Global Talent visa settlement (ILR): when you can apply after 3 or 5 years

At a glance

Who can settle after 3 years, and who needs 5

The qualifying period depends on who endorsed you and in which category. These rules come from Appendix Global Talent, paragraphs GT 11.1 and GT 11.2, and the GOV.UK guidance for partners and children.

Qualifying period

Time on some other work routes can count

The continuous period must be time with permission as the main applicant, not as a dependant. GT 11.3 lets you combine time on Global Talent with time on these routes. Time as a Student or on the Graduate route is not on the list.

• Global Talent
• Skilled Worker
• Innovator Founder
• Scale-up
• International Sportsperson
• T2 Minister of Religion
• Representative of an Overseas Business
• Tier 1, other than Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)

Earnings

You must have earned money in your endorsed field

GT 10.2 requires you to have earned money in the UK during your last period of permission, in the field you were endorsed in, or a field related to your prize. Your endorsement must not have been withdrawn. GOV.UK gives payslips as an example of evidence. Keep records from the start, for example:

• Payslips and P60s from UK work in your field
• Invoices and accounts if you are self-employed or run a company
• Contracts that show the work is in your endorsed field

Absences

Stay within 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months

Appendix Continuous Residence says you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period. Some absences do not count towards the limit, including research activity by people endorsed by the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering or UKRI, and by people who qualified through a research prize in table 6 of the prestigious prizes list.

• Limit: 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period (CR 3.1)
• Research absences do not count for researchers endorsed by the four research endorsing bodies (CR 3.4)
• There is no research exception for people endorsed by Tech Nation or Arts Council England
• Absences for serious illness or the death of a close family member, or travel disruption from a natural disaster, conflict or pandemic, do not count

English and Life in the UK

English and Life in the UK requirements

Unless an exemption applies, you must show English speaking and listening at level B1 if you apply before 26 March 2027, and at level B2 if you apply on or after that date (GT 13.1). You must also meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement in Appendix KOL UK (GT 14.1).

Fee and form

How to apply, and what it costs

You apply online on form SET(O) while you are in the UK (GT 8.1 and GT 8.2). The fee is £3,226 per person, from the Home Office fees table that applies from 8 October 2026. No healthcare surcharge is due on an application for indefinite leave to remain, unless you are only given limited leave.

Family

Partners and children settle on their own timeline

Partners and children on the Global Talent route can apply to settle after 5 years in the UK, if they meet the other requirements. Because many main applicants can settle after 3 years, a family may settle at different times.

Before settlement

You may need to extend first

If your visa ends before you reach 3 or 5 years, you extend it first. An extension costs £766 per person plus the healthcare surcharge, and you must show you earned money in your expert field. Each extension can last from 1 to 5 years.

Rules can change

Check the rules in force when you apply

Your settlement application is decided under the Immigration Rules in force on the date you apply, and those rules can change. Read Appendix Global Talent and Appendix Continuous Residence again before you apply, and get advice from a qualified immigration adviser if your situation is not simple.