Citizenship after settling by long residence

The 10-year route

The 10-year long residence route allows people who have lived in the UK continuously and lawfully for 10 years to apply for ILR. This route is often used by people who have been on various visa types over the years and do not qualify for a shorter route to settlement.

Once you have ILR through this route, your status is the same as someone who gained ILR through any other route (spouse visa, Skilled Worker, etc.). The route to ILR does not create a "second-class" settlement.

Citizenship eligibility after 10-year settlement

To apply for British citizenship by naturalisation, you must:

• Have been free from immigration time restrictions on the day you apply and for the 12 months before it. Holding settlement does this. This requirement does not apply if you are married to or the civil partner of a British citizen and applying on the 3-year route
• Have been physically present in the UK on the day exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application
• Have been resident in the UK for the 5 years before your application
• Not have been absent for more than 450 days in those 5 years
• Not have been absent for more than 90 days in the final 12 months
• Pass the Life in the UK test
• Meet the knowledge of language requirement, which for citizenship is B1 speaking and listening in English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic, not the B2 level that applies to some visa routes
• Meet the good character requirement

The full citizenship requirements are explained in our dedicated guide.

Good character, and what changed in 2022

This used to be the difficult part of the 10-year route, because a long and mixed immigration history often included gaps. The position changed on 28 June 2022, when Schedule 1 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force.

The good character guidance now says that immigration breaches relating to lawful residence “may be disregarded when assessing good character” where all of the following apply:

• the person is applying to naturalise, or to register under section 4(2), 6(1) or 6(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981, after 28 June 2022
• they hold indefinite leave to enter or remain, that is settlement
• no concerns have arisen since the grant of settlement that might cast doubt on that decision

That covers overstaying and other lawful-residence breaches from before settlement, which is the common pattern on this route.

The guidance is equally clear about what is not disregarded:

• Illegal entry. For applications made from 10 February 2025, the guidance says a person who previously entered the UK illegally will normally be refused, regardless of how much time has passed. The same applies to someone who arrived without a required entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation having made a dangerous journey. It says the Home Office will consider whether the entry was outside the person’s control, for example if they were a child or a victim of trafficking.
• Breaches that do not relate to lawful residence, such as working in breach of conditions, hiring illegal workers, or failing to observe reporting requirements.
• Cases where historic information has come to light that might have changed the settlement decision, or where something has happened since that might justify revoking settlement.

Holding section 3C leave while an in-time application was pending is lawful leave, not a breach, and is not itself a good character issue.

Timeline

The total timeline from arriving in the UK to citizenship through the 10-year route is typically:

• Years 1 to 10: the qualifying period for long residence settlement
• Year 10: apply for settlement. GOV.UK says a settlement decision usually comes within 6 months of giving biometrics
• Year 11: the 12 months free from immigration time restrictions
• Year 11 onwards: apply to naturalise. The Home Office aims to decide within 6 months, and says it will contact you if it will take longer

On those published times that is about 12 years from arrival to the ceremony. Compare with the standard settlement to citizenship timeline for other routes.

The proposal to extend the ordinary qualifying period for settlement from 5 years to 10 years is a proposal and has not been made law. Do not plan on the basis that it has.

The citizenship absence rules

The citizenship absence test is a different test, not a repeat of the 180-day rule for settlement. Meeting one does not tell you whether you meet the other. For citizenship:

• No more than 450 days outside the UK across the 5 years before the application, or 270 days over 3 years on the spouse route
• No more than 90 days outside the UK in the final 12 months, on both routes
• Physical presence in the UK on the day exactly 5 years, or 3 years, before the application is received

The settlement rule caps absences within any rolling 12-month period; the citizenship rule caps the total across the whole period and again in the final year. A pattern that passes one can fail the other. Only whole days count, and the days you leave and return are not counted. See our citizenship absences guide.

Next steps

If you hold ILR through the 10-year route, start planning for citizenship early. Track your absences with exact dates, note the date exactly 5 years before your intended application date and check you were in the UK on it, book the Life in the UK test, and check that your English evidence is still valid, since an approved test result lasts only 2 years. Advisers who can help are regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority or authorised by a designated professional body: see immigration solicitor costs.

Related guides:

• Citizenship by Naturalisation
• ILR 10-Year Qualifying Period
• Citizenship Through Long Residence
• Good Character Requirement
• Citizenship Absences Rules

For official guidance, see GOV.UK: apply for citizenship with ILR.

Questions and answers