You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as a Skilled Worker 28 days before completing the qualifying period of 5 years as a Skilled Worker / Tier 2 General migrant or in combination with other permitted work visa categories. Your qualifying period can include time from the date your initial application (for entry clearance or leave to remain) was approved.
An application for ILR as a Skilled Worker is made online using the application form SET (O). The applicant should meet all the requirements as set out in Appendix Skilled Workers and Appendix Skilled Occupations. An application for ILR as a Skilled Worker can be submitted to the Home Office UKVI through Super Priority Service to get a faster decision on the ILR application within 24 hours.
Free Immigration Advice For ILR As A Skilled Worker
Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice online regarding your application for ILR as a skilled worker. Ask a question online to our specialist team of immigration solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our immigration solicitors regarding your application for ILR as a skilled worker.
Specialist Solicitors For ILR As A Skilled Worker
Our specialist team of skilled worker visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis concerning your application for ILR as a Skilled Worker. Our skilled worker visa solicitors can prepare and submit your ILR application through Super Priority Service to get a decision on your ILR application within 24 hours.
Premium Solicitors' team of skilled worker visa solicitors specialises in ILR skilled worker visa applications. The high quality of legal services for ILR skilled worker visa applications provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.
What Are The Requirements For ILR As A Skilled Worker?
You should meet the following eligibility requirements for the grant of ILR as a Skilled Worker or Tier 2 General migrant:
Qualifying Period Requirement
The applicant must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK, consisting of time with permission in any of, or any combination of, the following routes:
- Skilled Worker; or
- Global talent; or
- Innovator Founder; or
- T2 Minister of Religion; or
- International Sportsperson; or
- Representative of an Overseas Business; or
- as a Tier 1 Migrant, other than as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Migrant; or
- Scale-up; or
- permission on any other route, during the time the applicant was waiting for a decision on their application as a Skilled Worker, provided that application:
- was for permission to stay; and
- was made between 24 January 2020 and 30 June 2021 (inclusive); and
- was supported on the date of application by a certificate of sponsorship assigned by a licensed sponsor; and
- was granted.
The most recent permission must have been in either the Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) route. An applicant does not need to have switched from Tier 2 (General) to Skilled Worker before applying for settlement as a Skilled Worker, as the definition of Skilled Worker in the Immigration Rules includes those with permission in the Tier 2 (General) route.
Continuous Residence Requirement:
The applicant must meet the continuous residence requirement as set out in Appendix Continuous Residence during the qualifying period for ILR as a Skilled Worker / Tier 2 General Migrant.
Knowledge Of Life In The UK Requirement
The applicant must meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement set out in Appendix KOL UK. They do not need to meet an English language requirement for settlement, as they will have met this in their previous Skilled Worker application.
Sponsorship and Salary Requirement
SW 24.1. The sponsor in the applicant’s most recent permission must still be approved by the Home Office to sponsor Skilled Workers on the date of the decision.
SW 24.2. The sponsor must confirm that they still require the applicant to work for them for the foreseeable future, and that the applicant is paid, and will be paid for the foreseeable future, at least the salary in SW 24.3.
SW 24.3. Subject to SW 24.4, the applicant’s salary must equal or exceed all three salary requirements shown in the relevant row of the table below.
| Row | Applicant's Circumstances | General Salary | Going Rate |
| A | All cases where rows B to D do not apply | Salary of at least £38,700 per year | At least the relevant going rate listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations |
| B | The applicant was sponsored in their most recent permission for a job in the Appendix Immigration Salary List, and rows C to E do not apply. | Salary of at least £30,960 per year | At least the relevant going rate listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations |
| C | The applicant meets the requirements of SW 4.2(b), save that references to being sponsored should be read as meeting the requirements in SW 24.1. to SW 24.2, and rows D and E do not apply. | Salary of at least £29,000 per year | At least the relevant going rate listed in Tables 2 to 2a of Appendix Skilled Occupations |
| D |
The applicant was sponsored in their most recent permission for a job in either: • Appendix Immigration Salary List (or the previous Appendix Shortage Occupation List); or • a health or education SOC 2020 occupation code listed in Table 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations (or a related SOC 2010 occupation code shown in that table); and, in either case, row E does not apply. |
Salary of at least £23,200 per year | At least the relevant going rate listed in Tables 2 to 5 of Appendix Skilled Occupations |
| E |
The 5-year qualifying period for settlement includes time as a Tier 2 (General) Migrant in which the applicant was sponsored for a job in one of the following SOC 2010 occupation codes: • 2111 Chemical scientists |
Salary of at least £23,200 per year | At least the going rate in the table at SW 14.5(c), if the applicant has continued to be sponsored in that SOC 2010 occupation code, or the equivalent SOC 2020 occupation code shown in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, ever since. At least the relevant going rate in Tables 2 to 5 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, in other cases. |
Can I Use Priority or Super Priority Service For ILR As A Skilled Worker?
As specialist skilled worker visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and its commercial partners UKVCAS Sopra Steria to provide Priority or Super Priority Service for ILR as a skilled worker whereby decision on your ILR application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your application through Super Priority Service.
Our skilled worker visa solicitors can prepare and submit your ILR application as a skilled worker visa faster and get you a decision on your application faster through Priority or Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your ILR application for months (sometimes years).
