UK Lists 1 Type of Visa That Can Fast-Track Permanent Residency Status

• The UK Home Office has confirmed that Innovator Founder visa holders can apply for indefinite leave to remain after just three years of residence
• Applicants must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any single 12-month period during those three years
• Each ILR application through this route carries a fee of £3,226 per person, with processing taking up to six months

The UK Home Office has confirmed that holders of the Innovator Founder visa are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after just three years of residence in the country, making it one of the shorter pathways to permanent residency available under British immigration law.

Official guidance published by the Home Office sets out the conditions under which both Innovator Founder visa holders and those who previously held the now-replaced Innovator visa may qualify.

Time spent on any other visa category does not count towards the three-year residency requirement.

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What ILR grants successful applicants

Indefinite leave to remain removes all time restrictions on a person's right to live, work, and study in the UK. Successful applicants also become eligible to access certain public benefits and, in time, may apply for British citizenship.

Travel history during the qualifying period is a critical factor. Applicants must not have exceeded 180 days outside the UK in any single 12-month period across their three years on the visa.

Once an ILR application has been submitted, travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man is prohibited until the Home Office reaches a decision. Any departure during that window results in the application being automatically withdrawn.

Fees, timing, and processing

Each applicant must pay a fee of £3,226. Processing can take up to six months from the date of submission or from when biometric information is collected at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre. Cases involving a criminal record, outstanding document checks, or a required interview may take considerably longer.

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The Home Office advises applicants not to allow their existing visa to lapse before becoming eligible, as doing so requires a renewal, adding both time and additional cost. Applications can be lodged up to 28 days before the eligibility date, but any submission made earlier than that window risks an outright refusal.

UK lists 3 conditions for relatives joining Britain

Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that the UK published guidance detailing the conditions foreign children must satisfy before they can apply to live with a close relative in Britain.

With this, children seeking to join a family member who has been granted permission to remain in the UK either as a refugee or as a person with humanitarian protection.

Source: YEN.com.gh