Long Residence in the UK
If you have remained in the United Kingdom lawfully for a continuous period of 10 years, or have been here for 14 years lawfully or unlawfully without Removal Directions or a Deportation Order having been issued against you during that time, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom under the long residence rule.
What are the Requirements?
You must provide evidence that you have lived here for the specified period of time. If you have lived here lawfully for 10 years this will be fairly straight forward and you will simply need to provide evidence that you have been granted permission to stay throughout the 10 year period. This may apply to those were initially on temporary admission, whose applications were refused but were granted leave to remain on appeal but have not been able to qualify for indefinite leave to remain
in any other capacity, or perhaps students who have completed several short courses over a 10 year period and do not qualify for indefinite leave to remain in any other capacity.
For those who have completed 14 years in the United Kingdom unlawfully you will need to provide evidence that you have lived here for the 14 year period. This could be for example in the form of letters from official sources such as your bank, school, doctor’s surgery, copy medical records etc.
Your application may be refused if there are reasons why you should not be allowed to stay because of the public interest. Where there are issues which could lead to your application being refused in the public interest the Home Office will take into account the following:
- Your age;
- Strength of connections in the UK;
- Personal history including character and employment record;
- Your domestic circumstances;
- Any criminal record;
- Any compassionate circumstances; and
- Any representations made on your behalf.
How is the Application Made?
The application is normally made from within the United Kingdom. There is a fee for the application. The application is made on an application form and the person will need to prove that they have satisfied the above requirements through documentary evidence.
What Sort of Permission to Remain in the UK Will I be Granted?
If your application is successful you will be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK.
We can assist in making representations on your behalf in support of your application under either the 10 year or 14 year rules and we can advise you as to the relevant evidence you will need to supply when making the application.