UK Skilled Worker ILR -Eligibility, Documents Required & Application Process

The UK Skilled Worker visa, which was launched to bring highly skilled foreign workers into the UK labour market, is the most popular category for foreign workers under the work route. This is a sponsored route under the point-based system. A sponsored immigration route means that someone applying to obtain entry clearance or permission on this route must have a prior eligible job offer and a certificate of sponsorship from their licensed UK-based employer. The visa allows for an extension and also leads to ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) – also known as ‘Settlement’ in the UK.

The UK Skilled Worker visa gives a person an opportunity to settle permanently in the UK if they are eligible. ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) – also known as ‘Settlement’ is how a person settles in the UK. It gives a person the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely, free from immigration restrictions. ILR holders can also apply for British citizenship after one year.

Please note that, as on date people with ILR have the right to apply for benefits as well. But on 20 November 2025, the Home Secretary (UK) laid a statement in the parliament which outlines major changes in relation to the settlement in the UK. One of those changes is that migrants, including skilled workers, would be able to access benefits and social housing only after they obtain British citizenship, rather than the current rule of upon being granted indefinite leave to remain. 

This change will not apply to individuals already having ILR or settled status in the UK. 

Validity requirements for a Skilled Worker ILR  

A person applying for a UK Skilled Worker must apply online on the website gov.uk using the specified application, “Settle in the UK in various immigration categories: form SET(O)”.

An application must satisfy all the following criteria:

(a) The applicant must have paid any required fee; and

(b) The applicant must have enrolled in biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) when required; and

(c) The applicant must have submitted a passport or other valid document to establish their identity and nationality.

(d) The applicant must be in the UK when they apply

The applicant must currently have, or have last been granted, permission in the UK as a Skilled Worker.

Any application that does not satisfy all the validity criteria for the purpose of indefinite leave to remain as a skilled worker may be rejected as invalid and not considered.

Suitability Requirements

The Skilled Worker ILR applicant must not fall for refusal under Immigration Rules - Part Suitability, which has replaced the previous Part 9: grounds for refusal and became effective from November 11, 2025.

They must not be:

(a) In breach of UK immigration laws, except that where the “Exceptions for overstayers” in Paragraph SUI 13.1. of Part Suitability applies; or

(b) On immigration bail.

Eligibility Requirements

On 20 November 2025, a statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlement were presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department (UK). After a run of 12-week consultation, the changes for ‘earned settlement’, which is in line with the White Paper released on 12 May 2025, should come into effect in April 2026.  

1. Continuous Residence Requirements

A person applying for ILR must have resided and worked in the UK for 5 years without gaps. 

There are rules for what counts towards the 5 years if they have:

• Spent time abroad

• Been a dependent partner or child on a visa

• Had more than one visa 

If a person has spent time abroad 

They must not have spent time outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 months. 

If a person has been a partner or child (a ‘dependant’) on a visa

When counting 5 years of continuous residence in the UK, one cannot include any time spent in the UK as a partner or child (a ‘dependant’) on a visa.

If a person has had more than one UK visa

When counting 5 years of continuous residence in the UK, one can include any time spent in the UK on any combination of the following visas:

• Any T1 visa - except T1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)

• Skilled Worker visa, Health and Care Worker visa, or Tier 2 (General) visa

• Scale-up Worker visa

• T2 Minister of Religion visa or Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa

• International Sportsperson, T2 Sportsperson visa, or Tier 2 (Sportsperson) visa

• Innovator Founder visa

• Global Talent visa

• Representative of an Overseas Business visa

Changes in the qualifying residence period requirement 

As of date, ILR or settlement is near automatic. The only qualifications a person is required to meet are to have lived in the UK for, in most cases, including the skilled workers, five years, and to have not received an imprisonment sentence of over four years. However, as per the consultation paper released on 20 November 2025, the residence requirement for settlement, including for skilled workers, will be set to a baseline 10-year qualifying period. 

