UK Private Life Visa Application and Process

Last reviewed: 19^th June 2026

Summary

The private life route visa is a settlement route in the UK Immigration Rules for people who have built their private life in the UK over time, rather than through a family relationship. The route is governed by Appendix Private Life, which came into force on 20th June 2022 in England and Wales. Applicants apply from inside the UK on form FLR(FP), and most reach indefinite leave to remain on either a 5-year or a 10-year route, depending on age and length of residence.

• The private life route visa lets people settle in the UK based on long or formative residence rather than a family relationship, under Appendix Private Life from 20th June 2022.
• Adults usually qualify through 20 years continuous residence, or by showing very significant obstacles to integration in the country they would otherwise go to.
• Children with 7 years residence and young adults aged 18 to 24 who have lived at least half their life in the UK qualify on more generous terms.
• Applications are made from inside the UK on form FLR(FP), with a Home Office fee of £1,321 per person plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• Children and young adults reach indefinite leave to remain after 5 years; most adults follow a 10-year route to settlement.

Introduction

The private life route visa replaced paragraphs 276ADE to 276DH of the Immigration Rules on 20th June 2022, when Appendix Private Life came into force in England and Wales. The route provides a lawful basis to remain and eventually settle for people whose claim to remain rests on their private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights rather than on a partner or parent already settled here.

Most applicants fall into one of three groups: children who have lived in the UK for at least 7 years, young adults aged 18 to 24 who arrived before turning 18 and have spent at least half their life here, and adults who have lived in the UK for more than 20 years or who face very significant obstacles to integrating in the country they would have to return to. Each group has its own eligibility test, grant length, and timeline to indefinite leave to remain.

What is the private life route visa in the UK?

The private life route visa is a UK immigration permission, governed by Appendix Private Life of the Immigration Rules since 20th June 2022, that allows a person to stay and later settle in the UK based on the private life they have built there. The private life route applies in England and Wales. It rests on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to respect for private and family life.

Private life covers the ties a person forms over years of living somewhere: education, work, friendships, community, and the sense of belonging that grows with time. The route exists because removing someone with deep roots in the UK can breach their human rights, even where they have no qualifying family member. Appendix Private Life replaced the older private life provisions in paragraphs 276ADE to 276DH of the Immigration Rules for applications made on or after 20th June 2022.

The Human Rights Act 1998 brings the duty into UK law. Section 6 provides that “it is unlawful for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with a Convention right”, which binds the Home Office when it decides a private life application.

Who qualifies for the private life route in the UK?

Eligibility for the private life route depends on age and length of residence in England and Wales. Children under 18 qualify with 7 years continuous residence where it would not be reasonable to expect them to leave. Young adults aged 18 to 24 qualify if they arrived before 18 and have lived at least half their life in the UK. Adults qualify with more than 20 years residence, or very significant obstacles to integration abroad.

The “half life” test for young adults is set out in paragraph PL 4.1 of Appendix Private Life. A 22-year-old who arrived aged 10 and has lived in the UK for 12 years, for example, has spent more than half their life here and can apply on that basis without waiting for 20 years to pass.

The adult 20-year route under paragraph PL 5.1 counts continuous residence, whether or not the person had permission to stay during that time. The alternative adult test, “very significant obstacles to integration”, asks whether the person could realistically rebuild a private life in the country of return. Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors advises on both adult routes and on the related 20-year long residence application where the facts support it.

The table below sets out the main eligibility groups, their core test, and the rule that governs each.

How long does private life residence have to be continuous?

Continuous residence for the private life route means living in the UK without any absence of more than 6 months and without absences totalling more than 550 days across the whole period. The clock breaks if the person is removed, deported, or leaves the UK after being refused entry. Time spent in the UK counts whether or not the person held permission, which matters for overstayers and those who entered without leave.

Paragraphs PL 7.1 to PL 7.3 of Appendix Private Life govern these rules. A person relying on the adult 20-year route, or a child relying on seven years, must show that no qualifying gap has broken the period. Long absences for work, study, or family reasons abroad can defeat an otherwise strong claim, so the precise dates of every departure and return need careful evidence. Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors regularly assists people seeking settlement through the 20-year route for overstayers where residence has been long but unlawful.

How long is private life leave and when can you settle?

Private life leave is granted for either 30 or 60 months at a time, and settlement follows after either 5 or 10 years, depending on the applicant. Children and young adults who meet the half-life test can be granted 60-month periods and, after five years, reach indefinite leave to remain. Adults qualifying through 20 years residence or very significant obstacles are granted 30 months at a time on a 10-year route to settlement.

