ILR is granted to a person who has spent the required period lawfully in the UK on an eligible visa route and has met conditions such as an English language requirement and the Life in the UK test. Because both the qualifying period and the exact conditions are subject to government reform, applicants should always check current requirements on GOV.UK or consult a regulated immigration adviser rather than relying on any fixed figure they read elsewhere.
Once granted, ILR removes any restriction on how long the holder may remain in the UK; they may work, run a business, access public services, and travel abroad for permitted periods without losing their status. Crucially, buying property in the UK does not confer ILR or any other immigration status; the UK does not operate a straightforward investor residency-by-purchase programme of the kind found in some other countries.
As a practical example, a person who arrived on a Skilled Worker visa and has completed the qualifying continuous residence period — taking no more than the permitted absences — may become eligible to apply for ILR. The application is made online to UK Visas and Immigration, and professional immigration advice is strongly recommended given the consequences of an error.
Overseas investors should be aware that property ownership carries no immigration benefit in the UK; anyone planning to establish lawful residence here needs independent immigration advice entirely separate from their property transaction.