ILR - 10 yr route - exceptions - more then 540 days + more than 6 months

[oceansacross]

Hello! Would very much appreciate help on the matter of ILR/10 year route. I've been in the UK for the past 10 years: I moved in September 2014, on a Student visa (August 2014-October 2017), to study undergraduate degree in art history. In June 2017, I moved to the US (I am not an American citizen) for a prestigious 6-month internship in the field of art history (although my visa was valid until October and I was still paying rent in London until then). In October 2017, I began applying for postgraduate programmes in the UK. I was hoping to return to the UK earlier earlier but my grandmother fell seriously ill end of 2017, and I spent much of 2018 taking care of her, as she was diagnosed with cancer. I was with her until my return to the UK to pursue my masters degree, which was on a visa from 30/08/2018-30/10/2019. Immediately following this, without any gaps, I continued into my PhD, on a visa 30/10/2019-30/01/2024. I am now on a Temporary Work visa that is October 2023 to October 2025. I do have certain smaller gaps (such as Covid-related restrictions) and research-related trips out of the UK.

Considering that my major gap between October 2017-2018 is related to my grandmother's illness, is it worth pursuing the ILR route, explaining that the illness falls under permitted absence? Or would the absence be to excessive for this? Thanks so much for your time and help!

[Ticktack]

Hello! Would very much appreciate help on the matter of ILR/10 year route. I've been in the UK for the past 10 years: I moved in September 2014, on a Student visa (August 2014-October 2017), to study undergraduate degree in art history. In June 2017, I moved to the US (I am not an American citizen) for a prestigious 6-month internship in the field of art history (although my visa was valid until October and I was still paying rent in London until then). In October 2017, I began applying for postgraduate programmes in the UK. I was hoping to return to the UK earlier earlier but my grandmother fell seriously ill end of 2017, and I spent much of 2018 taking care of her, as she was diagnosed with cancer. I was with her until my return to the UK to pursue my masters degree, which was on a visa from 30/08/2018-30/10/2019. Immediately following this, without any gaps, I continued into my PhD, on a visa 30/10/2019-30/01/2024. I am now on a Temporary Work visa that is October 2023 to October 2025. I do have certain smaller gaps (such as Covid-related restrictions) and research-related trips out of the UK.

Considering that my major gap between October 2017-2018 is related to my grandmother's illness, is it worth pursuing the ILR route, explaining that the illness falls under permitted absence? Or would the absence be to excessive for this? Thanks so much for your time and help!

Your UK residency is broken. Your residency has just started from 30/10/2018. You don't have 10 years of living in the UK. You have 5 years coming up to 6 years.