Hi guys
My ILR is due next month in August and I will be applying with priority to get a decision within 1 week
I got a 18 months toddler born in the UK and his dependent VISA is going to expire in November 2026
I know once I get the ILR granted, I could apply for my toddler's citizenship grant but I read it takes around 6 months to get a decision and if I apply for a grant in August 2026, the citizenship grant could easily pass his VISA expiry date
So my question is , should I renew his VISA during this time or once his application is under process , he does not require any VISA extension until he gets his decision?
Please , no assumptions.. if anyone is or was in similar situation , I could really use your experience in my case
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice regarding my Skilled Worker ILR eligibility.

My timeline is as follows:

Skilled Worker Visa Decision email received: 03/08/2021
BRP Issued date: 19/08/2021
Visa vignette valid from: 30/08/ 2021
Entered the UK: 03/09/ 2021

I have remained on the Skilled Worker route since then with no gaps in permission.

Would my 5-year qualifying period for ILR start from the visa valid-from date (30/08/2021), or Visa decision email received date ( 03/08/2021 ) or BRP issues date or from the date I first entered the UK (03/09/2021)? When can I apply for ILR with 28 days earlier from which date ?

Thank you in advance for your help.

I attended biometrics on 19th June but still have not received the decision in priority service. Please share if anyone else is facing similar issues.

Does the letter need to have SOC code or CoS details, applying via the 5 year Skilled Worker Visa route.

After 11 years in the UK, I've finally got my ILR. I wanted to share my experience because most threads here are about the 5-year Skilled Worker route, which is fairly straightforward and carries less than half the burden of proof of a long-residence application. If your case looks different from the usual "I arrived in 2021, how early before my 5 years can I apply?" posts, this is for you.

My situation was the opposite of trying to apply as early as possible. I actually applied much later than the date I first became eligible — and that was a deliberate choice. Not having ILR hadn't stopped me from doing anything in the UK, so I wasn't in a rush. My view: no one can take away what's rightfully yours, so there's no harm in being patient and applying when your paperwork is genuinely watertight.

I also had a Skilled Worker dependent application ready as a backup. There was a delay from my spouse's employer in issuing the supporting letter, so rather than wait, I went ahead with the 10-year route — I'd kept everything lined up for it anyway.

My visa history

• ICT (short-term): June 2015 – April 2016
• ICT (long-term): August 2016 – August 2019
• ICT (long-term): August 2019 – August 2021
• Skilled Worker dependant: July 2021 – July 2024
• Skilled Worker dependant (extension): July 2024 – July 2027

The gap between my two ICT visas — the bit most people worry about

My main concern was a ~4-month gap between my ICT short-term and ICT long-term visas. If you're in the same boat, here's what I learned:

1. The gap is allowed. It doesn't break continuous residence, as long as you left the UK with valid leave and returned with valid leave.
2. It's treated as an absence. So it counts toward your absence totals — you still need to stay within the permitted absence limits (in my period, the 180/184-day type limits applied).
3. The gap doesn't count toward your 10 years. The days where you held no leave can't be counted as qualifying residence, so your earliest application date effectively moves later — roughly your 10-year anniversary plus the length of that gap.

In my case, the earliest I could have applied was last year. I chose not to, because I was also going to be eligible within six months on the Skilled Worker route, which has a far lighter burden of proof than a 10-year application.

How I handled it in the application

I wrote a cover letter laying out the full visa history and timeline, and I declared my 121-day gap upfront rather than hoping no one noticed. To pre-empt any caseworker who might not be familiar with the legal basis, I included this in my absence letter:

I draw particular attention to my absence of 121 days between XX MMM 2016 and YY MMM 2016, which occurred between my Tier 2 ICT Short-Term and Tier 2 ICT Long-Term visas. As explained in the accompanying letter, this absence does not break continuous residence pursuant to paragraph CR 4.1 (d) (iii) of the Appendix Continuous Residence of the immigration rules as i left the UK when i had valid permission and returned to the UK with a valid permission under the same or different route.

Did I use a solicitor?

No — I did it myself. With tools like Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, you genuinely don't need a solicitor unless your case is complicated. Save the money and put the effort in yourself. (That said, if your case has real complexity — refusals, criminality, gaps where you held no valid leave on departure or return — get proper advice.)

