Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is permission to settle in the UK without a time limit. IMG doctors applying through the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker route should start by checking which periods of visa permission count, calculating the earliest application date, rebuilding their travel history, passing the Life in the UK Test and asking their current sponsor for the required evidence.
ILR is permission to settle in the UK
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also called settlement, is immigration permission to live, work and study in the UK without a time limit. For an IMG doctor, it can remove the need for employer sponsorship. It is not granted automatically when training ends, and it does not itself provide a job. You must apply through an eligible immigration route and meet the residence, salary and other requirements that apply on the date of your application.
Use your own visa history and travel dates
The Skilled Worker settlement route normally requires five years of qualifying residence. GOV.UK currently allows you to apply up to 28 days before completing that five-year period, but the starting point is not always the date you remember arriving in the UK. The type and dates of your visa permission, the date you entered the UK, any time between grants and every period spent outside the UK may affect the calculation. Check the current rules for your own circumstances rather than copying another person's timeline.
Prepare the application in stages
Six months or more before applying
Start by working out whether the route and timing are realistic for you.
- Look through your old visa grant letters, eVisas and passport records. Put the start and end date of each period of visa permission into one private document or spreadsheet.
- If you are still in training, add your expected Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) date. Also add your current visa expiry date and the end date of your contract or sponsorship.
- Begin rebuilding every trip outside the UK during the qualifying period. Keep this separate from your workplace leave record because the two records answer different questions.
- Decide who may be applying. A partner or child does not automatically qualify on the same date as the main applicant, and each person may need separate evidence and biometrics.
- Plan the Life in the UK Test. Some people prepare quickly, but allowing at least a month gives you time to study, find an appointment and retake the test if necessary.
Three to five months before applying
Collect records that may take other organisations time to produce.
- Ask previous employers for confirmation of your employment dates and any approved leave they can verify. Do not expect an employer to reconstruct your personal travel history.
- Check your travel dates against passports, flight emails, calendars and photographs. Investigate any conflict while the records are still easy to find.
- Read the current continuous-residence and salary rules. If there is a gap in visa permission, an unexplained absence from work or travel close to the permitted limit, take regulated immigration advice before applying.
One to two months before applying
Confirm the parts of the application that depend on your current sponsor.
- Ask your sponsor how to request the settlement letter confirming that you are still needed in your job and will be paid the required salary.
- Finish the Life in the UK Test and save the unique reference number somewhere secure.
- Check the evidence needed for any partner or children who may be applying, including relationship documents and their own eligibility dates.
During the final month
Recheck the dates and prepare evidence that must be recent.
- Calculate your earliest permitted application date again. Applying too early can lead to refusal, even if the mistake is only a few days.
- Arrange your most recent payslip and the bank statement showing that salary entering your account. Both should be dated no earlier than 31 days before the application date.
- Start the online form when you are ready, but do not submit it before the date on which you become eligible. Use the personalised document checklist produced by the form.
On the day you apply
Submit carefully and keep a complete record of what you sent.
- Check names, passport details, travel dates, salary and sponsor information before paying and submitting.
- Save the submitted form, payment confirmation, personalised document checklist and biometric booking instructions in a secure private folder.
- Do not upload extra documents simply because another applicant used them. Follow your own checklist and the current official instructions.
After applying
Complete biometrics and protect the application while it is being decided.
- Book and attend biometrics, then keep proof that your supporting documents were uploaded or scanned.
- Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision. GOV.UK says that doing so will withdraw the application.
- Check your email regularly and respond promptly if UKVI asks for more information.
From checking eligibility to receiving your eVisa
Check which immigration route you are using
Start with the GOV.UK Skilled Worker settlement guide. Check that the visa permission covering your qualifying period can count towards this route. Do not assume that time spent on every other visa can be combined.
Put the important dates into one private timeline
Use a simple spreadsheet, table or document. Record each visa grant and expiry date, your earliest possible settlement date, and—if relevant—your expected CCT, contract-end and sponsorship-end dates. Seeing the dates together helps you identify whether your current permission lasts long enough, whether you may need an extension, and whether settlement is likely to be decided before a job change.
Rebuild your travel and absence history
List every trip outside the UK, including departure and return dates, and check it against passports, emails, calendars and bookings. Keep workplace leave and immigration absences separate: approved annual leave, study leave, sick leave or parental leave is not unauthorised absence from work, but days spent outside the UK during that leave may still count towards the immigration absence limit. If your employer has recorded unexplained or unauthorised absence, gather the facts and take advice before applying.
Pass the Life in the UK Test
Book early enough to leave time for preparation and a possible retake. Save the unique reference number securely after you pass. Check the current settlement guide for the language requirement that applies on the date you submit your application.
Ask previous employers for records they can verify
A previous employer may be able to confirm when you worked there and which periods of leave were approved. They may not know every date you travelled abroad, so your own travel record is still essential. Ask for corrections early if dates or spellings do not match your records.
Ask your current sponsor for its settlement evidence
Your sponsor normally needs to confirm that you will continue to be needed for your job and will receive the required salary. If NHS England is your sponsor, use its official overseas sponsorship guidance and the portal or contact route it gives you. Otherwise, ask your employer's immigration team what it needs from you, what it will provide and how long this usually takes.
Check the salary requirement and occupation code
The current Skilled Occupations table lists code 2211, Generalist medical practitioners, for roles including general practitioners and other medical practitioners. Many IMG trainees in general practice will therefore see 2211 on their sponsorship records, but you must check the code actually used for your role. Then compare your salary with the current settlement salary rules, including any transitional provisions or pro-rating that applies.
