Work permit to permanent residence: ILR salary threshold £41,700 + latest 180-day residence red line

1. What is the salary threshold for converting work permit to permanent residence?

This is where the most misunderstandings occur. Many people think that if they meet the requirements when the visa is initially approved, their permanent residence will be stable. They are totally wrong.

There is only one key rule: the salary of when applying for permanent residence must meet the standards that are in effect at the moment you submit ILR, not the standards when the visa was issued that year. The threshold for increases every year, and your salary must rise accordingly, otherwise you will be stuck in the fifth year.

Current (June 2026) core numbers:

📌 From 22 July 2025, the general salary threshold of for most Skilled Workers will rise to £41,700 per year, or the "going rate" (industry benchmark salary) of your occupation, whichever is higher .

📌 If you have been guaranteed by Skilled Worker before April 4, 2024 and continue to hold it, transitional arrangements can be applied. The threshold is approximately £31,300 or the lower going rate, whichever is higher.

Note that going rates are determined individually by occupation code (SOC code), and the industry benchmark for many technical positions is much higher than £41,700. That said, £41,700 is just the floor, not the ceiling. What really needs to compare is your actual annual salary vs. the going rate of your profession. Whichever is higher will be used.

There is an easy pitfall here: bonuses, overtime pay, housing subsidies, etc. are usually not included in the basic salary calculated by . You seem to have gained a lot, but Home Office only accepts the base salary written in the contract. Before you get closer to permanent residence, be sure to ask HR to help you check your salary composition.

Since these numbers change almost every year, as for the exact threshold of the month you submitted, please refer to the latest announcement of , or use the 永居计算器 APP to check based on your visa type.

2. Permanent residence and continuous residence: How to calculate the 180-day red line?

The second red line is the "invisible killer" that has ruined the permanent residence of most people - continuous residence.

The rules themselves are not complicated: must not be outside the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. But the devil is hidden in the word "scroll".

⚠️ It is not calculated based on the natural year (January to December), but backwards from the day you submitted the application. Each consecutive 12-month window cannot exceed 180 days.

Give an example. You will leave the country for 90 days in November 2025 and another 100 days in March 2026. Looking at any period alone, it does not exceed 200, but if they are stuck in the same rolling 12-month window - such as September 2025 to August 2026 - the total of 190 days, exceeds, and the continuous residence is interrupted. This is exactly what Xiao Chen fears the most.

A few practical points:

🔹 The days when leaves and returns to China are usually not included in ’s days of absence, but the caliber varies slightly in different situations. Don’t take it for granted when critical situations arise.
🔹 The calculation is based on the "actual number of days outside the country". Business trips, vacations, and visits to relatives in the country total and total . There is no such thing as "official exemption" (except for very few special circumstances).
🔹 Every 12-month window within five years must meet the standards, not just the last year.

Many people fall into the trap of "estimating based on impressions". I go back to the country two or three times a year, for a week or two each time, but I don’t feel like there’s much, and the line is quietly broken when stacked together. The entry and exit stamps, ticket records, and eGate electronic records in 's passport are your only reliable basis. It is recommended to create a departure ledger from the first day you get your visa and record the dates one by one. If you are worried, you can use the 永居计算器 APP to calculate each period of absence to the day, and the system will automatically give you an early warning according to the rolling window.

3. The latest progress of the 10-year permanent residence reform (Earned Settlement)

After talking about the current rules, we must talk about the big rock in the minds of many people - the rumored "earned settlement (point-based/earned permanent residence) " reform that will increase the qualification period for permanent residence from 5 years to 10 years.

As of June 8, 2026, clarify the known facts:

✅ This reform originated from the 2025 Immigration White Paper. The core proposal is to extend the standard permanent residence qualification period from 5 years to 10 years, while allowing some people to reach the standard faster based on their contribution (such as high income, key industries).
✅ The official public consultation ended on February 12, 2026, and more than 200,000 responses were received - which shows how controversial it is.
✅ However, as of now, the -related Immigration Rules modifications have not yet been officially legislated into . The final plan will not be finalized until the government digests the consultation results, and the implementation time may be postponed to 2027.

💡 A word of reassurance: ’s current 5-year work permit-to-permanent residence path is still fully valid. Before the new regulations are implemented, those who meet the requirements should submit as early as possible according to the current rules.

There is one point in the consultation document that we should be particularly vigilant about: the reform tends to apply to for all people who have not yet received ILR. In other words, even if you have lived in the UK for three or four years, once the new regulations take effect, you may be "re-timed". This is what the lawyers have repeatedly reminded - if can meet the conditions and submit it one day earlier, don't delay. The uncertainty of the time window itself is the biggest risk.

4. Action List for Transferring Work Permit to Permanent Residence: Don’t Overturn Before You Go

Condensing the above into an executable checklist:

1️⃣ checks salary 12 months in advance. Compare the threshold effective in the month of submission with the going rate of your occupation. If possible, negotiate a salary increase with your employer in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute.

2️⃣ creates a departure ledger, and self-checks according to the rolling window. Do not stay abroad for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, and take the initiative to return home in critical years.

3️⃣ is prepared in advance for Life in the UK Test and B1 English . These two items are the hard conditions for most permanent residence paths, so take the exam early and feel at ease.

4️⃣ can be submitted 28 days before the expiry of five years at the earliest. Calculate your "first day of application" and start as soon as possible while the current rules are in effect.

5️⃣ pay close attention to GOV.UK and the official announcement . Once the 10-year reform is enacted, the pace may be very fast. Don’t let the information gap delay your efforts for five years.

What happened to Xiao Chen? He took out his passport and calculated each item, and found that the 12-month window was exactly 178 days, narrowly crossing the threshold; his salary also exceeded the threshold after the salary increase at the beginning of the year. I was in a cold sweat, but I submitted it before the reform was implemented. Many times, the reason for permanent residence is not the qualification, but the failure to calculate clearly and not catch up with the opportunity.

This article is for reference only. Immigration rules are updated frequently and vary from person to person. For specific questions, please consult a licensed attorney (OISC/SRA), or refer to the latest announcement of GOV.UK.