After leaving the country for two years, ILR will automatically become invalid? How to maintain it if returning to live in the country?

Article 13 provides different periods depending on the status: EUSS settled status is five consecutive years, Swiss citizens and their family members four years (Appendix EU permission was separately listed in 13(4)(za) with the 2024 amendment), and all others two years.

Having ILR on your hand, but following the five-year schedule, will directly cross the line; people with settled status who restrict themselves for two years will also miss out on three years. Before booking a flight, check clearly in your UKVI account which type is written in your row.

Return for a few days every one and a half years, does that count?

Right, and this is the only way to maintain it without having to pay money to the Ministry of the Interior again.

Maintaining identity and maintaining benefits are two different things. Free NHS hospital treatment is not based on the type of visa, but on the factual judgment of "ordinarily resident": holding ILR is one of the prerequisites for being considered as "ordinarily resident", but if a person long-term places his life focus overseas, the overseas visitor office of the hospital can still, according to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, determine that he is not an "ordinarily resident", and charge 150% of the standard rate. If you return to China for two or three years and then briefly come back to the UK for medical treatment, you need to clarify this in advance. A short visit itself also needs to be documented: boarding passes, accommodation records, entry-exit records in eVisa, are all materials to prove "you did come back this time", and now the entry stamp alone is no longer sufficient to support it.

Another cost in naturalization: naturalization requires that you have not been absent for more than 90 days in the 12 months prior to application, and short, frequent trips almost certainly will delay the entire naturalization process.

Finish the naturalization before leaving: the problem is the six-month period.

Removing the two-year rule entirely, once a person becomes a British citizen, the length of time they leave the UK does not change their status. The cost is on timing. The British Nationality Act 1981, Schedule 1 requires the applicant to intend to make the UK their principal home. Home Office "Naturalisation as a British citizen by discretion" version dated November 11, 2025, breaks it down into several verifiable criteria: the residence requirement does not need to use discretion except for up to 30 days of absence, having a settled accommodation in the UK, and any absence already occurred or expected does not exceed six months and is clearly temporary.

The person who has already booked the flight and is preparing to return home to stay for three years, the difficulty is therefore not in the duration, but in the intent review. The order can only be: submit, pass the review, attend the ceremony, obtain the passport, and then arrange the departure; the domestic processing can take up to six months, and the ceremony requires additional scheduling.

Permanent residency is invalid: £726 to reapply for a new one.

Two years have passed, the route is Appendix Returning Resident, application fee £726, submitted from overseas, and the approved status is indefinite leave to enter. The three things being reviewed are: genuine intention to settle in the UK, maintaining strong ties with the UK during the period away, and not having received public funds when leaving. The Guidance says it this way, this route does not allow family members, each partner and child must individually meet the conditions of returning residents (Home Office "Lapsing leave and returning residents", 4 August 2026 edition). A family coming back together requires several independent applications and several sets of independent evidence.

This is my judgment: For those who plan to leave the UK continuously for more than 18 months, if they meet the naturalization requirements, they should complete the process before leaving. For those who are a bit short (residence less than 12 months, or absence in the last 12 months exceeds 90 days), do not submit applications with the intention of leaving. Instead, ensure each continuous absence stays within 18 months, leaving enough room for immigration checks and evidence. Returning residents are not suitable as a backup plan; it is a new application that will be reviewed with strong ties, not just reverting to the old status. If you are unsure which category you fall into, you can pay £5 on justiscript.com to get a written response from a UK-qualified lawyer within 24 hours regarding one question. First, determine the order of your departure date and submission date.

Arrange the time according to these steps

1. Log in to the UKVI account and confirm the identity category is ILR or EUSS settled status, and calculate accordingly for two or five years.

2. Create a table of departure dates and return dates for the next three years, ensuring that no consecutive absence exceeds 18 months, and keep boarding passes and accommodation receipts for each return to the UK.

3. If the naturalization conditions are met, submit the application and reserve six months for processing and ceremony scheduling before purchasing a one-way ticket.

4. During the return to the UK, if medical treatment is needed, confirm the usual residence determination with the hospital's international visitor office in advance, and then decide on the treatment time.

This article is for reference only. For specific issues, please consult a licensed attorney.

[Data source] legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1161/made ; gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-returning-resident ; gov.uk/government/publications/naturalisation-as-a-british-citizen-by-discretion-nationality-policy-guidance