Excess Absences Under The Long Residence Route

Rumours and speculation around the upcoming introduction of ‘earned settlement’ are rife. One anticipated change is that the Long Residence route – which allows individuals to apply for indefinite leave to remain after spending a continuous and lawful period of 10 years in the UK – may be scrapped.

Consequently, we have received an influx of enquiries from individuals hoping to secure indefinite leave to remain before these rumours become reality. In many cases, those queries come from clients who have exceeded the specified absence thresholds and are hoping to rely on a Home Office caseworker exercising discretion in respect of any ‘excess’ time spent overseas.

As a reminder, the absence requirements under the Long Residence route are: