Visa compliance, explained
Long-form guides on the rules that decide whether your ILR, Schengen trip, or citizenship application goes through.
How many days can I leave the UK without losing ILR?
The short answer is 180 days in any rolling 12 months. The long answer — which actually matters for your application — is more nuanced.
Read the postSchengen 90/180 rule explained with worked examples
The "90 days in any 180" rule sounds simple until you take three trips. This post walks through the exact mechanic, with real dates you can follow.
Read the postWhat counts as absence for UK settled status?
Settled status and pre-settled status have different absence rules from a Skilled Worker ILR, and getting it wrong can reset your five years.
Read the postILR vs UK citizenship — timeline and absence rules compared
ILR gets you the right to live and work indefinitely. Naturalisation gets you a passport. The absence rules and timelines for the two look similar and are subtly different.
Read the postHow to prepare ILR evidence (with a sample compliance PDF)
Caseworkers reject applications over missing absence evidence more often than over the absences themselves. Here is the checklist.
Read the post