Returning Resident Visa

For people whose indefinite leave lapsed while they were living abroad.

For former UK residents with indefinite leave who have been outside the UK for an extended period and want to return to live here.

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What we will check

When indefinite leave was granted and when you last left the UK.
The length of, and reasons for, the absence.
Your ties to the UK: family, property, work, finances and past residence.
Your intention to make the UK your permanent home again.
Whether another route would be more suitable.

Common problems
Assuming settled status never lapses.
Thin evidence of continuing ties to the UK.
No explanation for why the absence lasted as long as it did.

How WLIS can help

1 We check that the route suits your plans and that the matter is a straightforward one within our IAA Level 1 authorisation.
2 We review your eligibility and your documents, and explain plainly anything that needs attention.
3 We give you a document checklist written for your circumstances rather than a generic one.
4 We prepare the application form and supporting documents, and you check and approve the final information before anything is submitted.
5 We help with submission, biometrics or identity steps, and your eVisa and UKVI account after the decision.

What we can and cannot help with

We provide advice and application assistance for straightforward immigration matters within our IAA Level 1 Immigration authorisation. Where a matter falls outside that authorisation — for example because it involves adverse immigration history, a discretionary or human-rights claim, an administrative review, an appeal or tribunal work — we will tell you and signpost or refer you to an adviser authorised at the appropriate level.

If an application is refused, we will explain the decision and whether any further work remains within our Level 1 authorisation. Where an administrative review, an appeal or other higher-level casework is needed, we will signpost or refer you to an appropriately authorised adviser. We do not provide appeal or tribunal representation.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) makes the final decision on every application. No immigration adviser can guarantee that an application will be approved.

Our IAA regulation How we work Fees

Questions clients often ask

I have been abroad for more than two years. Have I lost my settlement?

Indefinite leave generally lapses after a continuous absence of more than two years, so you cannot simply return and resume it. The returning resident route exists for this situation, and it asks about your ties to the UK, the reasons for the absence and your intentions now.

What ties to the UK actually matter?

Close family here, property, employment history, the length of your original residence and the strength of your connection compared with the country you have been living in. The reason you left matters too: an absence caused by illness, caring duties or an employer's posting reads very differently from a settled life built elsewhere.

What if a returning resident application is refused?

Depending on your circumstances, an entry clearance application on another route — as a partner, parent or worker — may be more suitable. We would rather assess both at the outset than have you spend a fee on the less suitable application first.

Official sources we check

We check what we publish against the Home Office's own guidance. These are the GOV.UK pages behind the advice on this site — use them to confirm anything you read here, because the rules change and the official page is always the current one.

GOV.UK content is published by the UK government and is not part of this website.

Talk to us about returning resident visa

Tell us what you want to apply for, the status you hold now and when your current permission ends. We will confirm whether the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation and offer a suitable appointment.

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The enquiry button opens the secure WLIS enquiry form on enquiry.wlisuk.com in a new tab. Please do not send identity documents until we ask for them.