ILR 180-day Absence Checker

For ILR (settlement) on most routes, the Immigration Rules (Appendix Continuous Residence) require that you were not absent from the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying period — typically 5 years, or 10 years on the long-residence route.

The word rolling matters: the test is not 180 days per calendar year or per visa year, but 180 days in every possible 12-month window. The checker therefore:

• parses each absence you enter, counting both the start and end dates as absent days (inclusive counting — the cautious reading, since Home Office guidance treats only whole days outside the UK as absences, so partial travel days may work slightly in your favour);
• tests every 12-month window that could produce the worst total — mathematically these windows begin or end at an absence boundary, so checking those candidates is a complete search;
• reports the single worst window, its start date, and the total absent days inside it.

If any window exceeds 180 days, continuity is broken and the qualifying period typically restarts from after the excess absence — the checker flags this but cannot tell you your new qualifying date.

What this tool does not do: it does not apply the exceptions in Appendix Continuous Residence, such as absences from serious illness, conflict or natural disaster, pandemic-related concessions, or certain research and Crown-service absences — if one of those may apply, the raw day count here will overstate your position. It also does not handle periods granted under the rules in force before 11 January 2018 (which counted 180 days per separate 12-month block), and it checks absence only: lawful residence, gaps between visas, and the other ILR requirements are separate. Keep every entry and exit record, and get OISC level 3 or solicitor advice before applying if you are anywhere near the limit.