Paragraphs PL 10.1 to PL 10.3 set the grant lengths, and the route permits work and study, with no access to public funds unless the person is destitute or there are exceptional circumstances. From 29th July 2025, the rules were widened so that more children and young people granted leave before Appendix Private Life began can also settle after 5 years. Settlement is then made on the SET(PL) application for indefinite leave to remain.

To settle, an adult applicant must usually meet the English language requirement and pass the Life in the UK test. Under paragraph PL 16.1, the language standard is B1 in speaking and listening for applications before 26th March 2027, rising to B2 on or after that date. Children under 18 are exempt from both the language and Life in the UK requirements.

How do you apply for the private life route visa?

A private life route application is made from inside the UK using form FLR(FP), titled “Application to remain in the UK on the basis of family life or private life”. The Home Office fee is £1,321 per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year, for a total of £2,587.50 for a 30-month grant. An optional Super Priority Service costs an additional £1,000 and provides a decision within one working day.

The application requires evidence of identity, continuous residence, and the relevant private life ties, supported by documents covering each year claimed. A refusal of a private life claim is a refusal of a human rights claim, which carries a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Section 82 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 grants that right of appeal where the Secretary of State refuses a human rights claim. Where appeal rights are exhausted or unavailable, judicial review of an immigration decision may be the route to challenge an unlawful refusal.

The weight a tribunal gives to private life is shaped by statute. Section 117B(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 directs that “little weight should be given to a private life established by a person at a time when the person’s immigration status is precarious”, which is why long residence without status faces a higher evidential bar.

How do courts assess private life under Article 8?

Courts assess private life claims by weighing the individual’s Article 8 rights against the public interest in immigration control, applying a proportionality test. A claim succeeds where removal would be disproportionate, judged on the specific facts: depth of ties, length of residence, ability to integrate elsewhere, and the strength of the public interest in that case. The framework binds both the Home Office and the tribunals in England and Wales.

As Lord Reed held in R (Agyarko) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] UKSC 11, the ultimate question is “whether a fair balance has been struck between the competing public and individual interests involved, applying a proportionality test”. The Supreme Court confirmed that the “very significant obstacles” and “exceptional circumstances” tests used in the Immigration Rules are compatible with Article 8.

For adults, the most common quantified threshold is the 20-year residence figure in paragraph PL 5.1, which substitutes a clear period for the open-ended proportionality enquiry in most cases. Where residence is shorter, the very significant obstacles test or a wider Article 8 assessment outside the Rules may still succeed. Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors prepares these claims with full documentary evidence and, where needed, expert country reports.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the private life route and the family life route?

The private life route is for people whose claim to stay rests on the life they have built in the UK over time, such as long residence, education, and community ties. The family life route is for people whose claim rests on a relationship with a British or settled partner, parent, or child. Both are covered by form FLR(FP), and both rely on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, but the eligibility tests differ.

Can overstayers apply for the private life route in the UK?

Yes, overstayers can apply for the private life route, because continuous residence under Appendix Private Life counts time spent in the UK, whether or not the person held permission to stay. An adult can rely on more than 20 years residence even if much of that time was unlawful, provided no single absence exceeded 6 months, and total absences stayed under 550 days. Evidence of presence for each year claimed is essential.

How much does a private life route visa cost in the UK?

A private life route application on form FLR(FP) costs £1,407 per person in Home Office fees, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year. For a standard 30-month grant the surcharge totals £2,587.50, and an optional Super Priority Service adds £1,000 for a next-working-day decision. Fees are set by the Home Office and reviewed periodically.

How long does it take to settle on the private life route?

Settlement timing depends on the applicant. Children and young adults who meet the half-life test under Appendix Private Life can reach indefinite leave to remain after five years, while adults qualifying through 20 years residence or very significant obstacles follow a 10-year route to settlement. Each grant of leave lasts either 30 or 60 months, after which the person may apply to extend or settle.

Can a private life refusal be appealed?

Yes, a private life refusal can be appealed, because a refused private life claim is treated as a refused human rights claim under section 82 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The appeal goes to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in England and Wales. Where no appeal right exists, judicial review may be available to challenge an unlawful decision.

Talk to Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors

Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors has advised on private life, long residence, and human rights claims since 1985, including the difficult refusal and overstay cases other firms decline. The team can assess your residence history, choose the strongest route, and prepare the evidence the Home Office expects. For tailored advice on a private life route application, speak to our immigration solicitors.

+44 (0) 207 269 9590