How to apply

Step by step

1. Check you are eligible and have passed the Life in the UK test.
2. Fill in the online application for your route on GOV.UK and pay the fee of £3,226 for each person.
3. Prove your identity. You will either use the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app (only if you are told you can) or book an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centre to give your fingerprints and photo.
4. Upload your documents.
5. Wait for a decision — usually within 6 months. You can pay £500 for a decision within 5 working days, or £1,000 for the next working day, where available.
6. If you are granted ILR, your status is shown as an eVisa in your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. You prove it to employers and landlords with a share code.

While you wait

• Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (the Common Travel Area) — it can mean your application is treated as withdrawn.
• If your visa expires while you are waiting, you keep your rights as long as you applied before it expired.

Costs at a glance

• ILR application (per person): £3,226
• Priority service — decision within 5 working days: £500
• Super priority — decision by the next working day: £1,000
• Life in the UK test: £50
• Naturalisation as a British citizen (£1,709 + £130 ceremony): £1,839

You do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge on an ILR application.