The Difference Between ILR and British Citizenship

Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and the British citizenship are two different subjects a foreign citizen established in the UK should consider. The aspects related to IRL and British citizenship need to be properly understood, a matter where our immigration solicitors in London can help. Once you have decided to relocate to the UK, our team can provide you with complete information about the necessary visas and the applicable rules.

What you need to know about IRL

An indefinite leave to remain is a status obtained by a foreign citizen living in UK who is no longer considered an immigrant and is not subject to the several UK enters and exits controls. This status offers the possibility of legally work and live on British territory and can be obtained if a person settled in UK for at least five years. When applying for an ILR in UK, one must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. As for the financial requirements, an individual who wants to apply for ILR meet the requirements of their route; there is no general GBP 35,000 income threshold (Skilled Workers must still be paid at least the route's current salary threshold).

We remind that indefinite leave to remain in UK represents one step closer to obtain British citizenship, but keep in mind that additional conditions must be fulfilled. If you want to obtain the indefinite leave to remain status, it is suggested to ask for complete assistance and legal support from our UK immigration lawyer.

Our lawyers can also advise on how to apply for UK residency by investment. The Start-Up visa (closed on 13 April 2023 and replaced by the Innovator Founder visa) was designed for people who wished to start their first business in the UK. It takes the position of Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa, which is no longer accepting new applications. The Innovator Founder visa is available to founders with an innovative, viable and scalable business idea, and there is no necessity to present investment capital as part of your application. If you want to apply for this visa and get residency in UK, our lawyers can offer you their expert legal services.

What you need to know about the British citizenship

British citizenship is the same thing as naturalization and can be obtained by foreign citizens who have not spent more than 450 days outside the UK in the last 5 years (and no more than 90 days in the last 12 months), who have held ILR for at least 12 months (unless married to a British citizen), and have lived in the UK for at least five years. This important status comes with numerous advantages, for instance, a naturalized person can have the same rights as the British citizens. It is good to know that British citizenship can be acquired in about six months from the date of the application and then in about the same period of time, the British passport will be provided.

The difference between ILR and naturalization is that the ILR status can be lost if you live outside UK for more than two years, while British citizenship allows citizens to exit and enter the country without any restrictions, as it is issued for life. We remind that British citizenship grants the right to vote for any foreign citizen who has this status.

If you want to apply for ILR or you want to obtain British citizenship, we invite you to contact our team of immigration solicitors in London for complete legal assistance.