How Can We Help With ILR As A Skilled Worker?
Our specialist team of skilled worker visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on a fixed fee basis concerning your ILR application. Our fixed fee for your ILR application will cover all the work of our skilled worker visa solicitors on your ILR application until a decision is made by the Home Office UKVI on your ILR application. The casework to be carried out by our skilled worker visa solicitors in relation to your ILR application will entail the following:
Advice on requirements: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements your ILR application must meet to succeed.
Advice on documents: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your ILR application;
Assessment of documents: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all the documents you provide in support of your ILR application comply with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Completing application form: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your ILR application.
Submitting an application through Priority or Super Priority Service: Where possible, our skilled worker visa solicitors will submit your online ILR application through priority or super-priority service to get a faster decision on your ILR application.
Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your ILR application online, our skilled worker visa solicitors will book an appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics.
Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist skilled worker visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your ILR application, explaining how all the legal requirements are met for its approval.
Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our skilled worker visa solicitors will upload all the supporting documents to be considered for your ILR application online.
Follow-up work: Our skilled worker visa solicitors will carry out all the follow-up work until the Home Office UKVI decides on your ILR application.
How Much Does ILR As A Skilled Worker Cost?
The costs associated with your ILR application as a skilled worker are outlined below:
Our Fixed Fees for Your ILR Application
Our fixed fee for processing your ILR application as a skilled worker ranges from £800 + VAT to £1,200 + VAT. Our fixed fee will cover all our work on your application, including advising on documents, checking your documents, completing the application form and submitting the application online, booking an appointment for biometrics enrolment, preparing a cover letter in support of the application, uploading all supporting documents to be considered in support of the application, and carrying out all other follow up work until decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application.
Our agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of your case and the volume of work involved in your ILR application. You will make an initial payment of half our fee when we start working on your matter, and the remaining half is due once we have fully prepared the ILR application and it is ready for submission.
Unable to afford the cost of the full service? You have the option to book an appointment online for our one-off immigration advice and consultation service for a fixed fee of £100 (including VAT) or our immigration document checking service for a fixed fee of £300 (including VAT).
UKVI Fees for Your ILR Application
In addition to our fixed fee for assisting you with your ILR application as a skilled worker, you must also pay the Home Office UKVI fees for your ILR application. The UKVI fee for your ILR application is £2,885. Additionally, for a faster decision on your ILR application within 24 hours, you can pay an additional £1,000 as a Super Priority Service fee.
Other Related Services
- Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence
- Entry Clearance For Skilled Worker Visa UK
- Switching To a Skilled Worker Visa
- Student Switching To Skilled Worker Visa
- Extension Of Skilled Worker Visa UK
- Updating Skilled Worker Visa UK
- Skilled Worker Dependants
- Work Visas UK
- Administrative Review Of UK Visa Refusal
FAQs - ILR As A Skilled Worker
Following are the various Frequently Asked Questions about ILR as a skilled worker:
You can apply for ILR as a Skilled Worker through a Priority or Super Priority Service for a faster decision on your ILR application.
As specialist skilled worker visa solicitors based in London, we are registered with the Home Office, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and its commercial partners UKVCAS Sopra Steria to provide Priority/Super Priority Service for Skilled Worker visa applications whereby a decision on your Skilled Worker visa application will be made within 24 hours if you submit your application through Super Priority Service or within 5 working days if you submit your application through Priority Service.
Our Skilled Worker visa Solicitors can prepare and submit your application faster and get you a decision faster through Priority/Super Priority Service. This way, you will not have to wait for the decision on your application for months (sometimes years).
You can apply for ILR as a Skilled Worker 28 days before you complete the five-year qualifying period.
The applicant must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK, consisting of time with permission in any of, or any combination of, the following routes:
- Skilled Worker; or
- Global talent; or
- Innovator Founder; or
- T2 Minister of Religion; or
- International Sportsperson; or
- Representative of an Overseas Business; or
- as a Tier 1 Migrant, other than as a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Migrant; or
- Scale-up; or
- permission on any other route, during the time the applicant was waiting for a decision on their application as a Skilled Worker, provided that application:
- was for permission to stay; and
- was made between 24 January 2020 and 30 June 2021 (inclusive); and
- was supported on the date of application by a certificate of sponsorship assigned by a licensed sponsor; and
- was granted.
The most recent permission must have been in either the Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) route. An applicant does not need to have switched from Tier 2 (General) to Skilled Worker before applying for settlement as a Skilled Worker, as the definition of Skilled Worker in the Immigration Rules includes those with permission in the Tier 2 (General) route.
The applicant must meet the continuous residence requirement as set out in Appendix Continuous Residence during the qualifying period for ILR as a Skilled Worker / Tier 2 General Migrant.
To apply for ILR as a skilled worker, you must meet the requirements for knowledge of life in the UK as set out in Appendix KOL UK.
You do not need to meet an English language requirement for settlement, as you will have met this requirement in your previous Skilled Worker visa application.
No, you cannot combine time spent under the ECAA Turkish Worker visa or ECAA Turkish Businessperson visa with time spent under the Skilled Worker visa to apply for ILR after 5 years as a Skilled Worker.
Once you switch from an ECAA Turkish Wroker or ECAA Turkish Businessperson visa to a Skilled Worker visa, your qualifying time for ILR will start from scratch.
