Permanent Residence

 

Status ( Type of Visa currently )   Qualifying Period                     
 Work Permit & HSMP   5  years
 Investors   5  years
 Writes, Composers and Artists   5 years
 Sole Representatives   5 years
 To establish in business   5 years
 Ancestry   2 years
 Unmarried Partners   2 years
 Marriage   2 years
 Illegal stay on any basis   14 years
 Legal stay on any basis   10 years

 

 Indefinite Leave to Remain

Indefinite leave to remain is the granting of Permanent Residence in the UK. Once it has been granted, there are no longer any immigration related restrictions on the work or business you may do in the UK, and no time limits on your stay in the UK. 

You should note that to keep your permanent residence you should not spend longer than two years outside the UK. You should maintain ties to the UK and should consider the UK as your home (Permanent Residence). If you continue to only spend short periods of time in the UK over many years it is likely that there will come a time when you will lose your indefinite leave to remain in the UK. It is therefore beneficial in most cases to apply for UK citizenship. You can normally apply for naturalisation as an UK citizen one year after being granted indefinite leave to remain as long as you meet the residence requirements.