Applicants will also be required to have a clean criminal record. They must speak English to a high standard. They must make a sustained and measurable economic contribution and must have no debt in the UK.

• An earlier settlement could be possible for those, including skilled workers who make an outsized contribution to the UK’s national life, such as high talent, high taxpayers, those who have worked at a certain level of seniority in public services, or those who have volunteered extensively in their local communities.

• It is also proposed that a skilled worker may qualify for ILR with a continuous residence of 9 years (a reduction of 1 year on the 10-year baseline) on the basis of having proficiency in English at C1 level or above under the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) than the existing minimum B1 level under the CEFR required to qualify for settlement. 

• Please note that from 8 January 2026, the level of English language requirement for skilled workers is changing. A foreign national making their first UK Skilled Worker visa application will be required to show that they can speak, read, write, and understand English to at least CEFR level B2.

• Those who had been in receipt of public funds for less than 1 year but meet the level C1 under the CEFR English consideration would face a total settlement qualifying period of 14 years.

• Qualifying period for settlement will be increased to 10 years from the existing 5 years for those in the Skilled Worker route in a role to at least RQF level 6 (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) and 15 years for those in the Skilled Worker route in a role below RQF level 6.

New Timeline Proposals based on salary?

• As per the proposed new regulations for the consultation by the Home Office, those earning more than £125,000 a year would be allowed to apply for ILR in the UK straight after 3 years.

• Migrants, including skilled workers earning salaries between £50,270 and £125,000 a year, would have to wait for 5 years, which is in line with the current provisions, while lower wage earners would have their qualifying period for ILR doubled to 10 years.

• Low-wage migrants and their dependents who arrived in the UK in the 2022-2024 period on a UK health and social care visa would be subjected to a baseline of 15 years rather than a baseline of 10 years. The Senior Care and Care Worker route to new entrants was closed earlier this year following widespread abuse. 

However, doctors and nurses working in the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK will still qualify for ILR after 5 years. 

2. Salary requirements

A skilled worker applying for ILR must continue to be needed to work for their sponsor for the foreseeable future and be paid the minimum salary required or above after getting ILR. They will need a document from their employer (sponsor) to confirm this.

A person applying for ILR as a Skilled Worker will need to be paid a minimum salary of £41,700 per year or the ‘standard going rate’ -whichever is higher.

When are the salary requirements different?

The salary requirements are different for:

• Those working in healthcare or education

• Those whose job is on the ISL (Immigration Salary List)

• Those who received a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) for their first Skilled Worker (or equivalent) visa before 4 April 2024 and have held Skilled Worker visas since then.

If a person works in healthcare or education

There are different salary rules for people working in some healthcare or education jobs, where the going rate for jobs is based on National Pay Scales. An applicant must be paid whichever is higher out of the following:

• £25,000 per year

• The ‘going rate’ based on national pay scales for the eligible healthcare jobs - listed by NHS (National Health Service) pay band and area of the UK, or the eligible teaching and education leadership jobs - listed by role and area of the UK.

These going rates apply regardless of the private or public sector.

If a person’s job in healthcare has different salary requirements

Those on a UK Health and Care Worker visa in the UK with a job in one of the occupation codes with different salary requirements must be paid whichever is higher out of the following:

• £33,400 per year?

• £25,000 per year if their job is on the ISL (or it was at the time they applied)

• The ‘lower going rate’ for the type of work they will be doing

If a person’s job is on the ISL (Immigration Salary List)

Those not meeting the usual salary requirements, and not working in healthcare or education, might still be eligible.

