Can biometrics be taken after my 10 year LR date if I submit ILR(LR) earlier?
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2026 6:04 pm
Hi everyone,
I am hoping someone with experience of long residence applications can sanity check something I have been told on this forum and elsewhere.
I am on the 10 year long residence route and plan to apply for ILR (LR). My first ever UK visa started on 20 September 2016, which is also the date I first entered the UK. This means I will have completed 10 years of continuous lawful residence on 20 September 2026, and the earliest date I can submit an ILR(LR) application should be 28 days before that, on 23 August 2026.
Since entering the UK I have been continuously lawful, first on a Tier 4 (student) visa for 7 years and then on a Tier 2 (Skilled Worker) visa for the last 3 years. My current Tier 2 visa is due to expire on 19 August 2026, and my employment contract will end slightly earlier on 5 August 2026.
Based on what I have read and gathered from this forum, it seems that it may be possible to submit the ILR(LR) online application before the qualifying date (23 August 2026) and before my current visa expires on 19 August 2026, and then book the biometrics appointment for a date that falls on or after that qualifying date, with the Home Office assessing eligibility based on the date biometrics are enrolled rather than the date of online submission.
In other words, the idea is that you can submit earlier to secure section 3C leave, then attend biometrics once you have actually reached the 28 day early window.
Before I rely on this, I would really appreciate confirmation from anyone who has either done this themselves or knows the policy basis for it.
Specifically:
1. Is eligibility for ILR(LR) assessed on the date of biometrics rather than the date of online submission?
2. Is it safe and accepted practice to submit the form before the qualifying date as long as biometrics are done after it?
3. Has anyone successfully used this to bridge a short gap before their 10 year point?
4. If this does work, does it mean that I technically would not need to have another employment contract in place after my current one ends on 5 August 2026, as I would be covered by section 3C leave while waiting for ILR?
5. Would you recommend that I speak to an immigration solicitor or adviser before doing this, or is this a well established process?
6. Are there any other pitfalls or points I should be aware of to make sure everything goes smoothly?
For completeness, I have already passed my Life in the UK Test and I am well within the absence limits for long residence.
Thank you very much in advance. This is a big moment for me and I want to get it right.
I am hoping someone with experience of long residence applications can sanity check something I have been told on this forum and elsewhere.
I am on the 10 year long residence route and plan to apply for ILR (LR). My first ever UK visa started on 20 September 2016, which is also the date I first entered the UK. This means I will have completed 10 years of continuous lawful residence on 20 September 2026, and the earliest date I can submit an ILR(LR) application should be 28 days before that, on 23 August 2026.
Since entering the UK I have been continuously lawful, first on a Tier 4 (student) visa for 7 years and then on a Tier 2 (Skilled Worker) visa for the last 3 years. My current Tier 2 visa is due to expire on 19 August 2026, and my employment contract will end slightly earlier on 5 August 2026.
Based on what I have read and gathered from this forum, it seems that it may be possible to submit the ILR(LR) online application before the qualifying date (23 August 2026) and before my current visa expires on 19 August 2026, and then book the biometrics appointment for a date that falls on or after that qualifying date, with the Home Office assessing eligibility based on the date biometrics are enrolled rather than the date of online submission.
In other words, the idea is that you can submit earlier to secure section 3C leave, then attend biometrics once you have actually reached the 28 day early window.
Before I rely on this, I would really appreciate confirmation from anyone who has either done this themselves or knows the policy basis for it.
Specifically:
1. Is eligibility for ILR(LR) assessed on the date of biometrics rather than the date of online submission?
2. Is it safe and accepted practice to submit the form before the qualifying date as long as biometrics are done after it?
3. Has anyone successfully used this to bridge a short gap before their 10 year point?
4. If this does work, does it mean that I technically would not need to have another employment contract in place after my current one ends on 5 August 2026, as I would be covered by section 3C leave while waiting for ILR?
5. Would you recommend that I speak to an immigration solicitor or adviser before doing this, or is this a well established process?
6. Are there any other pitfalls or points I should be aware of to make sure everything goes smoothly?
For completeness, I have already passed my Life in the UK Test and I am well within the absence limits for long residence.
Thank you very much in advance. This is a big moment for me and I want to get it right.
