Indefinite Leave to Remain for Americans: how US citizens settle permanently in the UK
Most Americans qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years on a Skilled Worker or partner visa, or after three years on some Global Talent and Innovator Founder routes. US nationals are exempt from the English test but still need to pass the Life in the UK test, stay within the 180-day absence limit and pay £3,226 per person. The government has proposed a 10-year baseline under “earned settlement”, but as of October 2026 no new rules have been laid and the five-year routes still apply.
For most Americans in the UK, Indefinite Leave to Remain is the point where the visa treadmill stops. Until then you renew, pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and keep your job or relationship tied to your visa conditions. Once you hold ILR you can live, work and study here without a time limit, change employer freely and, a year later in most cases, apply to become a British citizen.
The timing depends on the visa you hold, and the rules are under review. Under the rules in force today, most US citizens qualify after five years. The government's earned settlement proposals would make 10 years the norm for many people, but as of 19 October 2026 those proposals have not been turned into rules. Here is where you stand now, and what to watch.
What ILR gives you
ILR is permanent permission to stay in the UK. You no longer need a sponsor, a minimum salary or a qualifying relationship to remain here, and you stop paying the Immigration Health Surcharge, so NHS care comes without the annual visa charge. You can also claim public funds such as Universal Credit if you need them, which most visas forbid.
Your status is held as an eVisa rather than a physical card, and you prove it to employers and landlords with a share code. ILR does not expire, but it can lapse if you spend more than two continuous years outside the UK, so it suits people who plan to make the UK their main home.
Which routes lead to ILR for Americans
US citizens have no special settlement route. You qualify through the visa you live here on, and each route has its own qualifying period. Time on visas that do not lead to settlement, such as a Student or Graduate visa, does not count towards the five-year routes, though it can count towards 10-year long residence.
| Route | Qualifying period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker / Health and Care Worker | 5 years | Salary of at least £41,700 or the going rate at ILR stage, with lower rates for some roles |
| Partner of a British citizen or settled person | 5 years | Time on a fiancé(e) visa does not count |
| Global Talent | 3 or 5 years | 3 years for most exceptional talent endorsements, 5 for exceptional promise |
| Innovator Founder | 3 years | Needs a fresh endorsement for settlement |
| Long residence | 10 years | Continuous lawful residence on any mix of visas |
| Global Business Mobility | No | Does not lead to settlement |
| UK Ancestry | Not open | Commonwealth citizens only, so not available to US citizens |
Sources: GOV.UK guidance for Skilled Worker, partner, Global Talent, Innovator Founder and long residence settlement.
Most Americans arrive on a Skilled Worker visa or as the partner of a British citizen. On the Skilled Worker route, time on several other work routes also counts, including Global Talent, Innovator Founder and Scale-up, so switching between them does not reset the clock. Time as a dependant does not count towards your own five years, but a partner and children can usually apply for ILR alongside you. Our guide to UK work visas for Americans covers the visas themselves.
What you need to qualify
Continuous residence and absences
You must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during your qualifying years. The rule is in Appendix Continuous Residence, and it applies to any 12 months, not just calendar or visa years. Longer absences are only excused for reasons the rules accept, such as serious illness, a family emergency or travel disruption. Americans with family in the US should keep a record of every trip from the start.
The Life in the UK test
Applicants aged 18 to 64 must pass the Life in the UK test: 24 multiple-choice questions on British history, law and customs, taken in 45 minutes at one of more than 30 test centres. It costs £50, and the official handbook covers everything that comes up.
English language
As a US national you meet the English requirement automatically, because the US is on the Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries. That stays true when the required level for most settlement routes rises from B1 to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027.
Salary and suitability
Skilled Workers need a salary of at least £41,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher, when they apply for ILR. Healthcare and education roles on national pay scales have lower thresholds, and different figures apply if your first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024. Every applicant is also assessed for suitability, which covers criminal records and breaches of immigration law.
Earned settlement: what is proposed and what is in force
In November 2025 the government opened a consultation on earned settlement, which would replace the five-year norm with a 10-year baseline that can be shortened by contribution or lengthened by things like claiming benefits. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026. As of 19 October 2026 no response has been published and no rules have been laid.
| Change | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| ILR fee rises to £3,226 | In force | 8 April 2026 |
| B2 English for most settlement routes (US nationals exempt) | Laid | From 26 March 2027 |
| 10-year baseline, with reductions and increases | Proposed | No date set |
| End of the 10-year long residence route | Proposed | No date set |
| Transitional protection for people already here | Undecided | No date set |
Sources: House of Commons Library and Home Office fees table.
Under the proposals, many Americans would still have a shorter path. The consultation document would take five years off the baseline for anyone with taxable income of at least £50,270 for three years, and seven years off for income of £125,140 or Global Talent and Innovator Founder holders. Partners, parents and children of British citizens would keep a five-year route. Partners of people who are settled but not British would not, and everyone would face new minimum requirements, including earnings above £12,570 a year and no debts to the NHS or HMRC.
On timing, the Home Secretary told the Home Affairs Committee on 15 September 2026 that the new policy would be set out later this year and that applications are decided under the rules in place when you apply. Whether people already on a five-year route will be protected has not been decided. Both the Commons Home Affairs Committee and the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee have recommended against applying the changes retrospectively.
