UK Visas and Immigration published version 10.0 of its continuous residence caseworker guidance on 8 October 2026, correcting the qualifying period table for settlement applications under Appendix Continuous Residence.
Key facts
- Who: Applicants for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) on the routes where Appendix Continuous Residence applies, and the caseworkers who assess them
- From: 8 October 2026
- Source: Continuous residence: caseworker guidance
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) published version 10.0 of its staff guidance on assessing the continuous residence requirement for settlement on 8 October 2026.
The guidance lists two changes from the previous version. Corrections were made to the qualifying period table "to ensure accuracy and alignment with existing guidance". References to paragraph 39E of the Immigration Rules were updated to refer to Part Suitability.
The guidance gives the previous name of a route in brackets where the name has changed. It says route names changed following rules changes on 1 December 2020, 6 October 2021, 11 May 2022 and 20 June 2022.
The qualifying periods in the table include:
- 5 years for Skilled Worker, T2 Minister of Religion, Scale-up, International Sportsperson, UK Ancestry, Hong Kong British National (Overseas), Armed Forces and ECAA Settlement
- 3 years for Innovator Founder, and for Global Talent where the applicant was endorsed by a listed body or qualified through a listed prize
- 5 years for Global Talent applicants endorsed under the "exceptional promise" criteria
- 10 years for Settlement Family Life and Long Residence
- 5 or 10 years for Private Life, depending on the applicant's age and circumstances
The guidance also sets out how the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man) are treated. They are not part of the UK. Time spent lawfully there by applicants on a route equivalent to those in the UK counts towards the qualifying period, provided the most recent grant of permission was in the UK on the relevant route. Equivalent routes are listed in the Common Travel Area guidance. Time spent under permission on a route not listed there is treated as an absence from the UK.
Time working offshore on the UK continental shelf, beyond the 12 nautical mile limit of UK territorial waters, is also counted as an absence.
What this means for applicants
The guidance is written for decision makers. It shows how applications are assessed.
Caseworkers count backwards from whichever of these dates is most beneficial to the applicant: the date of application, any date up to 28 days after it, or the date of decision.
Applicants list absences in the immigration history section of the application form. Caseworkers check declared absences against documents such as passport pages or travel documents, if available. The guidance notes that not all absences may be recorded in a passport or travel document. If the evidence shows longer absences than declared, caseworkers are told to ask for more information and to give the applicant an opportunity to explain.
Related guide: Continuous residence requirement
Sources
- Continuous residence: caseworker guidance, UK Visas and Immigration, version 10.0