UK updates long residence caseworker guidance

UK Visas and Immigration updated its long residence caseworker guidance on 8 October 2026. The change explains when a Long Residence Permission to Stay application should be varied to an Appendix FM or Appendix Private Life Permission to Stay application. The update affects how staff handle these cases rather than changing the long residence rules themselves.

UK Visas and Immigration has updated its caseworker guidance on long residence, the route that lets people apply for indefinite leave to remain after a long period of living in the UK. The latest version, dated 8 October 2026, changes how staff should handle cases where a Long Residence Permission to Stay application is varied to an Appendix FM or Appendix Private Life Permission to Stay application.

The update is an internal instruction for caseworkers rather than a change to the Immigration Rules themselves. The wider framework is unchanged: indefinite leave to remain can still be granted under Appendix Long Residence after 10 years of continuous lawful residence, and the guidance continues to set out how staff assess suitability and qualifying residence.

What this means for travelers

• Applicants on the long residence route are not given any new requirement by this update; it concerns how caseworkers process certain applications.
• Cases that are switched from a long residence permission to stay application to an Appendix FM or Appendix Private Life application will be handled under the revised instruction.
• People preparing long residence applications may want to check the current guidance version before submitting, but the 10-year continuous lawful residence requirement is unchanged.
• Anyone unsure how a variation between routes affects their case should seek advice from an immigration adviser.