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Completing application form ELR

This page gives general guidance on using application form ELR to apply for permanent residence (indefinite leave to remain) in the United Kingdom. You can download the form from the right side of this page.

You should also read the detailed guidance (ELR guidance, which you can download from the right side of this page) before completing the form.

You should use form ELR if you were refused asylum but given exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom for a period of four years or more before 1 April 2003. To qualify for permanent residence in this category you must have been living in the United Kingdom for four years and have a continued fear of returning to the country or countries from which you sought asylum.

You should not use form ELR if you no longer fear returning to the country or countries from which you sought asylum. You should use another application form for which you meet the requirements. See Applying for settlement in the United Kingdom for information about the categories available.

There is no fee for making this application.

You must be in the United Kingdom to apply. You must not send us your application more than 28 days before the end of your four-year qualifying period. If you do, we may refuse your application. However, you must make your application before your current permission to stay in the United Kingdom expires.

You can use one form for a joint application by you, your partner and any children you have who are aged under 18, if they are applying as your dependants. Children over 18 must apply separately.

You must post your application to the address given on the form. For this type of application you cannot apply in person at our public enquiry offices.

Section 7 of the application form gives details of the documents you need to send to support your application. You should send the original documents, not a copy. In exceptional circumstances, we may accept a photocopy that is certified as an accurate copy by the body or authority that issued the original or by a notary. You must include a letter explaining the reasons for providing a certified copy rather than the original document.

If you have any questions about completing your application form, you can contact us.

We cannot tell in advance how long it will take to decide your application so you should not make non-urgent travel plans until we have returned your passport to you. However, our current target times for deciding applications show how quickly we aim to make a decision.

You must fill in the form in block capitals using a black pen. Please enter all dates as dd-mm-yyyy, for example 29-04-2000.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my immigration status while my application is being decided?

    If you make an application before your authorised stay ends, your existing immigration status will continue until your application is decided, even if the decision is not made until after the end of your permitted stay. If your existing visa or other permission to stay here allows you to work, you can continue to do so until your case is decided.

Application forms

Indefinite leave to remain on completion of 4 years' exceptional leave to remain granted before 1 April 2003 following the refusal of asylum (ELR)

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Terms explained

  • Dependant

    Someone who depends on you financially, such as a husband, wife, partner, or child.

  • Exceptional leave to enter or remain

    Permission to stay in the United Kingdom for reasons that are exceptional. This type of permission is no longer given, but was sometimes given in the past to someone who does not qualify for asylum but whom we believe should be allowed to stay for other reasons.

  • Indefinite leave to remain

    Indefinite leave to remain (often known as ILR) is permission to stay permanently (settle) in the United Kingdom, free from immigration control.

  • Limited leave to remain

    Permission to stay in the United Kingdom temporarily, for the length of time stated on your visa.

  • Notary

    A notary is also known as a notary public. A notary is a public official who is legally authorised to witness the signing of documents and perform other formal duties.

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