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Settlement and British citizenship

Indefinite leave to remain, naturalisation and British passports - including the English language change coming in March 2027 and the earned settlement proposals still under consideration.

Qualifying periods for indefinite leave to remain

• Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and most work routes: five years.
• Global Talent and Innovator Founder: three years in the qualifying categories.
• Partner of a British or settled person: five years.
• Long residence: ten years of continuous lawful residence.
• UK Ancestry and BN(O): five years. Separate rules apply to refugees, humanitarian protection, armed forces and stateless applicants.

Requirements and cost

• Application fee £3,226 per person; decision normally within six months. Priority adds £500, super priority £1,000.
• Life in the UK Test if aged 18 to 64 - £50, 24 questions in 45 minutes.
• English at B1 today. Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and T2 applicants who already proved English do not have to prove it again at the settlement stage.
• Continuous residence, with absence limits that depend on the route, and no unresolved criminal issues that engage the suitability rules.

English rises from B1 to B2 on 26 March 2027

A statement of changes laid on 5 March 2026 raises the settlement English requirement from B1 to CEFR B2, described by the government as moving from GCSE to A-level standard and estimated at around 200 additional hours of study. The change takes effect on 26 March 2027 and expressly applies to people who are already on a settlement pathway. Work routes moved to B2 for entry on 8 January 2026.

Naturalisation as a British citizen

• Standard route: five years residence, indefinite leave or settled status held for 12 months, good character and an intention to keep living in the UK. Absences must not exceed 450 days over five years or 90 days in the final 12 months.
• Spouse or civil partner of a British citizen: three years residence, no 12-month wait after ILR. Absences must not exceed 270 days over three years or 90 days in the final year.
• Fee £1,839 in total - £1,709 for the application and £130 for the citizenship ceremony. Decisions normally within six months.

British passport

Once you are a British citizen you can apply for a passport. Applying online from within the UK costs £102 for a 34-page adult passport and £66.50 for a child. Paper applications cost more. People born on or before 2 September 1929 pay nothing.

Earned settlement - proposed, not law

The Home Office consulted on an earned settlement model between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. It proposes replacing fixed qualifying periods with a contribution-based system built around a ten-year baseline, with reductions for high earners, public service workers, volunteers, partners of British citizens and Global Talent applicants, and longer periods where public funds have been claimed or immigration breaches occurred.

As at August 2026 no government response has been published and no rules have been laid. The current qualifying periods above still apply, and the government has said that people who already hold settled status will not lose it. We monitor this closely because it changes how a case should be planned today.

How PRIMEVISA helps

• Absence and continuous residence audits before you apply, not after a refusal.
• Long residence applications where your lawful residence is unbroken. Where there is overstaying or a gap that breaks continuity, we tell you at the outset and refer you on.
• Good character concerns: cautions, convictions, tax discrepancies and previous refusals.
• Sequencing ILR and naturalisation so the March 2027 English change does not catch you out.

Common questions

How long until I can apply for indefinite leave to remain?

Five years on Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and most work routes, and as a partner of a British or settled person. Three years on Global Talent and Innovator Founder in the qualifying categories. Ten years of continuous lawful residence on the long residence route. UK Ancestry and BN(O) are five years.

How much does indefinite leave to remain cost?

The application fee is £3,226 per person, with a decision normally within six months. Priority service adds £500 and super priority £1,000.

What is the Life in the UK Test?

A test for applicants aged 18 to 64. It costs £50 and consists of 24 questions in 45 minutes.

Is the English requirement for settlement changing?

Yes. A statement of changes laid on 5 March 2026 raises the settlement English requirement from B1 to CEFR B2, taking effect on 26 March 2027. The government describes it as moving from GCSE to A-level standard, around 200 additional hours of study, and it expressly applies to people already part-way through a route.

Related guides

• The 180-day rule and ILR absences
• Spouse visa financial requirement explained
• UK visa fees 2026
• Global Talent visa
• eVisas and UKVI accounts

This page summarises guidance published on GOV.UK and was last reviewed on 19 August 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice on your own case. PRIMEVISA LTD is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration F201600043. We are registered at Level 1 in Immigration and in Asylum and Protection: appeals, tribunal and court work, judicial review and cases argued outside the Immigration Rules are handled by advisers registered at Level 2 or Level 3, and we refer you where that is needed.

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