Can I still apply for Long Residence permanent residence in the UK for 10 years? 2026 Policy

A sentence I was asked backstage recently was: "I heard that the 10-year permanent residence will be cancelled. Is it true that I have endured 8 years in vain?" Let me give you some reassurance - As of July 10, 2026, the 10-year Long Residence permanent residence path is still open, and the rules have not changed. But the direction of the wind is indeed moving. Today we will clarify "whether we can apply now and what will happen in the future" once and for all.

Can I still apply for 10-year permanent residence in the UK now?

able. Long Residence (Appendix Long Residence) means that can apply for permanent residence (ILR) after has lived legally in the UK for 10 consecutive years, even if they have changed several types of visas in the past 10 years - student, work permit, spouse, and Tier series together.

Home Office last updated this guideline on November 24, 2025, from to , and the routing rules remain the same. The "overnight cancellation" that many people were worried about has not happened, and those who meet the conditions can be delivered now.

Current application conditions for 10-year permanent residence Long Residence (2026)

Don’t just focus on “residing here for 10 years”, it’s often the details that matter:

📌 continuous residence : You must hold a valid visa for the entire 10 years, and there must be no "illegal/overdue" window in between.
📌 number of days out of the country : The total number of days out of the country in any 12-month rolling period shall not exceed 180 days .
📌 current visa : Usually it is required that you have held the current visa for 1 year.
📌 hard exam : Life in the UK Test passed + English proficiency meets the standard.

Here is a time point that must be remembered : For Long Residence applications submitted on or after on March 26, 2027, unless exempt, the English requirement will be increased to CEFR B2 (listening and speaking). Those submitted before this time will still be subject to the current lower standards. For those of you who have stepped on the line and are about to expire, this is enough to determine whether you "deliver one day early" or "deliver late and suffer a loss."

Will the earned settlement reform abolish the 10-year permanent residence?

This is the source of the rumor. The government launched the "Earned Settlement" concept in 2025. The core is to extend the basic period of permanent residence from 5 years to 10 years, and accelerate and decelerate according to "contribution". In the supporting plan, it is clearly mentioned that will abolish the existing Long Residence path .

But please pay attention to a few facts: This public consultation ended on February 12, 2026, and received more than 200,000 responses; however, as of now, no new Immigration Rules have been submitted to Parliament, and the reforms have not yet been implemented. The official line is "strive to implement it this fall (autumn 2026)", but there is no binding date.

To sum up in one sentence: "10-year permanent residence is cancelled" is currently only a proposal, not an existing law. ’s current 5-year and 10-year plans are still valid.

What should people who are waiting for 10 years of permanent residence do now?

Faced with a situation that "may change, but has not changed yet", the most stable strategy is to prepare according to the current rules and don't bet on the future :

① is used to calculate your ten-year expiry date and the number of days you left the country as . If you roll the 180 days, it is easy to exceed the limit quietly during the years when you change jobs or visit relatives. Use 永居计算器APP to accurately calculate the day and avoid "rejection within three days." If
② meets the conditions, please submit as soon as possible. If the reform is implemented in the fall, it is most likely to protect people who "already comply with the old rules." The sooner they are locked in, the safer they will be.
③ Get Life in the UK and B2 English in advance, don’t wait for the policy to tighten and just improvise.
④ If the situation is complicated (vacancies, overdue dates, multiple visa splicing), it is recommended to ask a licensed lawyer for a time-line physical examination.

This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific cases, and the latest announcement from GOV.UK shall prevail.

💬 Are you taking the 5-year path or the 10-year Long Residence path? How long is it until you reach 10 years old? Which card are you most worried about? Let’s chat in the comment section and we’ll help you figure out the timing.

If you find it useful, please collect this article . Once there are any changes in the autumn policy, it will be most convenient to come back and compare.

[Data source] gov.uk/long-residence; gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement