ILR Continuous Residence

UK Settlement (ILR) 180-Day Absence Calculator

Check whether your time outside the UK keeps you within the continuous residence rules for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Add each trip and we’ll test every rolling 12-month period against the 180-day limit, then break it down into a dashboard — per-trip risk flags, a year-by-year view of your absences and a passport-expiry check against your earliest ILR date.

180 days in any 12 months

Your Qualifying Period

Continuous residence start date

Usually the day your current visa route began.

Your visa route

Sets a 5-year qualifying period.

Passport expiry date (optional)

We’ll flag if it expires before your earliest ILR date.

Trips Outside the UK

Lots of trips? Use a spreadsheet instead.

Left the UK

Returned to the UK

Enter your start date to see your continuous residence assessment.

About the proposed “earned settlement” reform

In 2025 the government consulted on raising the standard settlement period from 5 to 10 years. As of mid-2026 this is not yet law and the live qualifying period remains 5 years for Skilled Workers. Whatever the period, the 180-day continuous residence rule still applies — which is what this tool checks. Use the dropdown above to model a different period.

How the 180-Day Continuous Residence Rule Works

It’s a rolling window

The limit is not 180 days per calendar year. The Home Office checks any 12-month period across your whole qualifying period. This tool slides a 365-day window across every day and reports the worst one.

Travel days count as in the UK

Only whole days fully spent outside the UK count. Part-days of under 24 hours — your departure and return days — are not counted, so a trip from the 1st to the 10th is 8 days of absence, not 10.

Some absences are exempt

Time abroad for a serious illness, the death of a close family member, assisting with a humanitarian or environmental crisis, or travel disruption from a natural disaster may be disregarded. Exclude these trips when entering your travel.

Other ILR requirements

Staying within 180 days is only one requirement. You’ll also need to pass the Life in the UK Test, be paid at or above the settlement salary, and hold continuous lawful permission throughout the period.

Related Guides

Complete Guide to the UK Skilled Worker Visa in 2026

Switching from a Graduate Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa

UK Health and Care Worker Visa: Your Complete 2026 Guide

Related Tools

Citizenship Eligibility Checker

Your next step after settlement — check the 450 & 90-day rules

Visa Route Finder

Find the right UK visa for your circumstances

ILR Readiness Checklist

Tick off every settlement requirement before you apply

English Requirement Checker

See the English level your route needs at each stage

Disclaimer

This tool gives an informational estimate only and is not legal or immigration advice. It does not account for every exemption or route-specific rule. Always check the current rules on Appendix Continuous Residence on GOV.UK or consult a qualified immigration adviser before applying.