Settlement qualifying period counter
Count days towards the published 5-year period, and see which dated rule changes fall across that span.
Time on these routes may be combined towards the qualifying period: Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, T2 Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Representative of an Overseas Business, Tier 1 (other than Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur), Scale-up. This counter measures a single unbroken span — it does not model gaps, absences, or changes of route.
Enter the date continuous permission began to see the count.
A change to the qualifying period has been proposed but is not law
A move from a 5-year to a 10-year default qualifying period, with reductions for contribution or integration.
Proposed only. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 and no government response has been published. Nothing altering the qualifying period has been laid before Parliament.
Position checked on 8 August 2026. This counter applies the 5-year period currently in force. Read the consultation on GOV.UK.
Figures verified on 8 August 2026 · official sources: Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 21.1, 21.2, 22A.1) Continuous residence caseworker guidance
Information, not advice
This tool gives general information about the published UK immigration fees and rules — it is not advice on an individual case, and it does not decide whether anyone qualifies. Figures are summarised from GOV.UK and can change; always check the official pages before applying. For advice on a specific situation, find a regulated adviser via GOV.UK — Find an immigration adviser (the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly OISC).
What this counter does and does not do
It measures a single unbroken span of dates against the 5-year qualifying period set out in the Immigration Rules. It does not assess continuous residence, which has its own requirements covering absences and gaps in permission, and it does not state a date on which an application may be made.
There is no fixed “apply 28 days early” rule
This is widely repeated and widely misunderstood. No such provision appears in Appendix Skilled Worker. The figure comes from caseworker guidance on continuous residence, where the qualifying period is counted back from whichever of several dates is most beneficial to the applicant:
- the date of application
- any date up to 28 days after the date of application
- the date of decision
Because the date of decision is on that list, the effective position can be considerably more generous than 28 days — and because it is a most-beneficial assessment rather than an entitlement, it is not a guaranteed early-application window either. Treating 28 days as a hard rule is inaccurate in both directions, so this counter does not compute one.
Two dated changes worth knowing about
B2 English from 26 March 2027 — already law. Where the date of application falls on or after that date, the Immigration Rules require English language ability at level B2 unless an exemption applies. It is written into the Rules now as a forward-dated provision, so anyone whose qualifying period ends in 2027 or later is affected.
A ten-year qualifying period — proposed only. Proposed only. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 and no government response has been published. Nothing altering the qualifying period has been laid before Parliament. This counter therefore applies the 5-year period that is currently in force. That the Rules already carry a forward-dated English requirement for 2027, while carrying no equivalent provision on the qualifying period, is itself an indication that no such change has yet been made.