Home Office Data Shows Work and Family ILR Rates After Five Years
26 May 2026
If you are on a work or family visa and planning ahead to settlement, new Home Office data shows how often people in your position actually reach ILR after five years.
The Migrant Journey 2025 report, published on 21 May 2026, tracked people who entered the UK in 2020 and recorded their immigration status five years later. Among those who started on work routes, 30% had been granted indefinite leave to remain after five years. Among those who started on family routes, 46% had ILR after five years. The report notes that those on family routes are "much more likely to obtain settlement than those arriving on Work or Study routes," and that 86% of the 2020 family cohort maintained valid leave or had ILR after five years.
The work-route figure breaks down sharply by visa type. The report notes that "most workers become eligible for settlement after 5 years in the UK." Within the Skilled Worker and Worker category specifically, 41% reached ILR after five years. Temporary Worker routes tell a very different story, with less than 1% reaching ILR, because those routes are not designed to lead to settlement.
If you are on a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, or family visa, these figures give you a realistic picture of how your cohort tends to progress. The five-year qualifying period and continuous residence rules are the key hurdles. Tracking your absences carefully from the start keeps the ILR application straightforward when the time comes.
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