What I submitted

• Cover letter — full visa history and timeline
• Absence letter — a summary of all absences, with the 2016 gap explained
• Passports — all of them
• BRP scans — all
• Life in the UK test — pass certificate
• English language proof — I'd never needed this on ICT or as a dependant, so I used my degree + an ECCTIS (formerly UK NARIC) certificate confirming it met the requirement
• Year-by-year residence proof — council tax, utility bills, bank statements, and HMRC letters where available

Takeaway

If your route is non-standard, don't panic and don't assume you need a solicitor. Understand the continuous-residence and absence rules, declare everything upfront, and let the documents do the talking. Patience over panic — your eligibility doesn't expire just because you wait until your paperwork is solid.

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice regarding my Skilled Worker ILR eligibility.

My timeline is as follows:

BRP start date: 2 August 2021
Visa vignette valid from: 16 August 2021
CoS employment start date: 6 September 2021
Entered the UK: 14 September 2021
Started work: 15 September 2021

I have remained on the Skilled Worker route since then with no gaps in permission.

I have calculated my absences by excluding both the departure and return dates, in line with the Home Office guidance. My maximum absence in any rolling 12-month period is 173 days, so I believe I am within the 180-day limit.

My question is:

Would my 5-year qualifying period for ILR start from the visa valid-from date (16 August 2021), or from the date I first entered the UK (14 September 2021)?

Based on my understanding, if the qualifying period starts from 16 August 2021, I believe I would be eligible to apply from 19 July 2026 (28 days before completing five years). Could anyone with experience or knowledge of the current Skilled Worker ILR rules confirm whether this is correct?

Thank you in advance for your help.Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice regarding my Skilled Worker ILR eligibility.

My timeline is as follows:

* BRP start date: 2 August 2021
* Visa vignette valid from: 16 August 2021
* CoS employment start date: 6 September 2021
* Entered the UK: 14 September 2021
* Started work: 15 September 2021

I have remained on the Skilled Worker route since then with no gaps in permission.

I have calculated my absences by excluding both the departure and return dates, in line with the Home Office guidance. My maximum absence in any rolling 12-month period is 173 days, so I believe I am within the 180-day limit.

My question is:

Would my 5-year qualifying period for ILR start from the visa valid-from date (16 August 2021), or from the date I first entered the UK (14 September 2021)?

Based on my understanding, if the qualifying period starts from 16 August 2021, I believe I would be eligible to apply from 19 July 2026 (28 days before completing five years). Could anyone with experience or knowledge of the current Skilled Worker ILR rules confirm whether this is correct?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hi everyone, looking for some advice or experiences from anyone who's been in a similar situation.

I've been on a Skilled Worker (Tier 2) visa with my current employer for about 5 years. My ILR eligibility date is 21st August, so roughly 2 months away. I was planning to request the employer support letter from my current company and apply for ILR as soon as I'm eligible.

Here's where it gets complicated - I've received a new job offer. The new employer wants me to start immediately and is happy to do a Skilled Worker visa transfer (Change of Employment). They've also said they'll support my ILR application with the employer letter.

My main questions:

1. Does the employer support letter carry the same weight whether it comes from an employer of 5 years vs one where I've only been for a couple of months? I understand the letter needs to confirm ongoing employment, salary, SOC code, CoS reference, and that I'm "still required for the foreseeable future." But I'm wondering if a caseworker would view a letter from a brand new employer differently in practice, even if it technically ticks all the boxes.
2. If I do switch, would I also need evidence from my previous (current) employer covering the earlier part of my 5-year qualifying period? I've read that when you change sponsors mid-qualifying period, the previous employer should ideally provide a letter, payslips, and P45 for their portion. Has anyone dealt with getting this from an employer after you've already resigned?
3. Is it worth waiting the 2 months, getting the ILR support letter from my current employer first, and then switching jobs? My instinct says this is the safer route, but I'm not sure whether I'm overcomplicating things and there's genuinely no practical difference.

I know the standard advice is "speak to an immigration solicitor" — and I plan to — but I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who changed employers close to their ILR date or applied with a relatively new sponsor. How did it go?

Thanks in advance.