What time does not count among the 10 years of permanent residence in the UK? Visitor visa break and new policies

Last week, a reader asked with a stack of BRP and eVisa screenshots: She came to the UK to study language courses in 2015, and has been applying for student visas, graduate visas, and work visas all the way to today. Counting on her fingers, it has been exactly 10 years. As a result, the lawyer shook his head after reading the materials—the five-month short-term language student visa in the middle did not count as a day.

This is not an isolated case. 10 Long Residence The most likely overturning point in the path is never "do you have enough to live in", but "the years you think count are not counted in the rules at all".

How to calculate the "10 years" for 10 years of permanent residence in the UK?

The current rule is Appendix Long Residence in Immigration Rules (replacing the old paragraph 276B). The core sentence: You must live in the UK legally (lawful) and continuously () for 10 years.

"Legal" means you have to have a valid immigration permit every day for 10 years. Most visa types can be accumulated - student, work permit, spouse, graduate, innovator. It's no problem to mix and match. This is also the biggest advantage of the 10-year path: does not pick which line you take, it only depends on whether you are there.

However, the internal long residence case review guidelines updated by the Ministry of the Interior on August 3, 2026, clearly list several categories of "not counted" situations. That's the point.

Which visa periods do not count during the 10-year permanent residence period?

The following types of holding periods will not only not be counted in the 10 years, but will also directly interrupt the continuity (break continuous residence) by , allowing the previous accumulated years to be reset to zero:

The first item of is the identity gap. If the visa is not renewed in time after it expires, it is theoretically terminated. The rules leave a narrow gap: if you submit a new application within within 14 days after the old visa expires, and you can prove that the reason for the delay is beyond your control (emergency hospitalization, death of an immediate family member, etc., which needs to be supported by medical records or death certificates), this overdue period may be "ignored". Note the word "may" - this is a discretionary provision, not a right.

In other words, a person who applies for 10-year permanent residence today will have to use two different sets of algorithms to check the first and second paragraphs respectively. It is easy to miss out when calculating manually. You can use 永居计算器 APP to import entry and exit records and calculate on a daily basis to the specific date. If you're really unsure, justiscript.com pays £5 to get a written response from a practicing UK lawyer within 24 hours on a specific timeline, saving you the hassle of guessing yourself.

New trends in UK permanent residence policy: Will the Long Residence path disappear?

This is the most noteworthy one this year. The Home Office's "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement" (Earned Settlement, Earned Settlement) public consultation ended on February 12, , 2026. More than 200,000 responses were received, making it the largest consultation in British immigration history.

The direction proposed in the consultation document is to unify the base period of permanent residence to 10 years. At the same time, will no longer retain the independent Long Residence path and be merged into the new framework. The government has stated that the implementation target is the autumn of 2026, but as of now, no formal amendments to the Immigration Rules have been submitted to Parliament, and the current 5-year and 10-year paths are still valid.

Two other changes have been confirmed: HC 1691 submitted on March 5, 2026 confirms that starting from on March 26, 2027 , the English requirement for multiple pathways, including some Long Residence permanent residence, will increase from B1 to B2 (listening and speaking); ILR application fee will increase from April 8, 2026 It has also been increased since today. Please refer to the current rate page of GOV.UK for the specific amount.

If your 10 years are up before the end of 2026, don’t delay. Rule changes usually apply based on the "application submission date". If submitted one month earlier, it may be a completely different set of standards.

Three things you must do before applying for 10-year permanent residence

① List the 10-year visa history paragraph by paragraph , and mark the visa type and start and end dates. Visitor visas, short-term language visas, seasonal work visas, and bail periods are all marked in red—these are minefields for interruptions.

② The number of days of departure is calculated in segments . April 11, 2024 is the boundary, and different standards are used before and after. Passport stamps, air tickets, and eVisa entry and exit records must be kept.

③ Pass the Life in the UK Test and English certificate in advance. The new B2 standard will only take effect in March 2027. It’s still too late to pass B1 now, but don’t rush to the exam when you are tight.

There is another detail: If your current visa was issued on or after April 11, 2024, you need to hold it for 12 months before you can submit a 10-year permanent residence application.

This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific questions.

[Data source] gov.uk/government/publications/long-residence; gov.uk/government/publications/continuous-residence-caseworker-guidance; GOV.UK Statement of Changes HC 1691 explanatory memorandum

💬 Let’s chat in the comment area: In your 10-year timeline, is there any period of visa types that you are unsure about whether it counts? Write down the visa type and approximate year. We will select typical situations and discuss them in subsequent articles.

If you find it useful, bookmark this article and wait until the day when you need to submit the materials to check them out one by one. It is much faster than a temporary search.

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