How many years of residence are required for permanent residency? 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year comparison table

How many years of permanent residency in the UK, it's not about how long you have lived here, but which category your permit falls into during these years: three, five, or ten years. For the same person, it is entirely possible to fall into two categories at the same time, in which case you should apply for the one that comes first.

Overview of the Duration of Permanent Residency in the UK: Who Is Eligible for 3 Years, 5 Years, and 10 Years

The numbers themselves are not complicated; the third column is prone to errors.

The five-year requirement for the permanent residency under the current Appendix Skilled Worker does not have to be all in one company or all in the same occupation: the permanent residency provisions under the current Appendix Skilled Worker allow combining time in Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, Scale-up, T2 Religious, International Sportsperson, Overseas Business Representative, and Tier 1 (excluding Graduate Entrepreneur) to form a continuous five years. Therefore, switching from an Innovator visa to a Skilled Worker visa, or vice versa, usually does not reset the clock. The list does not include Graduate or Student.

Same to finish reading and then work, the maturity date can differ by a whole year.

Make a realistic common timeline: studied undergraduate and master's in the UK for 4 years, then 2 years of Graduate, then switched to Skilled Worker. According to the work visa route, five years are counted from the day of switching work visa, and permanent residency is obtained in the 11th year after entry. The same period converted into ten years of long-term residence, student visa and Graduate time both count as legal residence, only 10 years are needed.

This year's difference does not come from any discount terms, but only from which rule is used.

There is a cost to this ten-year line: for long-term residents, there is no requirement for salary, but the calculation of time outside the country is divided into two parts with April 11, 2024 as the boundary. Before that date, it is reviewed based on the cumulative maximum and single maximum, while after that date, it is reviewed based on a rolling 180 days every 12 months. It's easiest to have problems here during long holidays back home in student years, as three months plus three months fall within the same rolling window, making the ten-year period invalid immediately. My judgment is: people who come from studying should calculate both expiry dates and submit the one that comes first; for those who directly enter with a pure work permit, calculating one is enough, no need to spend extra money consulting for long-term residence.

Graduate, those two years, five years not counted, ten years counted

These two sentences are often memorized as one, but actually belong to two different sets of rules. The five-year period for a work visa permanent residency can only be accumulated through the list of designated pathways mentioned above; Graduates are not included in this list. The ten-year long-term residency exclusion applies only to visitors, short-term students (language courses), and seasonal workers; students and graduates are counted normally. Home Office The 2026 August 3rd version of the "Long residence" case guidance clearly states this. The same period of Graduate time gives opposite answers on the two lines, it's not that one version of the rules is outdated.

Scale-up is another example that is easily overshadowed by the timeline. This route is only guaranteed for the first 6 months, after which it is no longer tied to the employer, yet this period without guarantee still counts toward the five years; the cost comes at the permanent residency stage - the current Appendix Scale-up requires applicants to have at least 24 months of monthly PAYE income reaching the corresponding threshold in the three years prior to application. Flexibility and the burden of proof are two sides of the same coin.

Not sure which line your specific license belongs to, it's more reliable to spend £5 on justiscript.com to get a written answer from a British practicing lawyer, rather than deducing the date based on forum conclusions.

Write down both dates before submitting ILR

The specific actions are only three steps: flip eVisa with the old passport, list each period's start and end date and route name in a line; calculate the first expiry date according to the route duration; then calculate the second one by connecting all legal stays. Only after obtaining both dates can you check the respective exit rules. 永居计算器 APP can calculate both lines down to the day.

There is also pressure in terms of time. The consultation on Home Office's "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement" ended on February 12, 2026, and the government stated that it would generally promote the "earned settlement" model, extending the baseline period for most people to 10 years. As of today, the official response from the government and the corresponding Statement of Changes have not been released yet, and the current 3-year and 5-year tiers remain fully valid. Those who are approaching the expiration date face increased risks of rule changes each time they push the date back.

Which line is the time you have with Student or Graduate now counted into? If the expiration dates of the two are within one year of each other, which one will you prepare the documents for? Let's discuss your timeline in the comments.

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

[Data source] gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain; gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-long-residence; gov.uk/government/publications/long-residence/long-residence-accessible

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