Can I still apply for Long Residence permanent residence in the UK for 10 years? 2026 New Deal
The same question has flooded the backstage in the past two weeks: "I have saved for seven or eight years with Long Residence (10-year long-term residence) , and now there are rumors that it will be cancelled. Have I waited in vain for these years?" Don't panic. Today, we will use the real policy progress to clarify "whether we can apply now and what will happen in the future."
Can I still apply for UK 10-year permanent residence Long Residence now?
able. As of July 18, 2026 , the 10-year path of Appendix Long Residence is still fully valid and is accepted normally. Although the government is promoting the "Earned Settlement" reform, the relevant new regulations have not yet been submitted to parliament and have not yet taken effect. In other words, the legal residence time you have saved has not been invalidated, and you can submit it now if you meet the conditions.
In a word: Reform is on the way, but today’s rules are still today’s rules. For those who are already close to the 10-year threshold, the earlier the payment is made, the more stable it will be.
Quick check on the current rules for 10-year permanent residence Long Residence
Check the current hard conditions first, and don’t get carried away with the details:
📌 has stayed legally for 10 consecutive years : Different visa categories can be superimposed (student + work visa + spouse are all counted), but each period must have a legal status, and there must be no "black" window in between.
📌 cannot leave the country for more than 180 days/any 12 months : Note that it is a "rolling 12 months", not based on the visa year or natural year. This is a frequent reason why Long Residence is rejected.
📌 Life in the UK Test + English proficiency : The current English requirement is B1. Pay attention to a point in time - From on March 26, 2027, the English threshold for multiple settlement paths will be raised to B2 (approximately equal to A-level). Submissions before this time will still be counted as B1.
📌 Visitor, Short-term Student, Seasonal Worker these types of time cannot be included in the 10 years. Be sure to clarify the visa category before calculating the number of days.
The Earned Settlement reform should "absorb" the 10-year permanent residence into
On November 20, 2025, the Home Secretary announced in the House of Commons that the future settlement model will shift from the familiar "5-year path" to a framework of 10-year baseline + earned-based addition and subtraction time . The accompanying Earned Settlement consultation has taken place from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026, and the Home Office is currently processing approximately 130,000 responses.
Key changes: Once the 10-year baseline is implemented, the existing independent Long Residence path (including 10 years and 20 years) is expected to be canceled , and its functions will be merged into the new "10-year baseline + time adjustment" model. In other words, this old path that has been followed for more than ten years will most likely no longer exist alone in the future.
In terms of timetable, reform is expected to be launched in the fall of 2026 at the earliest, and there is no binding date yet. Before the new rules are officially written into the Immigration Rules, everything will be subject to the GOV.UK announcement.
What does this wave of new visa policies mean to you? what to do
👉 is approaching or has expired 10 years : Check the 180 days and identity continuity as soon as possible, and submit it under the current rules as soon as possible to avoid being affected by the reform transition period.
👉 is still two or three years away : Don’t be anxious yet. Reforms usually have transitional arrangements, but the details have not yet been determined. The most important thing to do now is to clearly remember the number of days for each entry and exit, and the start and end of each visa period, so as not to let any future version of the rules get caught.
👉 It is easy to miscalculate the number of days you have left the country and whether your continuous stay has ended. You can use 永居计算器 APP to make every day accurate; if the situation is complicated and uncertain, you can also add our licensed lawyers to chat on WeChat.
This article is for reference only. The reform progress may be updated at any time. For specific applications, please refer to the latest announcement of GOV.UK, or consult a licensed attorney.
[Data source] GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/long-residence; House of Commons Library Research Brief CBP-10267.
💬 Which permanent residence path are you taking - Long Residence ten years, or the 5-year work permit/spouse path? Did the reform rumors disrupt your plans? In the comment area, let’s talk about how many years you have saved and where you are stuck . I will answer typical questions.
📌 The policy is still changing. If you find it useful, please favorite this article so that you can come back at any time to check the latest progress.