1 to B2.
Who can apply
You must be in the UK when you apply. The rules cover four groups:
- Children under 18 who have lived in the UK continuously for at least 7 years, where it would not be reasonable to expect them to leave.
- Young adults aged 18 to 24 who came to the UK as children and have lived here continuously for at least half their life.
- Adults who have lived in the UK continuously for more than 20 years.
- Adults who would face very significant obstacles to integrating into the country they would have to go to.
Time spent here without permission counts towards these periods. If you do not fit any group, the Home Office must still consider whether refusing you would breach your right to private life.
The route is not for partners or parents relying on family life, who apply under the family rules (see Human rights claims). Anyone with 10 years' lawful residence should first look at ILR based on long residence, which can lead straight to settlement.
Requirements
- A valid application: the correct online form, the fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (or a fee waiver), biometrics and a passport or other identity document.
- Suitability: you must not fall for refusal under the suitability rules, for example because of serious criminality or deception.
- Continuous residence: residence is broken by an absence of more than 6 months at a time, by absences totalling 550 days or more, by removal or deportation, or by leaving after a refusal. Time in prison does not count.
- Evidence of your years here: official records carry the most weight. Think of school and GP records, tax and bank records, tenancy agreements and letters from churches or charities, covering every year.
Very significant obstacles to integration
This is a high test. Ordinary difficulties, such as learning the language again or finding work, are not enough. The question is whether something would prevent or seriously hinder you from building a life there, for example having left at age four with no family, home or language there, or a serious illness that could not be managed. The Home Office looks at all the factors together.
Children with 7 years' residence
Home Office guidance says it would not normally expect a child with 7 years here to leave. The decision still looks at the child's age and ties here, and at whether the parents are expected to leave, because family unity is normally in a child's best interests.
How to apply
- If you cannot afford the fees, apply for a fee waiver first, with detailed evidence of your income, outgoings and support.
- Gather evidence of your residence year by year, and of your circumstances.
- Complete the online form for leave to remain on the basis of family life or private life.
- Pay the fee and surcharge, or enter your fee waiver reference.
- Prove your identity through the app or at a biometrics appointment.
- Submit your evidence with written legal representations explaining how you meet the rules.
- Answer any Home Office requests. If you are granted, your permission is issued as an eVisa in your UK Visas and Immigration account.
Costs
Each application has a Home Office fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, paid for the full 30 or 60 months. The current amounts are shown on this page and in our visa cost calculator. You pay them at each extension, and there is a separate fee for settlement.
If you cannot afford them, you can ask for a full or partial fee waiver. Other costs include translations, the English test and Life in the UK test before settlement, and legal advice.
Processing times
GOV.UK lists a typical time of 12 months for applications based on private life, and there is no service standard. Priority services are not normally available. A fee waiver request adds time.
If you applied before your previous permission expired, that permission and its conditions continue until a decision is made.
Partners and children
There is no dependant partner category on this route. A partner must qualify in their own right, either on private life grounds or under the family rules, for example on a Spouse visa if the requirements are met.
A child born in the UK to a parent on this route can apply for permission ending on the same date as the parent's. A child with 7 years here can apply in their own right, which brings a shorter road to settlement.
Extending your stay and settlement
Apply to extend before your permission expires. A late application can leave you without permission and may restart your time towards settlement.
- 10 years: most adults can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 10 years' continuous residence with permission on this or another qualifying route.
- 5 years: children, and young adults who met the half-of-life rule, can usually settle after 5 years. Adults who held family or private life permission before 20 June 2022 and meet one of the half-of-life conditions can also settle after 5 years.
For settlement you also need to meet the continuous residence rules (no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period), pass the Life in the UK test and show English at level B1, or B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, unless an exemption applies. Illegal entry, deception or an unpaid NHS debt can mean you need the full 10 years. See Indefinite leave to remain.
The government has consulted on a new "earned settlement" model; it is not yet part of the Immigration Rules, and this page describes the rules in force today. After settlement, most people can apply for British citizenship once they have held indefinite leave for 12 months.
How we can help
Private life applications turn on evidence of your years in the UK and your ties here. We review your immigration history, find and fill gaps in the evidence of your residence, and check whether a better route is open to you, such as long residence or the family rules.
We prepare fee waiver requests, the application and the legal representations, and deal with Home Office requests. If you are refused, we advise on your right of appeal and represent you (see Appeals and judicial review).
Frequently asked questions
Does time spent here without permission count?
Yes, for the 7-year, half-of-life and 20-year tests. For settlement, only time with permission counts towards the 5 or 10 years.
Can I work while my application is pending?
Only if you applied while you still had permission that allowed work. If you had no permission when you applied, you cannot work until you are granted.
My son is 19 and came here when he was 8. Does he qualify?
Yes, if he has lived here continuously since then: 11 of his 19 years is more than half his life. He can choose 30 or 60 months and can usually settle after 5 years. The half-of-life rule only applies until he turns 25, so he should not delay.
Can the no recourse to public funds condition be lifted?
Yes. You can ask for a change of conditions if you are destitute, at risk of becoming destitute, or your child's welfare is affected. Clear evidence of your finances is essential.
What happens if I am refused?
A refusal is usually the refusal of a human rights claim, which can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal within 14 days. Some claims are certified as clearly unfounded, which limits the right of appeal.
I have 10 years' lawful residence. Is this the right route?
Probably not. Long residence can lead to indefinite leave straight away, while this route means further years of 30-month grants.
This page is general information about UK immigration rules, not legal advice on your circumstances. Home Office fees shown on this page are taken from GOV.UK; the date they were last checked is shown beside them. For advice on your case, request a consultation.
