A UK private life visa is permission to stay in the UK on the basis of the private life you have built here. It is granted under Appendix Private Life of the Immigration Rules to children who have lived in the UK for seven years, young adults who have spent half their life here, adults with more than 20 years’ residence, and adults who would face very significant obstacles to integrating in the country they would have to go to.
The application is made from inside the UK on the family and private life form, known as FLR (FP). Time in the UK counts whether or not you had permission, so the route is open to many people with gaps in their immigration history. What decides the outcome is evidence: of continuous residence, of a child’s position, or of the obstacles you would face abroad.
Sterling Law’s immigration solicitors assess which test you meet, build the evidence of your residence and ties, and prepare the legal representations. We also deal with fee waivers, refusals and appeals, and the application for settlement at the end of the route.
Private life visa at a glance
| Key fact | Position on 28 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rules | Appendix Private Life of the Immigration Rules |
| Application | online from inside the UK, on the family and private life form known as FLR (FP) |
| Home Office fee | £1,407 per applicant from 8 April 2026 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for children |
| Processing time | about 12 months; there is no service standard |
| Permission granted | 30 months; children and young adults can choose 60 months |
| Settlement | after 5 years for children and young adults, after 10 years for other adults; a child born in the UK can apply after 7 years |
| English for settlement | level B1, rising to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027, plus the Life in the UK test for adults |
Who qualifies for a private life visa?
The private life route has four tests for people who were not born in the UK, and a separate route for children born here:
| Your situation | The test | Settlement after |
|---|---|---|
| You are under 18 and have lived in the UK continuously for at least seven years | it would not be reasonable to expect you to leave the UK | 5 years |
| You are aged 18 to 24 and arrived in the UK before you turned 18 | you have spent at least half your life continuously resident in the UK | 5 years |
| You are 18 or over and have lived in the UK continuously for more than 20 years | the length of your residence | 10 years |
| You are 18 or over and have lived in the UK for less than 20 years | very significant obstacles to your integration into the country where you would have to live | 10 years |
| You were born in the UK and have lived here continuously since birth for at least seven years | it would not be reasonable to expect you to leave the UK | you can apply for settlement directly |
If you do not meet any of these tests, the Home Office must still consider whether refusing permission would breach your right to respect for private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Applicants who fall for refusal on the most serious suitability grounds, such as a deportation order or a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, are refused under the Rules whatever their private life.
The 7-year rule for children
A child under 18 qualifies if they have lived in the UK continuously for at least seven years and it would not be reasonable to expect them to leave. The reasonableness test looks at the child’s circumstances as a whole: their age, schooling, health, friendships and ties in the UK, and their links to the country they would have to go to. The seven years are counted at the date of application, and time counts whether or not the child had permission.
A parent of a child who meets this test may be able to stay on the parent route, which is explained on our FLR (FP) page.
Young adults: the half-life test
If you are aged 18 to 24, arrived in the UK before your 18th birthday and have spent at least half your life continuously resident here, you qualify on the half-life test. There is no separate reasonableness or obstacles test, and once granted you can apply for settlement after five years on the route.
Adults: 20 years or very significant obstacles
Adults qualify in one of two ways: by more than 20 years of continuous residence in the UK, or by showing very significant obstacles to their integration into the country where they would have to live. Home Office guidance describes very significant obstacles as a high threshold: something that would prevent or seriously inhibit you from integrating. Evidence usually covers how long you have been away, your remaining ties and language, your health, and the conditions you would face on return. Our article on the 20-year route to a private life visa gives worked examples.
A person whose asylum claim was declared inadmissible, and is still treated as inadmissible, cannot rely on the very significant obstacles test.
Continuous residence
Continuous residence can include time in the UK with or without permission, but it does not include time spent in prison or detention after a criminal conviction. It is broken if you:
- have been absent from the UK for more than 6 months at any one time;
- have spent a total of 550 days or more outside the UK during the period;
- have been removed or deported, or left the UK after an application was refused;
- left the UK with no reasonable expectation of being able to return lawfully.
For settlement, continuous residence is assessed under Appendix Continuous Residence instead.
Suitability and immigration history
Since 11 November 2025 private life applications are assessed under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules. Overstaying or entering the UK without permission does not prevent an application, but your history still matters: some suitability grounds that arise during the route, such as deception or breaching the conditions of your permission, can delay settlement until you have completed 10 years with permission. Read our guide to unintended overstaying and take advice before you apply.
