Absence days 2020

[AHMEDKHILED]

Hi,

I am looking for advice regarding my absence days in 2020, due to the pandemic, my home country-locked airports and my flight cancelled coming back to the UK.

total days of absence exceed 180 days.

dose the H.O. consider it as an exception when I will apply for ILR.


Many Thanks

[zimba]

There are concessions in place. If you can provide compelling reasons for why you had an absence of more than 180 days, then you should be fine. Most people believe that simply citing the pandemic is a good reason. I do not think it is, even under the route where the appendix continuous residence applies. Travel was indeed disrupted but UK borders were open and travel to the UK was possible throughout the pandemic (it was not easy or straightforward but possible). If you stayed outside the UK for let's say 200 days and made no attempt to return, it would be very unlikely that you can just use the pandemic as an excuse. It is probably fair that people who travelled and paid for tests, hotel quarantine, etc to maintain their residence in the UK be treated differently than people who simply did not want the hassle.