Prepare recent evidence of your salary
The latest Home Office caseworker guidance asks for the most recent month's payslip and a bank or building-society statement showing the matching salary payment. Both should be dated no earlier than 31 days before the application date. For example, if you apply on 5 September, an August payslip and statement may be suitable if they fall within that 31-day window and the statement clearly shows the salary entering your account. If the statement is too old or does not yet show the payment, download or request a more recent official statement before applying.
Complete the online application
Use the official GOV.UK application page so that you are sent to the current form. You can save an application and return to it. Submit only when you have reached your earliest permitted date, then work from the personalised document checklist generated for you.
Book your biometric appointment
A paid priority decision service and a biometric appointment are separate things. Priority affects how quickly UKVI aims to decide the case after biometrics; it does not reserve an early, nearby or free appointment. Appointment choices depend on the service point's capacity, location, date, time and optional paid services. For example, someone applying on 1 September might see a paid appointment nearby on 7 September, a free appointment nearby on 17 September, or an earlier free appointment in another city.
Upload your evidence or arrange for it to be scanned
Follow the instructions for the appointment you selected. If you upload the documents yourself, open every file after uploading to make sure it is readable, correctly labelled and in the right category. Save the final upload confirmation.
Attend the appointment with the required originals
Bring the appointment confirmation with its QR code, your passport or travel document, and anything else listed in your booking instructions. Do not rely on another applicant's packing list because the service and document requirements can change.
Wait for the decision
The standard service normally aims to decide the application within six months after you provide your fingerprints and photograph. If you pay for priority, GOV.UK currently describes a five-working-day decision period after biometrics; super priority has a shorter period. Paying and submitting the online form does not start that decision period, and UKVI can take longer if it needs to verify documents, arrange an interview or consider a complex issue.
Check your eVisa after approval
Sign in to your UKVI account and check that your new status and passport details are correct. Keep your email address, telephone number and passport information up to date so that you can prove your status when needed.
Documents you may need
Your personalised application checklist is the main list for your application. The groups below help you prepare in advance, but they do not replace that checklist or the latest official instructions.
Identity and visa permission history
- Your current passport and any earlier passports requested for the qualifying period
- Your eVisa or other current proof of immigration status
- A private timeline showing each visa type, its grant date and its expiry date
Residence, travel and workplace records
- A complete record of travel outside the UK, checked against passports, emails, calendars and bookings
- Letters from employers confirming employment dates and approved leave where this is relevant and available
- A clear explanation and supporting evidence for any unexplained conflict, gap or unauthorised absence
Life in the UK
- The unique reference number issued after you pass the Life in the UK Test
- Any additional evidence specifically requested under the rules in force on your application date
Current sponsor and employment
- A current sponsor letter confirming that you are still needed in the role and will be paid the required salary
- Your current sponsorship details where the form asks for them
- The occupation code and salary evidence listed in your personalised checklist
If NHS England is your sponsor
- Use the current National Overseas Sponsorship Team guidance and the portal or contact route given there
- Keep a copy of your request and the settlement-support letter you receive
Recent salary evidence
- Your most recent payslip, dated no earlier than 31 days before you apply
- A matching bank or building-society statement showing that salary entering your account
- Any further evidence specifically listed in your application-generated checklist
Partner or children applying with you
- Evidence that each person is eligible to apply, which may involve a different qualifying date
- Passports, proof of current status and relationship documents requested by the form
- A biometric appointment for each person who is required to provide biometrics
Consent and application records
- Any consent or verification declarations generated by the application
- The personalised checklist, submitted-form copy and evidence-upload confirmation
Biometrics, appointments and document uploads
After you submit the online application, you will normally be directed to UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) to provide your fingerprints and photograph. Appointment choices can differ by service point, day and time, and some include paid extras. For example, if an application is submitted on 1 September, the nearest centre might offer a paid appointment on 7 September and a free appointment on 17 September, while another city has a free appointment on 10 September. These dates are only an illustration: the actual choices are whatever the booking system shows when you log in.
Before the appointment
Read the instructions for the booking you select. You may be asked to upload the evidence yourself, or you may be able to pay for a scanning service. Open every uploaded file to make sure it is readable and complete, then save proof of the final submission.
What to bring
GOV.UK says to bring the appointment confirmation with its QR code, your passport or travel document, and any supporting documents that have not already been uploaded. Follow the current booking instructions if they ask for anything else.
Points that often cause confusion
“The five working days start when I pay for the application.”
No. GOV.UK describes the priority decision period from the point at which you provide your biometric information.
“Paying for priority gives me an earlier biometric appointment.”
No. Priority processing and appointment availability are separate. An earlier or more convenient appointment may still be paid, farther away or unavailable.
“Approved leave never counts as an immigration absence.”
Approved leave is not unauthorised absence from work. However, if you were outside the UK during that leave, those travel days may still count under the continuous-residence rules.
“My employer will know every day I travelled.”
Usually not. Employers can often confirm employment and approved leave, but you should keep and check your own complete travel record.
“A checklist from a forum tells me everything I need.”
No. Other people’s examples can help you think, but your application-generated checklist and the current official instructions take priority.
“CCT automatically gives an IMG doctor ILR.”
No. CCT and settlement are separate processes. You must make an application and meet the immigration requirements that apply to your route.
Settlement preparation checklist
If you are signed in, you can save these status choices privately to your GP Navigator account and return to them on another device. The checklist stores only the status of each item. Do not enter passport numbers, application references or travel details here.
Check the latest rules on the government website before applying
Last reviewed 19 September 2026. Immigration rules, fees, service providers, decision times and document requirements can change. This page gives general information and is not a substitute for immigration advice about your own circumstances.