Fees, conditions and public funds
The Home Office fee is £1,407 per applicant from 8 April 2026. Each applicant also pays the Immigration Health Surcharge for the whole period of permission: £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for children, so £2,587.50 per adult and £1,940 per child for 30 months. If you choose 60 months, the surcharge is paid for 60 months. If you cannot afford the fees, you can request a fee waiver before applying; our FLR (FP) page explains how the waiver and section 3C leave work.
Private life permission allows you to work, including self-employment and voluntary work, and to study. It comes with a no recourse to public funds condition unless you are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution, there are reasons relating to a child’s welfare, or you face exceptional circumstances affecting your income or outgoings.
How to apply for a private life visa
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Confirm the test | 7-year rule, half-life test, 20 years or very significant obstacles; each needs different evidence |
| 2. Evidence of residence | documents covering every year: school records, GP and hospital letters, council tax, tenancy agreements, employment and bank records |
| 3. Evidence for the test | the child’s position, your ties abroad, or the obstacles you would face; letters from schools, doctors and other professionals carry most weight |
| 4. Fee waiver, if needed | request it and wait for the decision before applying |
| 5. Online application | the family and private life application on GOV.UK; pay the fee and the surcharge unless waived |
| 6. Identity and documents | usually a UKVCAS appointment, then upload your evidence |
| 7. Decision | if granted, your permission is recorded as an eVisa in your UKVI account |
You must be in the UK on the date you apply. If the private life claim is made alongside an asylum claim, while you are in detention or during an appeal, the online form requirement does not apply.
Private life visa processing time
The Home Office says it currently takes about 12 months to decide private life applications, and there is no service standard. If you applied before your permission expired, you can stay in the UK and keep your existing conditions while you wait for the decision.
From private life permission to settlement
Children and young adults who qualified under the 7-year or half-life test can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years. Other adults need 10 years. Time on the partner and parent routes, leave outside the rules on Article 8 grounds and private life permission can be combined towards the qualifying period.
For settlement you also need to meet the continuous residence requirement, English at level B1 (B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027) and the Life in the UK test, unless an exemption applies. If you do not yet meet the settlement requirements but still qualify for permission, the Home Office can treat your application as one for further permission to stay.
Private life, FLR (FP) and the long residence route
Private life is one of the bases applied for on form FLR (FP), alongside family life as a partner or parent; our Further Leave to Remain guide compares all the forms. It is different from the 10-year long residence route, which requires ten years of continuous lawful residence with permission.
If your application is refused
A private life application is a human rights application, so a refusal normally carries a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, unless the Home Office certifies the claim as clearly unfounded or you still hold other permission to stay when the decision is made. From inside the UK you have 14 days from receiving the decision letter to appeal. The tribunal fee is £82 for a decision without a hearing and £144 with a hearing. Our human rights claims page covers the wider options.
How Sterling Law can help
Our immigration solicitors act on private life applications from the first assessment to settlement:
- identifying the test you meet and the evidence it needs;
- building a year by year record of your continuous residence;
- evidence and representations on a child’s position or on very significant obstacles;
- fee waiver requests and requests to lift the no recourse to public funds condition;
- refusals and appeals to the First-tier Tribunal;
- settlement at the end of the route.
Recent results include indefinite leave to remain on the private life route, a private life grant after 20 years in the UK and an appeal for a family with a qualifying child.
Speak to our immigration solicitors
Tell us how long you have lived in the UK, your immigration history and your family circumstances. We will tell you which test you meet, what evidence you need and how long the route to settlement will take.
FAQ about the private life visa
1. What is the 7-year rule in the UK?
A child under 18 who has lived in the UK continuously for at least seven years can qualify for private life permission if it would not be reasonable to expect them to leave the UK. A child who qualifies this way can apply for settlement after five years on the route.
2. What is the 20-year rule?
An adult who has lived in the UK continuously for more than 20 years qualifies on private life grounds on the length of residence alone, provided the suitability rules are met. Time counts with or without permission, but time in prison after a conviction does not count.
3. How long is a private life visa granted for?
Permission is normally granted for 30 months. Children and young adults who qualify under the 7-year or half-life tests can choose 60 months instead.
4. Can I apply for a private life visa if I am an overstayer?
Yes. Time in the UK counts whether or not you had permission, and you do not need current permission to apply. Your immigration history is still assessed under the suitability rules, and it can affect when you are able to settle.
5. Can I work on a private life visa?
Yes. Private life permission allows work, including self-employment and voluntary work, and study. It usually comes with a no recourse to public funds condition, which should not be imposed if you are destitute or at risk of imminent destitution.
6. When can I get indefinite leave to remain on the private life route?
After five years for children and young adults who qualified under the 7-year or half-life tests, and after 10 years for other adults. You also need to meet the continuous residence, English language and Life in the UK requirements, unless an exemption applies.
