British citizenship and ILR requirements

Everything settlement and citizenship ask for

5 years of residence

Five years of lawful residence in the UK, the qualifying period for ILR on the Skilled Worker and partner routes and for naturalisation. The long residence route asks for ten. Settlement rules on GOV.UK

Indefinite Leave to Remain

Indefinite Leave to Remain, the UK's settled status. For citizenship you normally hold it for 12 months before applying; the spouse of a British citizen can apply as soon as it is granted. ILR on GOV.UK

English, level B1

English at level B1 of the Common European Framework, in speaking and listening. From 26 March 2027, settlement applications require B2 instead; applications made before that date stay at B1. Approved English tests on GOV.UK

Life in the UK test

The Life in the UK test, 24 multiple-choice questions on British values, history, society and government, passed at 75 percent. One pass covers both the ILR and the citizenship application. Book the test on GOV.UK

Financial requirement

Each route to ILR carries its own financial test. The Skilled Worker route asks for the going rate or the general salary threshold at settlement; the partner route asks for a minimum income, £29,000 a year as of this snapshot. Financial rules on GOV.UK

Good character

The good character requirement for naturalisation: criminality, immigration breaches in the last ten years, debts to the Home Office and deception all count. It is assessed case by case, and there is no fixed formula this app could honestly compute. Good character guidance on GOV.UK

Three routes to settlement, and then citizenship

Most people reach ILR on a five year route, either sponsored work or as the partner of a British citizen or settled person. Long residence is the fallback when no single five year route fits. Citizenship normally follows once you have held ILR for 12 months; the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen does not have to wait the 12 months.

• Skilled Worker route5 yrs
• Partner of a British citizen5 yrs
• Long residence10 yrs

Skilled Worker route

The path most sponsored workers take. Five years on the Skilled Worker visa (Health and Care Worker time counts) with no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12 months, your sponsor still needing you, and the settlement salary threshold met. ILR costs £3,226 per person and is usually decided within six months. Citizenship follows after you have held ILR for 12 months: five years of residence, absences within 450 days over the five years and 90 in the final year, B1 English, the Life in the UK test and good character. The naturalisation fee is £1,839 including the ceremony.

Partner of a British citizen

The Appendix FM partner route: five years living in the UK as the partner of a British citizen or settled person, meeting the £29,000 minimum income requirement, with English at A1 at entry, A2 at the extension and B1 at settlement, plus the Life in the UK test. Form SET(M), £3,226. The spouse or civil partner of a British citizen can then apply for citizenship after three years of residence and does not need to hold ILR for 12 months first, only to hold it on the application date. Absence limits for citizenship are 270 days over the three years and 90 in the final year.

Long residence

The fallback route when no single 5-year route fits: ten years of continuous lawful residence in the UK, on any lawful basis that counts (visitor, short-term student and a few other categories do not). For absences from 11 April 2024 the same 180-days-per-12-months rule applies; older absences are judged under the previous 184 and 548 day tests. You normally need to have held your current permission for a year. ILR then costs £3,226, with the same Life in the UK and B1 English requirements, and citizenship follows 12 months after ILR.

How days outside the UK count

Whole days between your departure and arrival count as absences. Over 180 days in any rolling 12 months can break your ILR continuity; over 450 days in 5 years or 90 in the final year can bar citizenship, with limited Home Office discretion. Verify with the Home Office.

• For ILR: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 month period, under Appendix Continuous Residence.
• For citizenship: no more than 450 days outside the UK in the 5 years before you apply, and no more than 90 in the last 12 months.
• Married to a British citizen: no more than 270 days in the 3 years before you apply, and no more than 90 in the last 12 months, as GOV.UK states it.

Belong UK counts both from the trips you log: the rolling window for ILR, and the five year total and the final year for citizenship. It shows what each trip costs before you book it. Where the Home Office uses discretion, the app says so rather than guessing.

What to watch

Settlement reform is coming

The May 2025 white paper and the November 2025 command paper propose an earned settlement model: a 10-year baseline qualifying period, shortened by contribution such as work and English above the minimum. The consultation closed in February 2026 with more than 200,000 responses, and the Home Secretary has said the extension itself is decided. As of this snapshot no rule change has been laid, the live GOV.UK pages still say 5 years, and transitional protection for people already on a route is explicitly undecided. This app computes on the rules in force and will update the day that changes.

English rises to B2 in March 2027

Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid in March 2026, raises the English requirement for settlement from B1 to B2 on most routes, including Skilled Worker, partner and long residence, effective 26 March 2027. If your earliest ILR date lands after 26 March 2027, plan for B2. The citizenship requirement itself remains B1 as of this snapshot.

Decisions usually within 6 months

Both ILR and naturalisation carry a published service standard of six months, and many cases are decided faster. ILR offers priority (5 working days, plus £500) and super priority (next working day, plus £1,000) services. You cannot travel outside the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies while an ILR application is pending. After citizenship approval, the ceremony normally follows within three months of the invitation.

Preparing for the Life in the UK test

The test is 24 questions in 45 minutes, and you pass at 18. Every question is based on the official handbook, and one pass covers both ILR and citizenship.

Practice test and sample questions

Rules as of 1 October 2026, snapshot 2026.1, from the Home Office. Read the official source. Belong UK is not a government service, is not affiliated with the Home Office or UK Visas and Immigration, and gives no legal advice.