UK Issues New Requirement for Applicants Seeking Permanent Residence

In January, UK’s Home Office announced changes to how it will calculate absences in connection with applications for permanent residence, or, “Indefinite Leave to Remain.” Qualified Applicants must now demonstrate a continuous period of residence in the UK in any rolling twelve-month period. The new rule no longer provides an exception which resets an applicant’s time of absence if the period in question overlaps into a new year. Under the new rule, no more than 180 days of absence are allowed in any consecutive 12-month period for a total of five years.