SettleWell is a co-pilot for your UK immigration journey. It holds your whole situation — visa route, sponsor, family, absences, and every policy change — and tells you what matters next, all the way from your first visa to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Your ILR date is one output of that system, not the whole product.

The core is free forever — the settlement timeline, ILR countdown, absence tracker, family tracking, and deadline reminders don't cost anything, with no trial clock. A paid Plus tier (£7.99/month or £59.99/year) adds unlimited Ask SettleWell, family timelines, and document storage.

They're complementary. A regulated immigration adviser or solicitor gives legal advice for your specific case — SettleWell doesn't replace that. What SettleWell adds is daily visibility: your timeline, deadlines, absence budget, and what's changed in the rules, kept current. Many people use both — SettleWell for day-to-day tracking and planning, an adviser for the actual applications.

No. SettleWell is completely independent of the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, and every government agency. We don't share your data with the government, and we never will. We're here to help you — not to report on you.

We understand the concern completely — we're immigrants ourselves and built SettleWell with privacy as a hard rule. We store the minimum needed to compute your timeline (visa type, key dates, city) and deliberately never collect passport, BRP, or National Insurance numbers. We have zero connection to the Home Office or any government agency, and you can export or delete everything with one click, anytime.

Yes. Your data is encrypted, stored in EU data centres under UK GDPR, and protected by row-level security so your records are only ever visible to you. We don't sell your data — ever — and you can export or delete your account and everything in it at any time, no questions asked.

Never. We have no connection to the Home Office or any government agency. Your information is only used to power your own dashboard. We don't share, sell, or transfer it to any third party — government or otherwise.

Only what's needed to work out your settlement timeline: visa type, arrival date, visa expiry date, city, and email. We deliberately avoid anything that could identify your immigration case — no passport numbers, no National Insurance numbers, no Home Office reference numbers, no ID documents. It's data minimisation by design.

For most routes, you can be absent up to 180 days in any rolling 12-month period — not the calendar year, but any 365-day window. Go over that in a single 12-month window and it can break the continuous residence your ILR depends on. SettleWell tracks your logged trips against the worst rolling window automatically and warns you as you approach the limit.

The 5-year route applies to most work and family visas (Skilled Worker, spouse/partner, Global Talent, and others) where you stay in one immigration category. The 10-year 'long residence' route is for people who've lived in the UK lawfully for 10 years on any combination of visas — a safety net if you've switched categories. SettleWell works out which applies to your situation.

Continuous residence means living in the UK without long breaks or gaps in your visa. For ILR you typically need 5 years of it (or 10 on the long residence route). Breaking it — through excess absences or a lapse in your immigration status — can reset your clock. That's why tracking your timeline carefully matters.

We'd suggest 3–6 months before your eligibility date. You'll want to book your Life in the UK test, gather documents (payslips, P60s, bank statements, employer letters), and check your passport is valid. SettleWell sends reminders at 180, 90, 60, 30, and 14 days before key deadlines so nothing sneaks up on you.

Yes — this is one of the most common switches, and you can usually do it from inside the UK. You'll need a job offer from an employer with a sponsor licence, and the role has to meet the salary threshold for your occupation. SettleWell's sponsor checker helps you find licensed sponsors and check the current thresholds.

The Global Talent visa is for leaders and emerging talent in fields like science, engineering, technology, arts, and academia. You need endorsement from an approved body. The advantages are significant: no sponsor required, and you can qualify for ILR in as little as 3 years rather than 5.

If your partner is British or settled, you can apply for a partner visa, then for ILR after 5 years (or 10 on the long residence route). The key requirements are meeting a minimum income requirement (or holding equivalent savings), proving your relationship is genuine, and meeting the English language requirement. The income figure changes periodically — check the current one on gov.uk before you plan around it.

No. The Skilled Worker visa needs an employer with a sponsor licence, but routes like Global Talent and Innovator Founder don't require an employer sponsor at all. SettleWell shows which routes fit your situation so you're not assuming you need something you don't.

Often, no. If you studied a degree taught in English at a UK university, you may be exempt from the English language requirement — you'll usually need a letter from your university confirming the course was taught in English. SettleWell checks whether you qualify for this exemption based on where and what you studied.

For ILR you typically need to show English at CEFR level B1 (a speaking-and-listening test for most people), unless you're exempt — for example through a UK degree or your nationality. Requirements vary by route, so SettleWell tracks which test, if any, applies to your specific situation.

It's a 45-minute test of 24 multiple-choice questions on British history, traditions, and law. You need 75% (18 correct) to pass. Most people pass first time with a couple of weeks of study using the official handbook and practice questions.

The ILR application fee is £3,226 per person (Home Office fees effective 8 April 2026). On top of that you'll pay around £50 for the Life in the UK test, plus biometric and, for some, priority-service costs. For a family, each person needs their own application and fee — so it adds up. Our visa cost calculator breaks it down for your situation.

The IHS gives you access to the NHS during your visa. It's £1,035 per year for most people, and £776 per year for students, under-18s, and Youth Mobility applicants — paid upfront for the whole visa length when you apply. Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants are exempt. Our IHS calculator works out the total for your household.

Not automatically — but dependants can usually apply at the same time as you. Each family member needs their own application and fee, and children generally need to have been in the UK lawfully for the same qualifying period. SettleWell tracks your whole household so everyone stays aligned.

It depends on your route. On a partner visa, a divorce can affect your status — though there are protections if you've already reached settlement, or if the relationship ended because of domestic abuse. On a work visa, your status isn't tied to your marriage. It's genuinely case-specific, so we'd recommend speaking to a regulated immigration adviser.

It's serious — you'd typically have a limited window (usually 60 days) to find a new sponsor or make other arrangements before your permission is curtailed. That's exactly why SettleWell lets you monitor your sponsor's licence status and search for alternative sponsors before you ever need to.

Usually you need to apply to update your visa with the new employer before you start the new role — you can't simply switch and notify the Home Office afterwards. The new employer must hold a sponsor licence and the role must meet the salary rules. SettleWell helps you find licensed sponsors and plan the switch.

The Home Office publishes a register of licensed sponsors, updated regularly. SettleWell makes it searchable — look up a company instantly and see its route, licence rating, and status, so you know before you apply for a job.

It's based on your arrival date and visa route, applying the current continuous-residence rules. It's accurate for typical cases, but individual circumstances vary — complex visa histories, long absences, or gaps in status can change things. For anything consequential, confirm key dates with a regulated adviser before you apply.

Yes. Whether you're on a Student, Graduate, Skilled Worker, partner, or Global Talent visa, SettleWell adapts to your situation. For students it shows your current status and the future routes you could switch to — Graduate, Skilled Worker, or Global Talent if you qualify.

No. SettleWell is a planning and educational tool, not a substitute for qualified advice. We quote the rules, translate them into plain language, and cite our sources — but for complex cases or the applications themselves, always consult a regulated immigration adviser. We'll never tell you what to do; we show you what's possible.