UK Residency - Permanent Residence in the UK

Permanent residence [ or indefinite leave to remain ] depends on the status of your stay in the UK to date and consequently how long you need to have been here to qualify.

Status ( Type of Visa currently )	Qualifying period
Ancestry	4 years
Work permit	4 years
Investors	4 years
Writers, composers and artists	4 years
Sole representatives	4 years
To establish in business	4 years
Unmarried partners	2 years
Marriage	1 year
Illegal stay on any basis	14 years
Legal stay on any basis	10 years

Permanent residence removes any immigration based restrictions.

After one year of permanent residence you can apply for naturalisation.