How much does ILR cost? The ILR fee in 2026

The ILR fee and what comes with it

What	Cost
ILR application, each person	£3,226
Life in the UK Test, if you’re 18 to 64	£50
Fingerprints and photo	no fee
Priority service: a faster decision	£500 extra, each person
Super priority service: usually a decision by the end of the next working day	£1,000 extra, each person

The ILR fee went up from £3,029 to £3,226 on 8 April 2026.

How fast is the priority service? GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker ILR guide says within 5 working days; its guide to faster decisions says settlement applications on the priority service usually take 30 working days. Both were updated in October 2026 — check the guide for your route before you pay.

ILR cost for a family

The Home Office fees table lists one ILR fee for main applicants and dependants, so everyone on the application pays it — a child too, unless the fee is waived (below):

Applying together	ILR fees
1 person	£3,226
2 people	£6,452
3 people	£9,678
4 people	£12,904

Each adult aged 18 to 64 also needs to have passed the Life in the UK Test (£50). A faster decision is paid per person as well: every family member applying with you pays the £500 or £1,000.

ILR fee waiver: who doesn’t pay the fee

Most people pay the full ILR fee. The Home Office fees regulations list the exceptions; these are the main ones:

Who	ILR fee
Refugee status, humanitarian protection or section 67 leave — and your partner or child	no fee
Discretionary leave	£3,226 each person
Armed forces: at least 6 years’ service, or a medical discharge caused by your service	no fee for you; family members applying with you pay
A child in local authority care when the application is made	no fee
A stateless person, and their partner or child	no fee
A victim of domestic abuse who can’t afford the fee	no fee, with evidence
A bereaved partner who can’t afford the fee	no fee, with evidence
The partner or child of a member of the armed forces who died, or of a former Gurkha or Hong Kong military unit veteran, who can’t afford the fee	no fee, with evidence

“Can’t afford the fee” means you can show one of these: you have no place to live and can’t afford one; you have one but can’t afford essentials like food or heating; or your income is so low that paying the fee would harm your child’s wellbeing. Evidence can be bank statements, payslips, utility bills, or a signed letter from your local authority or from an agency that has been supporting you. The regulations name a few more cases, such as ILR under the Afghan relocation scheme (ARAP); settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme is free too.

On a work visa, a family visa or the private life route, there’s no ILR fee waiver for people who can’t afford the fee: each person pays £3,226. The fee waiver some people get on a family visa or the private life route covers applications for permission to stay — the extensions on the way to ILR — not the ILR application itself.

ILR fee waiver for children

A child pays the same ILR fee as an adult, with two exceptions: a child in local authority care when the application is made pays nothing, and so does the child of a parent with refugee status or humanitarian protection.

ILR fee for a child born in the UK

Being born in the UK doesn’t make a child British on its own. It depends on the parents’ status on the day the child was born:

On the day the child was born	ILR fee for the child
A parent was British or settled — with ILR or settled status, for example	none: the child is usually British automatically and can get a UK passport
Neither parent was British or settled	£3,226, when the child applies for ILR

A child born while you’re on a visa — a Skilled Worker visa, for example — can apply for a dependant visa, and later for ILR at the same fee as an adult. Once a parent has ILR, a child born in the UK can also be registered as a British citizen while under 18: that costs £1,000, and a child who can’t afford it may get a fee waiver. More in British citizenship cost.

What you don’t pay

You don’t pay the immigration health surcharge when you apply for indefinite leave to remain. You do pay it if you apply for ILR but are given limited leave instead.

Before you pay the ILR fee

The fee isn’t the only thing to get right. Many settlement routes allow no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months — check your trips with the ILR absences calculator. And once you’ve applied, plan to stay put: travelling while your ILR is pending withdraws the application. The next step costs £1,839: British citizenship. For the changes planned to the wait before ILR, see earned settlement.