Until new rules are laid, the five-year routes apply. If you are close to qualifying, apply as soon as you are eligible, which is up to 28 days before you complete your qualifying period, rather than waiting to see what changes. This section reflects the position on 19 October 2026; we will update it when the government publishes its response.
How to apply and what it costs
Most work-route applicants apply online using the settlement form linked from the GOV.UK ILR page for their route, then give their fingerprints and photo at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre. Partners apply through the family settlement page. Each person applying pays the full fee, so a couple with two children pays four fees.
| Item | Cost | Decision time |
|---|---|---|
| ILR application (per person) | £3,226 | Usually within 6 months |
| Priority service | +£500 | Within 5 working days |
| Super priority service | +£1,000 | By the end of the next working day |
| Life in the UK test | £50 | Book before you apply |
| Biometrics appointment | Free | Paid upgrades available |
Source: GOV.UK. Super priority decisions after a weekend appointment take two working days.
Do not leave the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while your application is pending: travelling withdraws it. If you need to travel within six months of applying, the priority services are the safer choice. There is no Immigration Health Surcharge to pay on an ILR application.
After ILR: citizenship and keeping your status
Most people can apply for British citizenship 12 months after getting ILR, once they have lived in the UK for five years with no more than 450 days abroad in that period and no more than 90 days in the final year. If you are married to a British citizen, you can apply as soon as you have ILR and three years' residence. The naturalisation fee is £1,709, plus £130 for the citizenship ceremony.
Becoming British does not cost you your US passport. According to the US State Department, US law does not require you to choose, and you only lose US citizenship by taking another nationality with the intention of giving it up. As a dual national you must still enter and leave the US on your US passport.
If you keep ILR without becoming British, remember the two-year rule. Spend more than two continuous years outside the UK and your ILR usually lapses; coming back then means applying for a Returning Resident visa, which costs £726 and requires you to show strong ties to the UK.
Tax does not change with your immigration status
ILR changes your immigration status, not your tax position. The IRS keeps taxing you on your worldwide income as a US citizen, and UK tax depends on whether you are UK tax resident, not on whether you hold a visa or ILR. Our US tax guides for Americans in the UK cover both systems.
Planning your route to settlement
For most Americans the route to ILR is predictable once you know which visa you are on: count your qualifying years from your first grant on a route that leads to settlement, keep a running record of time abroad, and book the Life in the UK test in good time. The fee is the biggest single cost, and it applies to every family member.
The uncertainty is earned settlement. Until the government publishes its response, nobody can say for certain whether five years will still be the rule for people who are already here. Some Americans will be well placed whatever happens, particularly high earners, Global Talent holders and the partners of British citizens. For everyone else, the practical answer is the same: apply as soon as you are eligible.
Your own dates, absences and visa history decide your position, so check the GOV.UK guidance for your route before you apply, and take advice from a regulated immigration adviser if your history is complicated. Our general ILR guide covers the rules for every nationality.
Frequently asked questions
Usually five years on a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker or partner visa, or three years on Innovator Founder and the exceptional talent strand of Global Talent. Long residence takes 10 years of lawful residence on any combination of visas.
No. The US is a majority English-speaking country, so US nationals meet the English language requirement automatically. You still need to pass the Life in the UK test unless you are under 18 or 65 or over.
The application fee is £3,226 per person from 8 April 2026, and each family member pays it separately. Priority service costs £500 extra and super priority £1,000. There is no Immigration Health Surcharge on an ILR application.
No more than 180 days in any 12-month period during your qualifying years. Longer absences break your continuous residence unless they were for a reason the rules accept, such as serious illness, a family emergency or travel disruption.
Not yet. As of 19 October 2026 the 10-year earned settlement baseline is a proposal: the consultation closed on 12 February 2026, no response has been published and no rules have been laid. The Home Secretary has said the new policy will be set out later this year.
That has not been decided. The proposals would cover everyone who does not already hold ILR, but the Home Secretary told MPs in September 2026 that transitional arrangements were still being considered. Both the Commons and Lords committees recommended not applying the changes retrospectively.
You can apply up to 28 days before you complete your qualifying period. Applying earlier than that can lead to refusal, and you lose the fee.
No. Leaving the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before you get a decision withdraws your application. Standard decisions usually take up to six months, so plan travel around the priority services if you need to go abroad.
Yes. ILR usually lapses if you spend more than two continuous years outside the UK. To come back after that, you would need a Returning Resident visa, which costs £726 and requires you to show strong ties to the UK.
No. ILR has no effect on your US citizenship, and US law allows dual nationality. You only lose US citizenship by acquiring another nationality voluntarily with the intention of giving it up. Dual nationals must use a US passport to enter and leave the US.
No. UK Ancestry is open only to Commonwealth citizens and a few British national categories, so US citizens cannot use it, even with a British-born grandparent.
Usually 12 months after getting ILR, provided you have lived in the UK for five years and spent no more than 450 days abroad in that time. If you are married to a British citizen, you can apply as soon as you have ILR and three years' residence. The fee is £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.
This guide is general information about settlement in the UK for US citizens, based on the Immigration Rules, GOV.UK guidance and Home Office fees in force on 19 October 2026. It is not legal or immigration advice. Settlement rules are under review, and proposals described here may change before they take effect, or may not take effect at all. Always check the current GOV.UK guidance for your route before applying, and consult a regulated immigration adviser or solicitor about your own circumstances. Some links are affiliate links; if you use them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and this does not affect our editorial guidance.
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