How to Fill Out the ILR Application Form: SET Form, Evidence, Fees

To fill out the ILR application form, you complete it online through GOV.UK: choose the right SET form for your immigration route, work through the sections on personal details, immigration history, criminal record, travel, and route-specific questions, upload your supporting evidence, pay the £3,226 fee, and then book a biometric appointment through UKVCAS.¹ The form itself is straightforward; the refusals come from the details around it, so most of your work happens before you open the application.

Pick the Correct SET Form First

The Home Office runs three separate application forms depending on how you originally came to the UK. Using the wrong one leads to a rejected application, so match your current visa to the right form before you start.

SET(O) covers work-based routes including Skilled Worker, Tier 2, Global Talent, Innovator, Investor, UK Ancestry, and several other employment categories. It also handles miscellaneous cases described as “other purposes not covered by other application forms.”²
SET(M) is for partners, spouses, or parents of someone settled in the UK who entered on a family visa.³
SET(F) is for children under 18 applying in their own right or through a parent.⁴

All three are completed online only.

When To Submit

You can submit up to 28 days before your qualifying residence period ends.⁵ For most work and family routes that qualifying period is five years, though some categories have shorter paths.

Submit before your current visa expires. Under Section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, your existing leave is automatically extended on the same conditions while the Home Office considers your ILR application, but only if you applied before your visa ran out. Apply one day late and you have no lawful status while waiting, which can affect your employment, access to services, and the outcome of the application itself.

Prepare Your Evidence Before Opening the Form

The online system lets you save and return, but gathering documents upfront prevents the mistakes that cause refusals.

A Complete Travel History

You need every trip outside the UK across the qualifying period, with exact departure and return dates. The Home Office checks that you did not spend more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month window.⁶ Cross-reference passport stamps, boarding passes, and any other records. Caseworkers compare what you declare against passport evidence, and discrepancies raise red flags.⁷

If you exceeded 180 days in a 12-month period, the Home Office has discretion to overlook the breach only where the absence was caused by serious or compelling circumstances such as a medical emergency, a natural disaster, or a conflict that physically prevented your return. High flight costs or work inconvenience do not count. You will need independent evidence such as hospital records or government-issued emergency declarations.

Your Life in the UK Test Reference Number

You must pass the Life in the UK Test before applying. On passing you receive a unique reference number that goes into the application form, and the Home Office uses it to verify your result.⁸ The test costs £50, booked and paid online through GOV.UK. The pass does not expire, so an old reference number is still valid.

Proof of English at B1

You need to prove English ability at B1 level in speaking and listening. The accepted routes are a qualification at B1 or above from an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) provider, or a degree taught or researched in English and recognized by ENIC (formerly NARIC) as equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree.⁹ For ILR specifically, only the IELTS Life Skills B1 and Trinity College London GESE Grade 5 tests are accepted, and they must be taken at a UK-based SELT centre.¹⁰ Budget £150 to £170 for the test fee.

Financial Documents for Your Route

What you supply depends on how you qualify. For Skilled Worker applicants, your employer must confirm you are still being sponsored at or above the required salary, generally at least £41,700 per year or the going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher.¹¹ An employer letter on company letterhead confirming your role, salary, and ongoing need is standard.

For family route applicants, you and your sponsor typically need to show a combined annual income of at least £29,000.¹² Evidence includes payslips, bank statements, and any other proof of income covering the relevant period.¹³

Identity Documents

Have your current and all expired passports ready, along with your Biometric Residence Permit if you have one. All BRPs have now expired as the Home Office moves to eVisas, but an expired BRP can still be used as a supporting document for 18 months after its printed expiry date in certain circumstances.¹⁴ If you were required to register with the police, include your police registration certificate.

Certified Translations

Any document not in English or Welsh must come with a certified translation. You cannot translate it yourself; it must be an independent professional, ideally registered with the Chartered Institute of Linguists or the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. Every translation must include a written confirmation of accuracy, the date, the translator’s full name and signature, and their contact details. Missing any of these can lead to a refusal on administrative grounds alone.

Working Through the Form

The online form covers personal details, immigration history, criminal record, travel history, and route-specific questions about employment or family relationships. A few sections deserve particular care.

