UK settlement and British citizenship: step by step

From settlement to British citizenship

1. Check your route to settlement

   Indefinite leave to remain, also called settlement, lets you live, work and study in the UK for as long as you like, and you can use it to apply for citizenship. When and how you can apply depends on your visa or circumstances, and each route has its own conditions. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme instead.

   Check if you can get indefinite leave to remain

2. Prove your English

   If you are 18 or over, you usually need English at level B1 in speaking and listening. You can prove it with an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) taken in the 2 years before you apply, or with a degree taught or researched in English. You do not need to prove it if you are 65 or over, if a long-term physical or mental condition prevents you, or if you are a national of a majority-English-speaking country such as Australia, Canada or the USA. Some routes to settlement, for example for refugees, have no English requirement.

   Prove your knowledge of English for citizenship and settling

3. Plan ahead: a higher level from 26 March 2027

   For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the required level rises to B2 in speaking and listening on most routes. This includes Skilled Workers, who currently do not need a new English test to settle. The change is already in the Immigration Rules but is not yet in force. For citizenship, the level stays at B1. On the current list of approved tests, every test at B2 covers all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

   Immigration Rules Appendix KoLL

4. Pass the Life in the UK test

   Most people applying for settlement or citizenship must pass this test: 24 questions about British traditions and customs, based on the official handbook. You only need to pass it once: a pass for settlement also counts for citizenship.

   Life in the UK Test

   Life in the UK test: format, booking and preparation

5. Apply for indefinite leave to remain

   When you meet the conditions of your route, apply online. The standard fee is £3,226 per person. Your application includes your Life in the UK test reference number and your proof of English, unless you are exempt.

   Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026

6. Apply for British citizenship

   You can usually apply for naturalisation once you have lived in the UK for 5 years and have held indefinite leave to remain or settled status for 12 months. If you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen, the residence period is 3 years and you can apply as soon as you have indefinite leave to remain. In both cases you must be 18 or over and of good character. An English qualification accepted for your settlement application can be used again, and you do not take the Life in the UK test again. The fee is £1,839: £1,709 for the application and £130 for the ceremony. You usually get a decision within 6 months.

   Apply for citizenship if you have indefinite leave to remain or 'settled status'

7. Attend your citizenship ceremony

   If your application is approved, book a citizenship ceremony with your local authority and attend it within 3 months of your invitation. You make an oath of allegiance (or an affirmation) and a pledge, and you receive your certificate of British citizenship at the end of the ceremony.

   Citizenship ceremonies