Returning Resident visa: questions Indian applicants ask

£726 on gov.uk as of 8 October 2026. There is no health surcharge because the visa restores settlement. Priority settlement service, where offered, costs £500 extra.

Yes. Indefinite leave lapses after 2 continuous years outside the UK, even by a few months. You need a Returning Resident visa or a new visa on another route. A short absence over the limit with strong UK ties is the easiest case to win.

Family who are British or settled, a home you own or rent, a UK job or business, a pension, bank accounts you kept open, children in UK schools, and regular visits during the absence. Officers look at the whole picture against the length of time away.

Request your Home Office record through a Subject Access Request, or apply for a No Time Limit decision if you still had ILR. Keep any old letters, BRP cards or the landing card record. Without proof of the original grant, the application fails.

Only if they also held settlement that lapsed. A spouse who never held ILR applies on the Partner route once you are back and settled, or at the same time if you can show your status. We refer family route questions to the Partner visa page.

No. Entering as a visitor with the intention to stay is a breach and can lead to refusal at the border and future bans. Apply for the Returning Resident visa from India before you travel.

About 12 weeks after biometrics, because it is processed as a settlement application. Priority settlement service, when available at Indian centres, aims for 30 working days. Super priority is not offered for settlement entry clearance.

The visa is granted as indefinite leave to enter, which has the same effect as ILR. You will hold an eVisa. Time spent abroad does not count toward citizenship, so the residence clock for naturalisation starts again on your return.