The criminal history section asks about convictions, civil penalties, and involvement in anything contrary to the public good. Answer honestly. An undisclosed conviction that surfaces later is treated far more harshly than a disclosed one. A custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more triggers a mandatory refusal, and even non-custodial convictions give the Home Office discretion to refuse.¹⁵

In the continuous residence section, enter your travel dates sequentially and double-check the totals. The form calculates your absence for each 12-month period, and a minor data entry slip, such as typing a return date one month late, can make it look like you breached the 180-day limit. If any absence exceeded the limit and you believe compelling circumstances applied, explain this clearly in the free-text box provided.

Work-route applicants will need the employer’s sponsorship licence number and the details from the Certificate of Sponsorship. Financial fields distinguish between gross and net income, so match figures to the correct boxes using your payslips. Every answer should align with your uploaded evidence. Caseworkers cross-check, and inconsistencies between the form and the documents are a common reason for refusals on the basis of false or misleading information.

Fees and Payment

The ILR application fee is £3,226 per person, payable online when you submit the form, and non-refundable if your application is refused.¹ ILR applicants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge, so you will not pay that on top.¹⁶

Two optional paid services speed things up. The priority service costs £500 extra per applicant for a decision within five working days. The super priority service costs £1,000 extra per applicant for a decision by the end of the next working day after your biometric appointment.¹⁷ Each family member applying alongside you pays the same fee and the same priority surcharge if you choose it.

Biometrics and Document Upload Through UKVCAS

Once you pay and submit, you receive a reference number and access to the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) portal.¹⁸ Use the portal to book an in-person appointment at a service point, where staff take your photograph and scan your fingerprints.

You can submit supporting documents in two ways: upload them digitally through UKVCAS before your appointment, or bring physical copies to the service point and have them scanned on the day.¹⁸ Uploading in advance is generally faster and avoids the risk of forgetting something on appointment day. Bring your passport or travel document and a printed copy of your appointment confirmation with its QR code. Both are mandatory even if you uploaded everything else online.

You will not receive a decision at the appointment. The biometric visit links your identity to the digital application and confirms the Home Office has your documents.

After Submission

Standard ILR applications take up to six months. Priority brings that down to five working days, and super priority delivers a decision by the end of the next working day.¹⁷ While you wait, your Section 3C leave keeps you lawful in the UK on the same conditions as your previous visa, so you can continue working subject to the same restrictions you had before.

If approved, you receive an eVisa, a digital record of your settled status accessible through your GOV.UK account. Physical BRPs are no longer being issued.¹⁴ Keep your GOV.UK login details safe, because your eVisa is how employers, landlords, and the NHS will verify your right to live and work in the UK.

If refused, the notice will explain the reasons and tell you whether you can request an administrative review or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Common refusal reasons include exceeding the 180-day absence limit without sufficient justification, failing to meet the salary or income threshold, documents that contradict information on the form, and qualifying criminal convictions.¹⁵ Since the fee is not refunded on refusal, professional immigration advice before submitting is worth the cost if your case has any complications.

1
GOV.UK. Home Office Immigration and Nationality Fees, 8 April 2026
2
GOV.UK. Settle in the UK in Various Immigration Categories: Form SET(O)
3
GOV.UK. Settle in the UK as the Partner of a Person, or Parent of a Child, Who Is in the UK and Settled Here: Form SET(M)
4
GOV.UK. Settle in the UK as a Child Under 18: Form SET(F)
5
GOV.UK. Indefinite Leave to Remain (Private Life): Apply
6
GOV.UK. Indefinite Leave to Remain if You Have a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 or Tier 2 Visa
7
GOV.UK. Continuous Residence Guidance
8
GOV.UK. Life in the UK Test: What Happens at the Test
9
GOV.UK. Prove Your Knowledge of English for Citizenship and Settling
10
GOV.UK. Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK
11
GOV.UK. Skilled Worker Visa: Your Job
12
GOV.UK. Financial Requirements if You’re Applying as a Partner or Spouse
13
GOV.UK. Family Visas: Apply, Extend or Switch: Information and Evidence You Must Provide
14
GOV.UK. Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK: Your Rights and Status
15
GOV.UK. Suitability: Grounds for Refusal / Cancellation – Criminality
16
GOV.UK. Pay for UK Healthcare as Part of Your Immigration Application
17
GOV.UK. Get a Faster Decision on Your Visa or Settlement Application
18
GOV.UK. UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services