Long Residence rule change closes health charge gap for permission-to-stay applications
05 Sep 2026
If you are on the 10-year Long Residence route and you vary your application, either switching a permission-to-stay application to a different type of leave, or varying a settlement (ILR) application, the rules around unpaid Immigration Health Charge (IHS) are changing.
Until now, the rules only spelled out what happens to unpaid IHS when a settlement application is varied. The Home Office has confirmed there were "no equivalent provisions" for when a permission-to-stay application is varied. A new Statement of Changes (HC 584) fixes this gap. As the government's own explanatory memorandum puts it, the changes "address that inconsistency and align the treatment of varied permission-to-stay and settlement applications." In practice, this means the same IHS consequences that already apply when you vary a settlement application will now also apply if you vary a permission-to-stay application under Long Residence.
This mainly affects people using Long Residence alongside another visa route, for example if you are varying an application to move onto a family or private life basis while still relying on your Long Residence continuous residence. If that describes your situation, check whether your Immigration Health Charge is fully paid before you submit any variation, since gaps could now have the same consequences as they would on a settlement application.
The change is due to take effect on 8 October 2026, as part of the wider set of changes in this Statement of Changes. If your application or variation is likely to be decided on or after that date, it is worth reviewing your IHS payment status now rather than waiting.
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