Those on a Skilled Worker visa with a job currently on the ISL (or it was at the time they applied) must be paid at least:

• £33,400 per year; or

• The ‘standard going rate’ for the type of work they will be doing

If a person got a CoS for their first Skilled Worker (or equivalent) visa before 4 April 2024 

Those who have continually held one or more Skilled Worker visas since then must be paid whichever is higher out of the following:

• £31,300 per year

• £25,000 per year if their job is currently on?the ISL (or it was at the time they applied)

• The ‘lower going rate’ for the type of work they will be doing

There are also different salary requirements for those who were sponsored for a Tier 2 (General) visa in one of the following occupation codes:

• 2111 Chemical scientists

• 2112 Biological scientists and biochemists

• 2113 Physical scientists

• 2114 Social and humanities scientists

• 2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified

• 2150 Research and development managers

• 2311 Higher education teaching professionals

In this case, they must be paid whichever is higher out of the following:

• £25,000 per year

• The different going rate for the type of work they will be doing

3. Knowledge of Language and Life (KOLL) in the UK requirements

Those aged 18-64 will normally be required to book and pass the Life in the UK test.

A skilled worker applying for ILR is not required to prove they satisfy the English language criteria at the time of application because they did this when they applied for their skilled worker visa.

Documents they need

Once a person has started their Skilled Worker ILR application, they can save their form and complete it later.

The applicant will be told which documents they need to provide when they apply. For example, to show that:

• They have successfully passed the Life in the UK Test

• They satisfy the salary criteria. The Home Office may want to check their PAYE (Pay as You Earn) records. Until automated PAYE checks are available, they should provide a payslip covering their most recent month’s pay, and either a bank or building society statement.

• They are still required for their job by their employer. Their employer (sponsor) will have to provide a document confirming this.

These documents should be dated no earlier than 31 days before they apply for ILR.

Applying for Skilled Worker ILR

A skilled worker must apply online on gov.uk. They will have to use the application form for the Skilled Worker visa ILR. They must apply from inside the UK.

The earliest a person can apply for the Skilled Worker ILR is 28 days before they have been in the UK for 5 years on a Skilled Worker visa. One should not wait until their current visa expires because if their visa expires before they can apply for ILR, they will need to renew it first.

The fee for the ILR or settlement is £3,029 per person.

They will usually need to prove their identity as part of their application at a UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service) service point, meaning they will have their biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) taken there. 

They will also be required to submit the supporting documents proving their eligibility. They can:

• Upload their documents online 

• Have them scanned at their UKVCAS appointment

• The applicant must not travel outside of the UK, the Channel Islands, Ireland, or the Isle of Man until they get a decision, because their application will be withdrawn if they do so.

Getting a Decision

Once a person has applied online, proved their identity, and submitted the supporting documents, they will usually get a decision on their application for a Skilled Worker ILR within 6 months if they apply through the standard service.

The UKVI will contact the applicant if their application will take longer, for example, because:

• Their supporting documents need to be verified

• They need to attend an interview

• Of their individual circumstances, for example, if they have a criminal conviction

A person may be able to pay for ‘priority’ service or ‘super priority’ service to get a faster decision. 

If an application for Skilled Worker ILR is approved

A successful applicant, upon being granted ILR, can do the following:

• Study, work, and run a business

• Use public services, such as schools and healthcare

• Apply for pensions and public funds (benefits)

• Apply to obtain British citizenship, usually after a minimum of 12 months

Please note that the consultation paper released on 20 November 2025 seeks to make migrants eligible for benefits and social housing only after they obtain British Citizenship, rather than the current rule of upon being granted ILR.

Applying for family members

Dependants in the UK of those on the Skilled Worker route here can also apply for ILR. The main applicant can include their dependants on their application for ILR if the dependants are eligible. If not eligible at the point the main applicant is, the dependants may apply to settle at a later date when they become eligible. 

Dependants include the principal applicant’s spouse or unmarried partner, and any dependent children under the age of 18 or children aged 18 or over if they were under 18 when they first got permission to be in the UK as dependant of the main applicant and they still do not live an independent life - for example, they have not got married or had children.

To be eligible for Skilled Worker ILR, dependants must meet the relevant relationship (partner or children) requirement and a continuous residence requirement. The dependants aged over 18 may also need to satisfy the English language and knowledge of life in the UK (KOLL) criteria.